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NFL Grant Funds Bioengineered Spinal Disc Research

Model of spine (NIH)

(NIH)

Researchers from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York and Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City have received a $100,000 grant from NFL Charities to research tissue engineering for spinal injuries. NFL Charities is the charitable foundation of the National Football League owners.

The research aims to create a living, bioengineered intervertebral disc (IVD) that may be implanted into patients with degenerated discs, either due to injury or chronic wearing with age. For patients with severe degenerative disc disease or a herniated disc, neurosurgeons perform surgery called discectomy — removing the IVD  — followed by a fusion of the vertebrate bones to stabilize the spine. In spite of the surgery, the patient’s back will likely not feel the same as before their injury.

Larry Bonassar, professor of biomedical engineering at Cornell and head of the project, says the goal of the research is to create “a living implant that is able to grow, adapt and integrate into the spine in order to completely repair the injury and restore function to the spine.” Bonassar’s lab is constructing engineered IVDs from sheep tissue and cells, molded into the shape and structure of naturally found discs. The scientists grow the cells, which mature and multiply on a natural mold to re-create a fully functional, implantable disc.

A previous project shows that engineered IVDs, implanted into healthy animals, were able to maintain the proper pressure and support after one year. This new project hopes to show the same results in the injured animals.

Each year, says Cornell, 40 percent to 60 percent of adults in the general American population suffer from chronic back or neck pain. Herniated discs are a common injury for professional athletes, who must often suffer with the side effects of currently available discectomy and spinal fusion.

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