Dissertation: Repairing degenerated intervertebral discs: lessons from developmental biology

According to veterinarian Frances Bach, knowledge about developmental biology can help people and dogs suffering from back- and neck pain due to intervertebral disc degeneration. Bach has studied possible regenerative treatments for this condition, which occurs frequently in humans and dogs. Common treatments such as medication, physiotherapy and surgery primarily focus on symptom relief, and do not lead to the restoration of the discs themselves. Additionally, these treatments are often invasive and can cause side effects. Therefore, Bach focussed on strategies for intervertebral disc repair in an early phase, before such interventions are needed.

In her research Frances Bach primarily focused on so-called notochordal cells, which form the core of the embryonic intervertebral discs in vertebrates. These cells appear to be an interesting source for the treatment of intervertebral disc degeneration. The PhD Candidate found valuable results in fundamental and pre-clinical research, which may eventually lead to better treatment strategies for degenerated intervertebral discs.

Bach conducted her research within the ‘Regenerative Medicine’ programme at Utrecht University. Regenerative medicine focuses on tissue repair in accordance with the ‘One Medicine’ principle: developing treatment methods for the use in both humans and animals.