Translating some of their key in vitro findings to an in vivo situation, Mooney, Freedman, Wu and their colleagues focused on a tear in the dural sac enveloping the spinal cord of pigs.

These include a condition caused dural ectasia which sees swelling of the "sac" that surrounds the spinal cord. As her spine worsens, this sac could rupture with potentially lethal consequences.