Autologous treatment of degenerated disc with cells
View Patent ↗The present invention relates to administering autologous uncultured cells into a diseased intervertebral disc.
1. A method of treating degenerative disc disease in an intervertebral disc having a nucleus pulposus in a patient, comprising administering TGF-β and concentrated autologous uncultured mesenchymal stem cells from 7-10 ml of the patient's bone marrow into the degenerated intervertebral disc immediately following harvesting of the cells.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cells are concentrated yielding an average of 3.6×10 6 cells per mL in final cell suspension prior to being administered into the intervertebral disc.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the cells are concentrated by centrifugation.
4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the cells are concentrated by filtration.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cells are administered to the disc using a carrier, wherein the carrier is selected from the group consisting of beads, microspheres, nanospheres, hydrogels, gels, polymers, ceramics, collagen and platelet gels.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the carrier comprises a hydrogel.
7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the carrier comprises microspheres.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein said TGF-β is between about 10 ng/ml and about 5000 ng/ml TGF-β.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the TGF-β and the cells are administered into the intervertebral disc using a carrier, wherein the carrier is selected from the group consisting of beads, microspheres, nanospheres, hydrogels, gels, polymers, ceramics, collagen and platelet gels.
10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the TGF-β is administered simultaneously with administering the cells to the disc.
11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the TGF-β is administered prior to administering the cells to the disc.
12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the TGF-β is administered after administering the cells to the disc.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cells are administered into the intervertebral disc in a formulation with a final volume of between about 0.5 ml and about 3.0 ml.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the cells are administered into the nucleus pulposus of the disc.
15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the cells are administered into the annulus fibrosus of the disc.
16. The method of claim 13 , wherein a portion of the nucleus pulposus is removed prior to administering the cells into the intervertebral disc.
17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the cells are administered through a needle.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the needle bore has a maximum gauge of about 24 gauge.
19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the formulation is administered in an amount of less than 1 mL.
20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cells are provided intra-operatively to the patient following harvesting from the patient.
21. A method of treating degenerative disc disease in an intervertebral disc having a nucleus pulposus in a patient, comprising administering TGF-β and autologous uncultured mesenchymal stem cells from the patient's bone marrow into a degenerated intervertebral disc immediately following harvesting of the autologous uncultured mesenchymal stem cells in a formulation with a final volume of between about 0.5 mL and about 3.0 mL.
22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the cells are concentrated yielding an average of 3.6×10 6 cells per mL in final cell suspension prior to being administered into the intervertebral disc.
23. The method of claim 22 , wherein the cells are concentrated by centrifugation.
24. The method of claim 22 , wherein the cells are concentrated by filtration.
25. The method of claim 21 , wherein the cells are administered to the disc using a carrier, wherein the carrier is selected from the group consisting of beads, microspheres, nanospheres, hydrogels, gels, polymers, ceramics, collagen and platelet gels.
26. The method of claim 25 , wherein the carrier comprises a hydrogel.
27. The method of claim 25 , wherein the carrier comprises microspheres.
28. The method of claim 21 , wherein said TGF-β is between about 10 ng/ml and about 5000 ng/ml TGF-β.
29. The method of claim 28 , wherein the TGF-β and the cells are administered into the intervertebral disc using a carrier, wherein the carrier is selected from the group consisting of beads, microspheres, nanospheres, hydrogels, gels, polymers, ceramics, collagen and platelet gels.
30. The method of claim 28 , wherein the TGF-β is administered simultaneously with administering the cells to the disc.
31. The method of claim 28 , wherein the TGF-β is administered prior to administering the cells to the disc.
32. The method of claim 28 , wherein the TGF-β is administered after administering the cells to the disc.
33. The method of claim 21 , wherein the cells are administered into the nucleus pulposus of the disc.
34. The method of claim 21 , wherein the cells are administered into the annulus fibrosus of the disc.
35. The method of claim 21 , wherein a portion of the nucleus pulposus is removed prior to administering the cells into the intervertebral disc.
36. The method of claim 21 , wherein the cells are administered through a needle.
37. The method of claim 36 , wherein the needle bore has a maximum gauge of about 24 gauge.
38. The method of claim 21 , wherein the formulation is administered in an amount of less than 1 mL.
39. The method of claim 21 , wherein the cells are provided intra-operatively to the patient following harvesting from the patient.