Mesenchymal stem cells for intervertebral disc repair and regeneration

Abstract

Low back pain secondary to degenerative intervertebral disc disease contributes to significant pain and disability in the United States. The potential to reverse intervertebral disc degeneration has driven significant interest in the development of stem cell therapy for degenerative disc disease. Early animal models have demonstrated that stem cell therapy may facilitate the reversal of the disc degeneration. The aim of this study is to review the currently available literature on MSC technology and its use in intervertebral disc repair and regeneration.