Biologic Hydrogel Material for Combatting Intervertebral Disc Degeneration

This hydrogel scaffold can be used as an early-stage intervention for combatting intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration (IDD). Lower back pain is a significant burden that affects nearly 85 percent of all people, 40 percent of which are attributed to IDD. IVDs reside between the bones of the spine and contain the nucleus pulposus (NP) which is a resilient hydrogel core that generates intradiscal pressure to support compressive loading. IDD has been shown to initiate in the NP and results in IVD tissue disorganization, loss of intradiscal pressure and IVD height. Current treatments only mitigate pain and currently available biomaterials do not contain, nor do they mimic native the NP extracellular matrix (ECM) biochemistry or mechanical properties. Patients with early-stage IDD have no choice but to wait for degeneration to progress before warranting IVD replacement or fusion. Clemson University researchers have developed a biomaterial that mimics the structure and function of human NP to mitigate or halt progression of IDD.