University of Manchester: Scientists take stand against back pain unveiling functional bioprinted spinal discs
- Global Research Partnerships
- May 9
- 2 min read
University of Manchester scientists have successfully pioneered a way to create functioning human spinal discs, aiming to revolutionise our understanding of back pain and disc degeneration in a leap for medical science.
The groundbreaking research, led by Dr Matthew J. Kibble, used a state-of-the-art 3D printing technique called bioprinting to replicate the complex structure and environment of human spinal discs.
In a study published in the journal Acta Biomaterialia today, they reveal tissue stiffness and oxygen levels significantly impact the production of vital biological materials, including collagen and hyaluronic acid, by human disc cells.
The insights could ultimately lead to new treatments for back pain, a condition affecting hundreds of millions of people across the world.
Bioprinting is a cutting-edge technique that uses living cells and biological materials to create complex 3D structures that accurately mimic the structure of human organs.
The new bioprinted discs will allow scientists to study how different conditions affect disc cell behaviour and contribute to tissue degeneration and back pain.
Most bioprinters work in a similar way to plastic 3D printers, extruding material through a nozzle under pressure to build structures.
However, rather than printing plastic, bioprinters use cells and gel-like inks made from cell-friendly materials such as collagen, cellulose or gelatin.
The scientists prepared the cells and materials needed for bioprinting and designed a digital model of a human spinal disc. For this study, the bioprinted discs were made from gels containing collagen combined with alginate, a protein derived from seaweed.
They used state-of-the-art 3D bioprinters capable of depositing multiple types of cells and materials, layer-by-layer, to create sophisticated models where the different biological, chemical, and mechanical characteristics of the human disc could be modelled.
The bioprinted tissues were then stored in controlled conditions so they could grow, mature, and develop their biological functions.
