Category: Spine | Author: Stefano Sinicropi | Date: December 3, 2025
Scientists are always looking for ways to improve our understanding of different spinal injuries and treatment protocols, and researchers in Japan may have unlocked a promising new option for treating spinal fractures.
Researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University have developed an exciting new technique that aims to repair spinal fractures using stem cells extracted from body fat. The research, which so far has only been conducted in animal trials, used extracted adipose tissue to help heal spinal injuries in rats that mimic osteoporosis-related fractures typically seen in humans.
The early research could be a gamechanger for how spinal fractures are repaired, as cells from fat tissues are easy to collect, even from older adults. If successful, it could provide a relatively non-invasive treatment option for spinal fractures that plague more than a million people every year in the US.
How It Works
The team began by collecting adipose tissue stem cells (ADSCs), which are a very adaptable type of cell that can develop into a variety of tissue in the body, including bone. The ADSCs were then cultivated into three-dimensional spherical groups called spheroids, which increases the cell’s ability to promote tissue repair. Pre-differenting these spheroids towards bone-forming cells improves their effectiveness in stimulating bone formation and regeneration. Researchers noticed that when these cells were carefully applied to rats with spinal fractures, the rodents experienced significant improvements in bone healing and spinal strength.
Additionally, researchers observed that the genes responsible for bone formation and regeneration became more active following the stem cell treatment, perhaps suggesting that the application of the ADSCs helped to stimulate the body’s natural healing processes.
“This study has revealed the potential of bone differentiation spheroids using ADSCs for the development of new treatments for spinal fractures,” said Graduate School of Medicine student Yuta Sawada, who led the study alongside Dr. Shinji Takahashi. “Since the cells are obtained from fat, there is little burden on the body, ensuring patient safety.”
The team is hopeful that future human trials will produce similar results.
“This simple and effective method can treat even difficult fractures and may accelerate healing,” added Dr. Takahashi. “This technique is expected to become a new treatment that helps extend the healthy life of patients.”
Both Japan and the US have an aging population and a very large generation of citizens entering their 60s, 70s and 80s, prime ages for osteoporosis-related fractures. It would be wonderful if this research was able to improve how we treat these fractures and kickstart the body’s own natural healing processes. We’ll keep an eye on this research as it continues to be studied in the years to come.
For now, if you need some more standard treatment for osteoporosis-related back pain, reach out to Dr. Sinicropi and the team at The Midwest Spine & Brain Institute today at (651) 430-3800.
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