Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
physico-chemical of the native NP. Ideally, scaffold degradation products should
not elicit local or systemic reactions and should not disturb local pH and gas/
nutrient exchange. Use of scaffolds or cells alone does not appear to be sufficient
to entirely prevent the progression of IDD. To test feasibility, lumbar disc puncture
in rabbits appears to provide a progressive and reproducible animal model of
degeneration that closely approximates that observed in humans. For more clini-
cally relevant functional studies of tissue engineered devices, large animal models
are more adequate for functional analyses.
Future studies in this field should focus on better understanding the biology of
NP cells, the functional interactions between IVD components, and the pathobiol-
ogy of the IDD process in humans, so that early non-surgical interventions can be
tested. Use of adult stem cells pre-differentiated under physiologically relevant
conditions on 3D scaffolds prior to implantation by minimally invasive procedures
may prove most advantageous.
All in all, the future of IVD tissue engineering is bright and novel developments
in scaffold chemistry utilizing both synthetic and biopolymers are bound to should
provide excellent alternatives for millions of patients suffering from IDD.
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