More and more papers are being published on the use of stem cells for all types of chronic pain conditions. Stem cells are being used in carpal tunnel, neuropathic ocular pain and neuropathic pain, autoimmune diseases causing chronic pain and many other chronic pain syndromes. I have still not seen a randomized, controlled, double blinded study with stem cells, but it will take years and a great deal of research funds to prove the effectiveness of stem cells. For now, most surgeons think that stem cells are very safe and in the majority of cases safer than steroids and other cytotoxic drugs. Still we are all looking forward to seeing studies to prove its efficacy.
SLC
Safety of stromal vascular fraction cells applications in chronic pain
Abstract
Autologous stromal vascular fraction (SVF) can be enzymatically released from lipoaspirate obtained under local anesthesia. SVF is known to have regenerative, anti-inflammatory, pain mitigating, and immune-modulatory properties. Our translational research network has been studying the safety and efficacy of SVF since 2012. Almost 100 related physician teams around the world are applying the same institutional review board–approved methods of SVF production, which use a surgically closed SVF isolation system. During the same outpatient surgical procedure, procured SVF is administered according to strict investigative protocols to mitigate diseases associated with chronic pain including arthritis, autoimmune disease, neurodegenerative disease, and various inflammatory conditions. The shared research collaborative online database contains safety and efficacy data on more than 3500 patients. Our processed SVF contains valuable anti-inflammatory cytokine growth factors in addition to both adult mesenchymal and hematopoietic stem cells targeting damaged, or inflamed tissue. SVF administration may potentially play a large role in the outpatient treatment of pain. In this article, we describe our protocol for the production and administration of SVF, and its safety and efficacy in the treatment of pain associated with chronic conditions.
