Special bioengineered spinal discs seem to grow and replace damaged discs -- at least in rats, a new study shows. While trials in humans remain years away, implants like these, made of cells and collagen, may one day help people with back pain caused by degenerative disc disease. They might also last longer than the more artificial replacement discs in use today. “These living implants are stiffer and stronger at six months than when we first put them in and, ultimately, they will last longer than purely metallic or plastic implants,” said study author Lawrence J. Bonassar, an associate professor of biomedical engineering at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.
