At DiscGenics, we are focused on developing regenerative therapies that alleviate pain and restore function in patients with degenerative diseases of the spine.
As major contributors to low back pain, degenerative diseases of the spine pose a major public health concern that can lead to missed work, lost wages and addiction to pain medication, including opioids.
Lumbar Disc Degeneration
Affects more than 250 million individuals worldwide every year 1
Costs more than $100B per year in the U.S. alone 2
Is a leading cause of disability worldwide 3
Is the primary reason for non-cancer opioid prescriptions 4
“With opioid usage at an all-time high, IDCT has the potential to disrupt the way chronic back pain is treated.”
Cell Therapy
DiscGenics is harnessing the restorative potential of cells native to the intervertebral disc to develop what we believe will be a profound therapeutic option for millions of patients suffering from the debilitating effects of low back pain.
Our patented cell culture manufacturing process begins with isolating cells from donated intervertebral disc tissue and results in highly specialized Discogenic Cells that are specifically engineered to uniquely address the complex environment of the degenerated disc.
This approach enables us to introduce to the affected disc therapeutic progenitor cells that originated from, and have many of the same properties as, the precise cell type they are designed to regenerate.
We hypothesize that Discogenic Cells will facilitate regeneration of disc tissue and reduce pain due to inflammation within the degenerated disc.
References
1. Ravindra et al, “Degenerative Lumbar Spine Disease: Estimating Global Incidence and Worldwide Volume.” Global Spine Journal 2018; 8(8):784-794.
2. AD Davis, et al. “Where the United States spends its spine dollars.” Spine. 2012;37(19):1693-701.
3. Hoy D, et al. “The global burden of low back pain.” Ann. Rheum Dis 2014;73:968-974.
4. Ringwalt et al, “Differential prescribing of opioid analgesics according to physician specialty for Medicaid patients with chronic noncancer pain diagnoses.” Pain Res Manag. 2014;19(4):179-185.
Disclaimer: IDCT (rebonuputemcel) is an investigational product that is under development by DiscGenics and has not been approved by the FDA or any other regulatory agency for human use.