New Shapeshifting Biogel Could Help Heal Aging Spines
Biomaterial Injection Aubrey Francisco via Futurity Along with cell therapy, the biomaterial could help stop or reverse the loss of material between vertebrae. As we get older, the cushy material that absorbs shock between our spinal vertebrae breaks down, creating back pain and inhibiting our mobility. Injections of more nucleus pulposus (NP) cells--the jelly-like tissue found between spinal discs--have been shown to delay this degeneration and relieve pain, but with current methods, the injected cells leak away from the injection site within only a few days. A new biomaterial created by Duke University biomedical engineers could make cell therapy a more feasible solution to spinal disc degeneration and back pain by keeping those cells in place for longer. The material starts out as an easy-to-inject liquid, then solidifies into a gel, holding more of the NP cells where they're needed. When it stays at the injection site between the...