NIH R01 · 2024
Role of Shh/Brachyury axis in the maintenance of the postnatal intervertebral disc
PROJECT SUMMARY/ ABSTRACT The goal of this proposal is to identify the role of critical developmental molecules in growth and maintenance of the postnatal intervertebral disc (IVD, or disc), and how the loss of these molecules with age results in pathological changes in the disc. The disc is a cartilaginous structure present between each vertebra. The disc has three components: notochord derived central nucleus pulposus (NP), surrounded by orthogonal layers of annulus fibrosus (AF), and endplate (EP) adjacent to the growth plate. With age or injury, the disc undergoes degenerative changes leading to chronic lower back pain (cLBP) affecting almost 80% of the adult US population. Much remains…
From the public funding record at NIH RePORTER. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.