It feels like back pain comes for many of us at some point in our lives, and it’s tricky to treat. A new , which repairs damaged discs and reduces pain, has shown promise in mouse tests. The vertebrae segments that make up your spine provide support, but between each one is a rubbery disc full of fluid that cushions them, absorbing shocks and helping the spine be more flexible.
Unfortunately, over time or through injury these discs can degenerate or even rupture, causing back pain that’s nigh on impossible to reverse. Pain management becomes the priority, and it can leave patients with limited mobility. “Once you take a piece away, the tissue decompresses like a flat tire,” said Devina Purmessur Walter, senior author of the new study.
“The disease process continues, and impacts the other discs on either side because you’re losing that pressure that is critical for spinal function. Clinicians don’t have a good way of addressing that.” Now, scientists at Ohio State University (OSU) have tested a gene therapy in mice that can repair damaged discs.
The team created “nanocarriers” out of cells from connective tissue, which mimic natural cells that carry messages around the body. These nanocarriers were then loaded up with genes that encode for a protein called FOXF1, and injected as a solution into damaged discs in mice. “Our concept is recapitulating development: FOXF1 is expressed during development and in healthy tissue, but it decreases with age,” said .