– University of Edinburgh
News
– Genetic changes may set off a chain reaction that causes the spineâs natural shock absorbers to harden and deteriorate. Zebrafish with a faulty collagen-related gene developed mineral buildup and spinal fusion similar to human disc disease. Researchers were able to reduce the damage using an existing osteoporosis drug and by targeting fat metabolism. The discovery points to several exciting possibilities for future back pain treatments.
Changes in gene activity may contribute to neck and back pain by damaging the discs that act as the spine’s natural shock absorbers, according to new research.
A study using zebrafish found that altered gene activity can cause minerals to accumulate within the spine. This process resembles bone forming where it should not, eventually making spinal tissue unusually hard.
Details
Researchers say the results reveal several biological processes that could become targets for future back pain treatments. The work also indicates that zebrafish may provide a useful model for testing potential therapies.
Why Spinal Discs Break Down
Most people experience back pain at some point. A major cause is the progressive deterioration of the discs that cushion the bones of the spine, a condition called intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD).
Analysis
Although IVDD is widespread and places a considerable burden on patients and health care systems, no medications can currently halt or reverse its progression. Surgery is still the only available long-term treatment.
Inherited factors are known to influence a person’s risk of developing IVDD. Previous research has repeatedly connected early disc problems to a gene associated with collagen IX, a protein that helps bind together the structural fibers inside spinal discs.
To investigate how defects in this gene might cause disc disease, researchers from the Universities of Edinburgh and Bristol studied zebrafish bred without a functioning copy of it.
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