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Recent studies have shown that mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)‐based therapy might be an effective approach for the treatment of intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). However, many unanswered questions remain before clinical translation, such as the most effective stem cell type, a reliable transplantation method, including the carrier choice, and the fate of stem cells after misdirected delivery, among others. The objective of the study was to evaluate the fate and effect of allogenic bone marrow MSCs after transplantation into an IDD model. The L2–3, L3–4 and L4–5 intervertebral discs (IVDs) of four rabbits were stabbed to create IDD. Rabbit MSCs were expanded in vitro and in part transduced with retrovirus/eGFP. After 3 weeks, 1 × 10⁵ MSCs were injected into the IVDs. The rabbits were followed by X‐ray and MRI 3 and 9 weeks after injection. Then the animals were sacrificed and the spines analysed …