Degenrative Disc Disease

The general objective of this project is to define the transcriptional profile of primary human cells derived from the nucleus pulposus (NP), annulus fibrosus (AF), and cartilaginous endplate (CEP), and to use this information as a reference to assess the biological relevance of a biomimetic spinal unit model obtained through bioprinting. By developing an in vitro model of human origin that incorporates key components of the spinal unit and applying transcriptional analyses to both native cells and their counterparts recovered from the 3D construct, the study will evaluate how accurately the bioprinted model reproduces the identity and heterogeneity of the native discal environment.