Intervertebral Disc Regeneration via Mixed Cell Injection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods fail to effectively prevent or retard intervertebral disc degeneration and associated chronic low back pain, particularly discogenic pain caused by degeneration of intervertebral discs, without the use of scaffolding or supporting structures.
Innovation Solution
Injecting mammalian connective tissue cells, such as allogeneic juvenile chondrocytes or non-disc chondrocytes, along with cells transfected or transduced to express genes encoding proteins from the transforming growth factor β superfamily, like TGF-β1, directly into the intervertebral disc defect site to promote regeneration and prevent further degeneration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If scaffolding or supporting structures are used for cell delivery, then structural support and cell positioning are improved, but device complexity and invasiveness increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the scaffolding component from the cell delivery system, injecting cells directly into the intervertebral disc space without any supporting structure. This extraction of the scaffolding element simplifies the device while maintaining effective cell positioning through direct injection methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses an injectable vehicle or carrier medium as an intermediary to deliver cells to the target site. This mediator allows cell transport and positioning without requiring complex scaffolding structures, achieving reliable cell delivery through a simple injectable system.
2Productivity
If allogeneic cells are used, then cell availability and treatment speed are improved, but immune rejection risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the immunological parameters of allogeneic cells through genetic modification or surface marker manipulation, making them less immunogenic. This allows the use of readily available allogeneic cells while reducing the risk of immune rejection through parameter changes in cell characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses allogeneic cells as copies of functional cartilage cells that can be mass-produced and stored. These cell copies provide immediate treatment availability while their standardized characteristics reduce variability and immune recognition, enabling fast treatment deployment.
3Reliability
If juvenile chondrocytes are used, then regenerative capacity is improved, but source availability becomes more restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines juvenile chondrocytes with adult chondrocytes or other connective tissue cells in a mixed cell population. This merging allows the juvenile cells to provide regenerative signals while adult cells serve as readily available sources, achieving both high regenerative capacity and easy sourcing through cell combination.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses juvenile chondrocytes in preliminary in vitro culture and expansion before transplantation. This preliminary action allows the cells to be prepared, expanded, and characterized in advance, making the actual transplantation procedure simpler and the cell source more accessible while preserving the high regenerative capacity of juvenile cells.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for preventing and treating back pain including discogenic back pain, which includes administering a mixed cell composition containing mammalian connective tissue cells and mammalian cells expressing TGF-β1 into the intervertebral disc defect site.