State of the art and future of stem cells in spine

Low back pain is a major health problem impacting millions of people, in which the intervertebral disc degeneration is considered as a major cause. In recent years stem cell research has been a great hope for orthopedic regenerative medicine. In vitro experiment, animal research and preclinical studies provided promising results in the treatment of disc regeneration. A few clinical trials also demonstrated the feasibility and efficacy of disc regeneration and structural fusion. The identification of progenitor cells within the intervertebral disc provides another mechanism for the disc degeneration etiology and disc regeneration. This article aims to provide a better understanding of current basic science research and clinical studies focusing on stem cells in disc degeneration and spine fusion.