The University Hospital and Inail are opening the trial to new patients
di Francesco Unali
6 May 2021 - Treating chronic back pain by regenerating damaged intervertebral discs is finally possible: for the first time in Italy was performed at the Campus Bio-Medico University Hospital on autologous stem cell transplantation, i.e. from the same patient, on a 53-year-old man with degenerative disc disease. After years of research, the team led by teacher. Vincenzo Denaro with Gianluca Vadalà e Fabrizio Russo has initiated the clinical phase of the trial in the context of a project funded by Inail (Department of medicine, epidemiology, occupational and environmental hygiene - Dimeila) which foresees in the coming months the recruitment of 52 patients of working age, aged 18 to 65, with pathologies of the intervertebral discs, the shock absorbers placed between the vertebrae capable of supporting all loads, mainly work and sports.
"Our stem cell trials started more than fifteen years ago – explains the prof. Vincenzo Denaro, head emeritus of Orthopedics at the Campus Bio-Medico University Hospital – We have gained experience on 18 patients transplanted with allogeneic cells, ie from donors. Based on this experience we switched to the use of autologous cells. Today we kick off the last phase of this long research process carried out together with Inail, which sees the development of personalized regenerative medicine applied to pathologies of great diffusion and social impact at the center". "This advanced therapy, currently not used in a clinical setting, uses autologous mesenchymal cells present within the bone marrow, taken from the iliac crest of the same individual – he clarifies Gianluca Vadalà, orthopedist and researcher in diseases of the musculoskeletal system – The medullary blood is sent to the Cell Factory of IRCCS Foundation Ca' Granda General Hospitalproject partner, where cells are isolated and multiplied to an ideal number to promote regeneration."