Treatment of degenerated disc with autologous 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 and annulus fibrosus in a patient, comprising administering GDF-5 and concentrated autologous uncultured mesenchymal stem cells from 7-10 ml of the patient's bone marrow into a degenerated intervertebral disc immediately following harvesting of the cells.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the autologous uncultured cells are administered to said intervertebral disc using a carrier selected from the group consisting of beads, microspheres, nanospheres, hydrogels, polymers, ceramics, collagen gel and platelet gel.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the carrier comprises a hydrogel.
4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the carrier comprises microspheres.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said autologous uncultured mesenchymal stem cells are administered into said intervertebral disc in a formulation with a volume of between about 0.5 ml and about 3.0 ml.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said autologous uncultured cells are administered into the nucleus pulposus of the intervertebral disc.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said autologous uncultured cells are administered into the annulus fibrosus of the intervertebral disc.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein a portion of the nucleus pulposus is removed prior to transdiscally administering said autologous uncultured cells into the degenerated intervertebral disc.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cells are administered through a needle.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein said formulation is administered in an amount of less than 1.0 ml.
11. 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.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cells are concentrated by centrifugation.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cells are concentrated by filtration.
14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the GDF-5 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.
15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the GDF-5 is administered simultaneously with administering the cells to the disc.
16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the GDF-5 is administered prior to administering the cells to the disc.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the GDF-5 is administered after administering the cells to the disc.
18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the GDF-5 is administered after administering the cells to the disc.
19. A method of treating degenerative disc disease in an intervertebral disc having a nucleus pulposus and annulus fibrosus in a patient, comprising transdiscally administering GDF-5 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.
20. The method of claim 19 , 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.
21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the cells are concentrated by centrifugation.
22. The method of claim 20 , wherein the cells are concentrated by filtration.
23. The method of claim 19 , 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.
24. The method of claim 19 , wherein the GDF-5 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.
25. The method of claim 24 , wherein the carrier comprises a hydrogel.
26. The method of claim 24 wherein the carrier comprises microspheres.
27. The method of claim 19 , wherein the GDF-5 is administered simultaneously with administering the cells to the disc.
28. The method of claim 19 , wherein the GDF-5 is administered prior to administering the cells to the disc.
29. The method of claim 19 , wherein the cells are administered into the nucleus pulposus of the disc.
30. The method of claim 19 , wherein the cells are administered into the annulus fibrosus of the disc.
31. The method of claim 19 , wherein a portion of the nucleus pulposus is removed prior to administering the cells into the intervertebral disc.
32. The method of claim 19 , wherein the cells are administered through a needle.
33. The method of claim 32 , wherein the needle bore has a maximum gauge of about 24 gauge.
34. The method of claim 19 , wherein the formulation is administered in an amount of less than 1 mL.
35. The method of claim 19 , wherein the cells are provided intra-operatively to the patient following harvesting from the patient.