Research | Arizona Pain Stem Cell Institute – Scottsdale …

Researchadmin2014-07-31T15:58:00+00:00

The Arizona Pain Stem Cell Institute is conducting multiple research studies assessing the efficacy of certain treatments and subsidizing the costs of treatments for patients. These research studies include:

Patients suffering from moderate to severe (5 out of 10) chronic low back pain for at least three months caused by degeneration of facet joint tissues will receive a single injection of AmnioGenic Flow TherapyTM. Patients pain, daily functioning, and medication usage will be assessed before treatment, during and after treatment.

Patients suffering from moderate to severe (5 out of 10) chronic pain of an upper extremity joint (e.g., shoulder) or lower extremity joint (e.g., knee) for at least three months caused by degeneration of SI or facet joint tissues will receive a single injection of AmnioGenic Flow TherapyTM. Patients pain, daily functioning, and medication usage will be assessed before treatment, during and after treatment.

Patients suffering from moderate to severe (5 out of 10) chronic pain of the lower back (SI or facet), upper extremities, or lower extremities for at least three months caused by degeneration will receive a single injection of autologous stem cells derived from bone marrow concentrate. Patients pain, daily functioning, and medication usage will be assessed before treatment, during and after treatment.

There are different causes of low back pain, but for some patients the cause is the degeneration of one or more discs of the spine in the lower back, known as degenerative disc disease. Intervertebral discs separate each of the bones (i.e., vertebrae) of the spine. When they become degenerated, the result is chronic pain and decreased function. The bodys ability to heal discs on its own is very limited and this type of pain can be difficult to treat. Many doctors are hopeful that injections of stem cells into degenerated discs have the potential to heal the discs and thus alleviate low back pain and restore function.

We are proud to be one of 15 sites taking part in a groundbreaking clinical trial testing injections of mesenchymal stem cell injections for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine. The sponsor of this trial, Mesoblast, obtains stem cells from the bone marrow of healthy adult donors. One hundred patients were recruited in this trial and received either an injection of stem cells or a control injection. Changes in their pain and disc structure continue to be monitored for three years after their injection. Recruitment for this phase II study has closed, but Mesoblast is planning a subsequent phase III trial also testing stem cell injections for degenerative disc disease.

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Research | Arizona Pain Stem Cell Institute - Scottsdale ...