Subject
Inclusion Criteria:
A subject is eligible for inclusion if all the following criteria are met:
1. A high index of suspicion for discogenic pain, (i.e., painful degenerative disc(s)
with or without protrusions < 5 mm)
1. Chronic Lower Back Pain for at least 6 months. 2. Pain commonly provoked by prolonged sitting, forward bending, lifting, twisting,
coughing, sneezing, or Valsalva maneuvers. 3. Failure of at least 6 months of conservative back pain care (can include any or
all of the following: rest, anti-inflammatory medication, analgesics, narcotics,
epidural injections or selective nerve root injections at the target level, facet
joint injections, muscle relaxers, massage, acupuncture, chiropractic care)
4. Failure of supervised therapy and education. 5. Screening of ≥ 40 mm and ≤ 80 mm on low back pain visual analog scales (VAS)
(average pain in the last week)
6. Screening Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) score ≥ 30 and < 90 on a 100-point
scale. 7. No localized and significant pain below beltline (i.e., potential sacroiliac
joint pain) without lumbar pain component. 8. Thigh or Leg pain, if present, is non prevailing and of nonradicular origin,
i.e., not due to stimulation of nerve roots or dorsal root ganglion of a spinal
nerve by compressive forces. 9. Diagnostic medial branch block or facet joint injection (bilateral unless the
symptoms are purely unilateral in nature) in the last 12 months prior to the
informed consent date indicates no prevailing facet joint involvement. 2. Has degenerative disc disease (DDD) as defined by the following:
1. Changes from normal disc morphology of the affected disc as defined by
radiographic evaluation. 2. Modified Pfirrmann score of 2 to 7 on MRI, may contain a contained protrusion
and/or annular tear on MRI. 3. Modified Pfirrmann score of 1 must contain a contained protrusion and/or annular
tear on MRI. 4. Modic Grade I or II changes or no change on MRI. 5. Maintained intervertebral disc heights of at least 50% on MRI.
6. Discography, if not performed within the last 6 months prior to informed consent
date, has to be performed if more than one degenerative disc is identified by
MRI, and the symptomatic disc cannot be otherwise reasonably determined. 7. If more than one degenerative disc is identified by MRI, no disc shall
demonstrate greater degenerative change than the symptomatic disc or contain a
protrusion greater than 5mm. 3. Aged 18 to 60 years. 4. Willing and able to provide written informed consent. 5. No evidence of contraindications to the procedure such as pregnancy, active infection,
bleeding disorder, or metastatic cancer.
Subject Exclusion Criteria. A subject is not eligible to participate if any of the following criteria are met:
1. Spinal Deformity (Scoliosis >20 degrees, spondylolysis, clinically or radiographically
significant retrolisthesis or spondylolisthesis) detected on MRI or plain film
radiographic assessment. 2. Disc extrusions, sequestered fragments, facet cysts, or greater than moderate spinal
stenosis on MRI.
3. Presence of a Grade V annular fissure on discography in a subject for whom provocation
discography has been performed. 4. Intervertebral disc with radiographic evidence of Modified Pfirrmann Grade 8 or
greater. 5. Any bleeding disorder, intrinsic or extrinsic. 6. Required anticoagulation (with either antiplatelet agents or antithrombotics) that
cannot be interrupted for harvest and injection procedures. 7. Platelet count < 100,000. 8. International Normalized Ratio (INR) > 1.5. 9. Extreme obesity, as defined by National Institute of Health (NIH) Clinical Guidelines
Body Mass Index (BMI >40. 10. Clinically relevant instability on flexion-extension as determined by the investigator
by overlaying films (flexion & extension films)
11. Has undergone any previous lumbosacral spine surgery (e.g. discectomy, laminectomy,
foraminotomy, fusion, intradiscal electrothermal therapy, intradiscal radiofrequency
thermocoagulation.) or therapeutic percutaneous disc intervention. 12. Have any acute or chronic lumbosacral spine fracture. 13. Have a history of lumbosacral epidural steroid injections within 1 month prior to
informed consent date.
14. Planned/expected use of systemic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) within
72 hours prior to study treatment.
15. Have a known history of hypersensitivity or anaphylactic reaction to dimethyl
sulfoxide (DMSO)
16. Active significant non lumbosacral spinal orthopedic pain generators including, not
limited to arthritic hip and/or knee, cervical disc disease. 17. More widespread and ill-defined myofascial pain. 18. Have had treatment with any cellular or biological investigational therapy or device
within 6 months of informed consent date and/or plans to participate in any other
autologous or allogeneic stem cell/progenitor cell therapy trial during the 2-year
follow-up period.
19. Have been a recipient of prior stem cell/progenitor cell therapy or other biological
intervention to repair a lumbosacral intervertebral disc. 20. Are transient or has been treated in the last 6 months before enrollment for alcohol
and/or drug abuse in an inpatient substance abuse program. 21. Apparent ongoing and poorly controlled psychological or somatic disease that may
impact treatment outcomes. 22. Social, familial, or geographical hindrances to compliance with the study protocol or
the informed consent process.
23. Known autoimmune disease (e.g., systemic lupus erythematosus)
24. Required chronic immunosuppression. 25. Positive hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody test. 26. Positive human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) Ag/Ab Combo test. 27. Pregnant or lactating women. 28. Women of childbearing potential not protected by a highly-effective method of birth
control. 29. Clinically significant hematology and chemistry including, but not limited to: a.
Total bilirubin level ≥ 1.5 times institutional upper limit of normal (ULN) b. Alanine
aminotransferase (ALT) or aspartate aminotransferase (AST) ≥ 2 x ULN c. Absolute
neutrophil count (ANC) < 1000/mm3 d. Hemoglobin ≤ 10 g/dL e. Creatinine clearance use
calculated clearance (Cockcroft-Gault equation) of ≤ 50 mL/min. 30. Any other condition which in the judgment of the Investigator would preclude adequate
evaluation of the safety and efficacy of the study drug. 31. Inability to comply with the requirements of the study protocol. 32. History of using nicotine delivery products (active within 3 months of study treatment
prior to informed consent date)
33. Actively on workers compensation or no-fault case for this complaint or any other
active case or litigation pertaining to their lumbosacral pain. 34. History of drug abuse or documented history of noncompliance with controlled
substances. 35. History of regular, long term, daily opioid drug use (>30 MME)