A French team has succeeded in transforming adipose stem cells into cells that make up the intervertebral discs in order to repair them.
As we age, back pain sets in and affects the quality of life. For 40% of back pain, the culprit is the irreversible degradation of the intervertebral discs. These structures in the spine form “cushions” between the vertebrae. However, the more it is used, the more the discs must play their role of shock absorber and deteriorate. Over time, wear and tear promotes the onset of pain.
Researchers are thus trying to develop treatments capable of slowing down or preventing the degradation of intervertebral discs. More specifically, they sought to slow down the degeneration of the cells that make up the nucleus pulposus, the central part of the discs, which is the first to be affected.
An Inserm team then took an interest in adipose tissue stem cells. From these, they succeeded in producing functional pulp cells. A discovery published in the journal Stem Cell.
But to get there, stem cells must bathe in a very specific preparation. If an element of the medium is missing or present in too much quantity, transformation into pulp cells may fail.
A transformation in a month
So, after testing several recipes, the researchers kept the one that seemed to be the most effective. This combines two growth factors: TGFβ and GDF5. They then took adipose tissue from 9 patients. In 28 days, they were able to obtain functional nucleus pulposus cells in the laboratory resembling those naturally occurring in the intervertebral discs.
“The protocol turned out to be a success regardless of the age and weight of the patients,” explains Jérôme Guicheux, director of Inserm unit 791 “Osteoarticular and dental engineering laboratory” in Nantes and responsible for the work. However, we had to go further because these cells had no chance of surviving by being reimplanted alone in a damaged intervertebral disc lacking all the nutrient substrate they need. “
Source: S Renaudin / Solène’s Design for Inserm
New animal tests
Scientists then imagined a biomaterial to artificially recreate an environment favorable to their multiplication. To assess the effectiveness of this cell-biomaterial combination, they implanted it in a mouse. “This device is the one that comes closest to intradiscal transplantation in humans. We have demonstrated that the protocol we apply to these cells was sufficient for them to retain their specific secretory activity and their specialized phenotype once reinjected in vivo, ”concludes the researcher.
The team now plans to test their regenerative therapy in a new, more relevant animal model. If this makes it possible to validate its effectiveness, trials in humans could see the light of day.
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