ArticleStem cell research & therapy2025
Intradiscal injection of allogeneic bone marrow derived clonal mesenchymal stromal cells in discogenic low back pain: a phase I study on safety and feasibility (RELIEF: phase I).
Article in Stem cell research & therapy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Multidisciplinary expert consensus on clinical diagnosis and therapies for low back pain.Bone research · 2026Article
- Evolving Landscape of Regenerative Therapies: Cell-Based and Cell-Free Approaches for Chronic Low Back Pain.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Needle gauge and length effects on human stem cell viability during injection: a comprehensive review.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2026Review
- Degenerative Disease of Intervertebral Disc: A Narrative Review of Pathogenesis, Clinical Implications and Therapies.Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Regenerative medicine: Are we at a crossroads for interventional pain medicine or just another phase?Interventional pain medicine · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
16 authors.
Funding
Abstract
aimsThis is a phase I trial, assessing the feasibility, safety, and potential efficacy of intradiscal injection of allogeneic bone marrow-derived clonal mesenchymal stromal cells (BM-cMSCs) in patients suffering from discogenic low back pain (DLBP).
methodsFive patients underwent single intradiscal injection of 9 × 10
resultsNo SAE was observed. Transient injection site pain was the most common AE which resolved within 4-8 days after injection. VAS decreased significantly in three patients, with pain relief sustained through 24 weeks. ODI indicated functional improvement in three patients, with two achieving minimal disability. SF-36 quality of life questionnaire outcomes demonstrated improvements in physical functioning and pain domains in three patients. MRI findings showed modest increases in disc height and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) improvements in 2 patients.
conclusionsIntradiscal injection of allogeneic BM-cMSCs appears to be safe and feasible as a potential therapy for DLBP, with promising efficacy in reducing pain and improving function and quality of life. Further studies with larger cohorts and extended follow-ups are needed to confirm these findings and explore long-term structural benefits.
trial registrationIRCT, IRCT20080728001031N30. Registered 21 October 2021, https://irct.behdasht.gov.ir/trial/58723 .
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.