Many people suffer from neck pain resulting from diseases of the intervertebral disc (IVD), such as herniation and degeneration. If the symptoms do not resolve and become severe, surgical treatments are used to relief the pain for the patient. Total disc replacement is such a surgical treatment, in which the diseased IVD is removed and replaced by a prosthesis that can preserve motion. First generation total disc replacements were based on traditional articulating synovial joint arthroplasty designs, leading to a mismatch in kinematic behavior compared to a natural disc. Therefore, in this project, we aim to develop a biomimetic artificial disc (bioAID) that can mimic the biomechanical behavior of a natural disc better and thereby restore proper function to the spine. The bioAID design contains a hydrogel core, representing the soft swelling nucleus and a polymer fiber jacket, mimicking the tensile load-bearing annulus fibrosis. The aim of this project is to demonstrate that a completely biomimetic artificial disc can be created, become incorporated into and return proper function to the spine.
To achieve this, several smaller aims are formulated to bring the bioAID a step closer to clinical trials. The first goal is to redesign the fiber jacket and anchorage system of the device, such that the bioAID remains fixed and that it will work together with the fiber jacket to transmit loads properly. Secondly, osseous integration of the fiber jacket to the vertebrae is required for proper biomimetic function. However, the fiber jacket in its current form is not osteoconductive. Therefore, we want to investigate the osteoconductivity of different surface treatments (hydroxyapatite coating, plasma etching etc.) of the fiber jacket. Lastly, the new bioAID design will be mechanically evaluated for strength, fatigue, motion characteristics, wear etc. to validate if the bioAID can safely mimic the biomechanical behavior of a native intervertebral disc. Ultimately, we want to demonstrate that this novel biomimetic device is an improved alternative for treating severely degenerated discs.