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Hydrospine Inc., Boston

HydroSpine is developing technology to replace the nucleus of intervertebral discs with a hydrogel.

Officers
Stephen Spiegelberg, President & CEO
Gavin Braithwaite, CTO

Product
Pain due to mechanical disorders can often be traced to the intervertebral disc. The disc operates as both a shock absorber and bearing between the vertebrae in the spine. This complex joint is a thick ring of ply-like collagen-strands making up the annulus fibrosus and containing the jelly-like center termed the nucleus pulposus. If the annulus fibrosus is damaged or degenerated, the nucleus can herniate, impinging on or chemically irritating the spinal chord and dorsal nerves. Replacement of a compromised nucleus accompanying a discectomy will restore the natural disc biomechanics without the surgical drawbacks associated with invasive techniques such as fusion or total disc replacement.

Hydrospine’s technology fills a treatment gap between non-surgical conservative care and invasive surgical procedures. No nucleus replacement technologies have been approved by the FDA as of yet. Hydrospine’s technology is not susceptible to degradation, tissue damaging reaction exotherms, or cytotoxic reaction by-products.