In the study the stem cells differentiated into cells displaying the characteristics of nucleus pulposus that forms the soft gel-like center of an intervertebral disc that is adversely affected in degenerative disc disease.
“Our research demonstrates the potential for using human adipose-derived stem cells in treating patients with degenerative disc disease,” stated Christopher Calhoun, chief executive officer for Cytori Therapeutics. “We are encouraged by these early findings and have initiated preclinical animal studies to further evaluate the effect of these cells, in vivo, on injured discs.”
Scientists from the Skeletal Tissue Engineering Group Amsterdam and Cytori Therapeutics demonstrated that an nucleus pulposus -phenotype was observed when adipose stem cells were grown in conditions that can be adapted to clinical practice. The human adipose stem cells and nucleus pulposus cells were co-cultured for 14 days.
RNA expression analysis found the presence of genes which are markers of mature nucleus pulposus cells. One of the genes in particular forms a protein that is critical to the function of the nucleus pulposus.