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Updated: Oct 7, 2025
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A Proinflammatory, Degenerative Organ Culture Model to Simulate Early-Stage Intervertebral Disc Disease.
Published on: February 14, 2021
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Development of a Perfusion Reactor for Intervertebral Disk Regeneration
Alexander Upenieks1,2, Aaryn Montgomery-Song1,3, John Paul Santerre2,4
1Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Tissue Engineering. Part C, Methods
|January 12, 2022
Summary
Perfusion bioreactors effectively support tissue-engineered intervertebral disk (IVD) development, maintaining cell viability and enhancing nutrient diffusion. This method shows promise for creating larger, functional IVD tissues for degenerative disk disease treatment.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Tissue Engineering
- Regenerative Medicine
Background:
- Degenerative disk disease (DDD) necessitates innovative treatments.
- Tissue-engineered biological disk replacement is a promising therapeutic strategy.
- Bioreactor systems are crucial for scaling up engineered tissues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate perfusion culture for intervertebral disk (IVD) tissue engineering.
- To compare perfusion-cultured outer annulus fibrosus (oAF) and nucleus pulposus (NP) tissues with controls.
- To assess cellular viability, nutrient delivery, and tissue formation.
Main Methods:
- Culturing oAF and NP tissues in a perfusion bioreactor.
- Comparing perfusion-grown tissues with those from spinner or static cultures.
- Assessing extracellular matrix (ECM) quantity and cellular phenotype.
- Evaluating cellular viability and nutrient diffusion.
Main Results:
- Perfusion culture yielded oAF and NP tissues comparable to controls in ECM quantity and cellular phenotype.
- Cellular viability was maintained in the core of perfusion-cultured tissues.
- Enhanced medium diffusion was observed in perfusion-cultured tissues compared to static cultures.
Conclusions:
- Perfusion culture is a viable method for intervertebral disk (IVD) tissue engineering.
- This approach supports cellular viability and nutrient transport.
- It lays the foundation for engineering physiologically sized IVD constructs.
