(Press-News.org) PHILADELPHIA— A new biologic “patch” that is activated by a person’s natural motion could be the key to fixing herniated discs in people’s backs, according to researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the CMC VA Medical Center (CMCVAMC). Combining years of work from many different projects, the “tension-activated repair patches” (TARPs) provide controlled release of an anti-inflammatory molecule called anakinra from microcapsules over time, which helped discs in a large animal model regain the tension they need to reverse herniation and prevent further degeneration. This pre-clinical research is detailed in a paper published today in Science Translational Medicine.
“Currently there is no curative treatment for disc herniation, and the best thing out there is just like sticking a plain rubber plug into a hole in a tire. It will stay for a while but it won’t make a great seal,” said co-senior author Robert Mauck, PhD, a professor in Orthopaedic Surgery and director of the McKay Laboratory for Orthopaedic Surgery Research at Penn and research career scientist and co-director of the Translational Musculoskeletal Research Center at the CMCVAMC. “The patch we’ve developed is like the plug plus glue, so you’re actually bonding the patch. And since biomechanical movement activates the patch and makes it seal more strongly, it’s like having your tire patch get stronger the more miles you put on it.”
Herniation in the spine occurs when one of the soft discs that sits between the vertebrae develops a split or a hole, and the soft interior squeezes through. This means that the discs lose their tension and are unable to cushion the spine as usual, causing pain. To continue the tire analogy, it’s as if a tire has gone flat and the car is riding on its rim.
So the Penn Medicine and CMCVAMC researchers have developed TARPs to not just plug the hole, but allow tension to build back up, and re-cushion the vertebrae. That goal has been particularly tough to achieve to this point.
“The disc is a very complex tissue, which is different from muscle and skin in that it cannot heal its own structure and, in fact, continues to degenerate over time once its structure is compromised,” said Ana Peredo, PhD, who completed this research during her doctoral studies in Bioengineering at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Penn. “We set out to recover the disc’s mechanical integrity while simultaneously attenuating inflammation in order to prevent further tissue damage and retain as much tissue function as possible.” –
Key to the TARP is having the body’s natural mechanics work to activate the release of anti-inflammatory molecules from the microcapsules within the patch. While they would theoretically still work if a person lay totally still for months, the reality of the disc tissue environment is that movement is its natural state.
And because the patch makes it as if there was never a hole to begin with, its application could have significant effects on the prevention of worsening pain related to disc degeneration.
“This is designed to be an early intervention that may change the course of disease progression,” said co-senior author Harvey Smith, MD, an associate professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and attending physician at the CMCVAMC. “Currently there’s no treatment to mitigate recurring herniations that actually heal the disc. So we’re looking at a disease that is very common in younger, working-age people that, downstream, leads to severe disc disease and the need for spinal fusion. The more we can prevent that, the better.”
This new prospective treatment, which has human and potentially veterinary applications, builds upon many years of research in the McKay Lab and at Penn, at the Translational Musculoskeletal Research Laboratory at the CMCVAMC, and within the Institute for Medical Translation at the New Bolton Center, and leverages foundational technologies used by many of the same researchers on this project to create bio-synthetic discs and other mechanically-activated drug delivery systems. Some of these advances are now being commercialized by Mechano Therapeutics, LLC , which was co-founded by Mauck and other co-authors on the current paper, George Dodge, PhD, previously an adjunct associate professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and the current CEO of the start-up, and Daeyeon Lee, a Penn Engineering professor, and supported by the Penn Center for Innovation.
“I have been working with emerging non-fusion spine technologies for 20 years, with very few making it to human clinical trials and beyond,” said Thomas Schaer, VMD, a veterinary surgeon and Director of the Institute for Medical Translation, New Bolton Center, at the Penn School of Veterinary Medicine. “This team has been working together for 15 years, and I believe we are practicing a highly focused approach to research that has significant potential for a translational breakthrough across a broad spectrum of spine care, not just for human patients but possibly also for our furry dog friends.”
While this research was primarily “proof of principle,” moving this treatment closer to the clinic will require longer trials in large animal models, the team said.
“This study was incredibly promising but went for one month, so we want to test for a longer time because there are ways we can fine-tune this patch,” said co-lead author Sarah Gullbrand PhD, a research assistant professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Penn and research health scientist at the CMCVAMC. “We only targeted one biologic pathway this time using something that was already approved by the FDA, but there are tons of other factors that are approved. In the future, we’re interested in not only reducing inflammation, but also preventing cell death and improving overall healing.”
The research was funded by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs Rehabilitation Research and Development Service (I21 RX003447, IK6 RX003416, IK2 RX003118) and the National Institutes of Health (R01 AR071340) and was supported by the Penn Center for Musculoskeletal Disorders (P30 AR069619).
END
New ‘patch’ uses natural body motion to fix disc herniation
2023-11-15
[Attachments] See images for this press release:
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
The liking gap is real for second language English speakers, new Concordia research shows
2023-11-15
A new study from Concordia’s Applied Linguistics Lab suggests that most people are usually overly harsh on themselves when speaking in a second language.
