Researcher from i3S is granted the L'Oréal Award in Portugal

Is it possible to regenerate intervertebral discs and ease chronic low back pain? Joana Caldeira, researcher at i3S - University of Porto, thinks so, and came up with a pioneer process that combines cutting-edge technology and stem cells therapy.

This project granted Joana Caldeira one of the four L'Oréal Portugal Medals of Honour for Women in Science, assigned by the giant cosmetics multinational.

Joana Caldeira is aiming at utilizing the CRISPR (CRISPR/Cas9) gene technology, a sort of DNA word processor enabling the manipulation of cells, to reactivate typical genes of the foetal microenvironment to optimise regenerative therapies using stem cells.

"Either by the natural aging process or trauma and genetic predisposition, the low back pain in the intervertebral discs has a very important socio-economic impact due to absenteeism from work and costs of treatment", explains Joana Caldeira, so "it is urgent to find new therapies and new solutions, as 70% of the world population is affected by this condition.

It is noteworthy to recall that this very same project had already been honoured by the Eurospine - Spine Society of Europe with a funding of 25 thousand euros.