As we age, loose substances that act as buffers between the spine break down, causing back pain and affecting movement. Injection of nucleus pulposus (NP) cells - jelly-like tissue present in the intervertebral disc, can slow down the above-mentioned functional deterioration and relieve pain, but for the methods used so far, the injected cells will leak from the injection site within a few days. A gel forms when the three liquid ingredients are mixed. In pre-experiments with rabbits, the liquid started to solidify after 5 min and was set after 20 min. Researchers believe that one of the fluid components, a chemically modified protein called Laminin, found in healthy intervertebral discs, may be able to prolong the retention time of the nucleus pulposus cells at the target site and protect its invariance. The study was published in the latest issue of Biomaterials. 