Writing in the journal Languages, PhD student Rachael Lindberg and her co-authors build on the previous understanding of individuals’ metaperception—a person’s idea of how they are perceived by others.
The idea that people frequently underestimate how likeable they are, known as the Liking Gap, ...
Study reveals link between neighborhood environmental burden and risk of cardiovascular disease
2023-11-15
BOSTON – A national study led by investigators at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) demonstrates that neighborhood exposure to environmental hazards is significantly associated with poor cardiovascular health across the United States. The study, presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions and simultaneously published in JAMA Cardiology, found that greater cumulative environmental burden (e.g., air pollution, nearby hazardous/toxic sites, poor built environment) was linked ...
Cancer: Discovery of the mechanisms regulating cancer formation
2023-11-15
To form a cancer, cells need to accumulate oncogenic mutations that confer tumor-initiating properties. However, recent evidence has shown that oncogenic mutations occur at a surprisingly high frequency in normal tissues, suggesting that mutations alone are not sufficient to drive cancer formation and that other mechanisms should promote or restrain oncogene-expressing cells from progressing into invasive tumors.
In a study published in Nature, researchers led by Prof. Cédric Blanpain, MD/PhD, investigator of the WEL Research Institute, Director of the Stem Cells and Cancer Laboratory and Professor at the Université ...
Researchers halt progression in Parkinson's disease mouse model
2023-11-15
BOSTON – In a study published in Nature Communications, investigators at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) shed new light on key cellular processes involved in the progression of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Affecting around 10 million people worldwide, Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by the progressive loss of the group of brain cells responsible for producing dopamine, a neurotransmitter that plays a critical role in regulating movement and coordination. As these neurons degenerate and dopamine levels decrease, individuals with Parkinson's disease experience a wide range of symptoms, including ...
Study: People with obesity burn less energy during day
2023-11-15
PORTLAND, Oregon – Weight influences how and when bodies burn energy, new research indicates.
An Oregon Health & Science University study published in the journal Obesity found people who have a healthy weight use more energy during the day, when most people are active and eat, while those who have obesity spend more energy during the night, when most people sleep. The study also found that during the day, those with obesity have higher levels of the hormone insulin — a sign that the body is working harder to use glucose, an energy-packed sugar.
“It was surprising to learn how dramatically the timing of when our bodies burn energy differed in ...
Female MP pioneers lost unique appeal to voters because of increasing party control over campaigning, study shows
2023-11-15
Early women parliamentary candidates found it harder to make unique appeals to represent the ‘woman’s point of view’ over time because of increasing national control over campaigning, a new study shows.
The increasing trend for men to present themselves as diligent workers for their constituents’ welfare and keen supporters for social reform also meant they challenged the idea that only female politicians could represent their sex properly in parliament, researchers have found.
The first women parliamentary candidates built on the suffrage campaigners’ argument that there was a distinctive woman’s point of ...
Can gene expression predict if a brain tumor is likely to grow back?
2023-11-15
Doctors often prescribe radiation along with surgery to treat a brain tumor called meningioma that originates in the protective membranes surrounding the brain. But side effects from radiation can be serious, including memory loss and cognitive decline, so it’s important to know which patients really need it.
Now, researchers at UC San Francisco and Northwestern Medicine, in collaboration with 10 other medical centers, have found a highly accurate way to predict the best treatment for patients based ...
Microbes could help reduce the need for chemical fertilizers
2023-11-15
Production of chemical fertilizers accounts for about 1.5 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. MIT chemists hope to help reduce that carbon footprint by replacing some chemical fertilizer with a more sustainable source — bacteria.
Bacteria that can convert nitrogen gas to ammonia could not only provide nutrients that plants need, but also help regenerate soil and protect plants from pests. However, these bacteria are sensitive to heat and humidity, so it’s difficult to scale up their manufacture and ship them to farms.
To overcome that obstacle, ...
Virginia Tech and Arizona State researchers discover way to boost shelter dog adoptions
2023-11-15
After a long day at work, you open the door to the place you call home. A chorus of furry happiness rushes toward you, the sound of unconditional canine love. With your return, your dog's world is whole.
Virginia Tech and Arizona State University researchers are working to help more shelter dogs experience this kind of love, safety, and happiness in an adoptive home.
The research team in Virginia Tech's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences found that implementing shorter-term fostering programs ...
Astronomers discover signs of life in a star’s explosive death
2023-11-15
**Strictly embargoed until 16:00 (BST) Wednesday 15 November 2023**
Scientists have observed a series of bright, brief flashes occurring months after a stellar explosion, known as a luminous fast blue optical transient, or LFBOT
The sighting of the never before seen flashes were made possible thanks to the University of Sheffield’s ULTRASPEC camera, mounted on the Thai National Telescope
Since their discovery in 2018, astronomers have speculated about what might drive such extreme explosions
Astrophysicists have settled the debate over the nature of a rare ...