Organ Culture System for Mechanobiology Studies of the Intervertebral Disc

The development of in vitro models is critical for furthering understanding of the intervertebral disc and the development of disc regeneration/tissue engineering. An in vitro culture system targeted towards mechano-biology studies of the intervertebral disc (IVD) was built and validated using bovine coccygeal discs. Discs were maintained in culture for up to one week with and without vertebral endplates. Water content and glycosaminoglycan content were found to be stable and cells were metabolically active when cultured under a 5kg static load.