Tissue engineering. Part A
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The intervertebral disc (IVD) is composed of nucleus pulposus (NP) surrounded by multilamellated annulus fibrosus (AF), and is located between the vertebral bodies. Current treatments for chronic neck or low back pain do not completely restore the functionality of degenerated IVDs. Thus, developing biological disc replacements is an approach of great interest. ⋯ No inflammatory reaction was noted at this time period. In summary, an engineered IVD implant with mechanically stable integration between AF lamellae and AF-NP can be generated in vitro. Further study is required to scale up the size of this construct and evaluate its ability to serve as a biological disc replacement.