In his two and a half years at Clarkson University, Professor Thomas Lufkin has performed groundbreaking research regarding stem cell therapies for lower back pain. Recent outcomes of his teams’ studies are showing promising results for providing a possible cure for back pain caused by deteriorating vertebral discs.

Normally, surgery for a ruptured disc would entail removal of the cartilage between the two vertebrae, eventually causing the bones to fuse together. This procedure ultimately limits overall flexibility of the spine and does not necessarily eliminate pain. Using regenerative medicine, stem cells taken from a mouth swab of the patient are manipulated to grow an organic fibrocartilage cushion, which is then used to replace the same patient’s defective disc.

Click here to read an in-depth report on “stem cell therapy for intervertebral disc regeneration” in Nature Reviews.