# Use of polymer-peptide system to deliver cells for intervertebral disc regeneration

> **NIH NIH R41** · BIORESTORATIVE THERAPIES, INC. · 2021 · $256,580

## Abstract

Abstract
Low back pain affects millions of Americans and causes $100 billion socioeconomic loss annually. One of the
prominent risk factors is intervertebral disc degeneration. Current treatments are palliative for relieving pain
without restoring disc biology or biomechanics. Pain recurrence is common. Spinal fusion is popular, but it is
limited by high failure rate (up to 30%) while predisposes adjacent discs to expedited deterioration. Immerging
cell therapy is being actively developed with potential to halt or reverse disc degeneration while ameliorates
symptoms. A recent invention of a peptide functionalized self-crosslinking polymer hydrogel has displayed
initial evidence for improving the treatment effect of the therapeutic mesenchymal stromal cells on disc
degeneration. To further investigate the therapeutic use of the new hydrogel material as a cell carrier, the
present study is designed to investigate the working mechanism and optimize the formulation for treating disc
degeneration and related low back pain. Accordingly there specific studies are designed targeting to
investigate the impact of the hydrogel on the phenotype stability and cytokine release of the therapeutic donor
cells, biosynthesis changes of host disc cells in response to the delivered donor cells, and therapeutic effect on
the degenerated discs in the experimental animals using multiple in vitro and in vivo models. The present study
will generate solid proof of concept data for the therapeutic use of the peptide-functionalized hydrogel in
delivery of therapeutic cells for disc degeneration and related low back pain treatment.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10255576
- **Project number:** 1R41AR079324-01
- **Recipient organization:** BIORESTORATIVE THERAPIES, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Francisco J SILVA
- **Activity code:** R41 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $256,580
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-09-20 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10255576

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10255576, Use of polymer-peptide system to deliver cells for intervertebral disc regeneration (1R41AR079324-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-11 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10255576. Licensed CC0.

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