Regeneration of Nucleus Pulposus ESCs can potentially grow indefinitely and differentiate into any cell type and therefore provide alternative therapy. We hypothesize that ESCs can differentiate into chondrogenic cells capable of producing nucleus pulposis. Degeneration of disc, an important medical cause of low back pain in 80-90% of the population can potentially be treated by ESC-derived chondrogenic cell therapy. We will present preliminary evidence of directed differentiation of ESCs into chondrocytes and biochemical characterization of these cells using light microscopy, alcian blue staining and RT-PCR analysis. ESC-derivatives are being investigated in an animal model for their ability to restore disc function. Chondrocytes 4 LM 20x