A new study has found that gene therapy using nanocarriers derived from mouse connective-tissue cells can repair damaged spinal discs and alleviate pain in mice. This approach, which involves injecting genetic material to promote tissue regeneration, shows potential as a sustainable alternative to opioids for treating back pain. It could also enhance healing during surgical procedures, according to the researchers from The Ohio State University.
Future research will extend to older animal models and, eventually, clinical trials. Recent research demonstrates that gene therapy delivered by nanocarriers can effectively repair spinal discs and reduce back pain in mice, offering a promising alternative to traditional pain management methods and potentially improving surgical outcomes. Disc-related back pain may one day meet its therapeutic match: gene therapy delivered by naturally derived nanocarriers that, a new study shows, repairs damaged discs in the spine and lowers pain symptoms in mice.
Scientists engineered nanocarriers using mouse connective-tissue cells called fibroblasts as a model of skin cells and loaded them with genetic material for a protein key to tissue development. The team injected a solution containing the carriers into damaged discs in mice at the same time the back injury occurred. Assessing outcomes over 12 weeks, researchers found through imaging, tissue analysis, and mechanical and behavioral tests that the gene therapy restored structural integrity and .
