What kind of material do you use for the disc? Do you have an analogue of the nucleus pulposus? Do you use a laminar structure, like the natural annulus fibrosus?
Right now, we are using collagan and alginate. All natural materials. In this paper we only developed one lamella. I want to develop a multilamellar IVD construct. I am taking the approach that, designing materials to replace the IVD is very difficult, but if I can engineer and condition cells to rebuild their own environment, the IVD will be regenerated simply with collagen base (and by simply, I mean I hope in 5 years I fully understand what I am doing). Its engineering the environment that will be tricky… I am currently trying to think of a design for a bioreactor that would work for my purposes, of course, just understanding how the cells are doing what we made them do in the paper is a challenge, lol
Currently i am a masters student in the UK. Because my research is quite widely thought of as cool by the academic comunity, i get paid like i’m part of the staff which is cool.
My advise as someone who was litterally in the same predicament as you a couple of years back is to weigh up two things
1)what areas are easy to cross over into, and which are hard
e.g. I currently do mathematical biology, but my first degree was straight maths. It is easy for a mathematician to do mathematical biology, but very hard for a biologist. The same is true of a lot of sciences.
Generally maths and physics are good for crossing into other things, but biology, chemistry and geology are harder.
2)What there is demand for
e.g. I do mathematical biology because i knew some physicists who crossed over to math bio because there is more funding. If something is funded there is a demand for it, so you earn more, and are more likely to get a job straight after uni.
What most people will say doesn’t hold water
your strengths and weeknesses will change
for most subjects college doesn’t scratch the surface, so you only really know if you like whats on the surface.
So don’t think too hard about them.
Finnally apply to everything , cause you can reject it if you decide later you don’t really want to do it. Wheras once the deadline is passed you can’t apply if you decide you want to do it!
Also try and go to a uni that has a well known name that will turn heads, it kicks ass in the job market!