There are many treatments for back pain, from painkillers and anti-inflammatory pills to massage, physiotherapy and surgery. But all of them ignore the real biological mechanisms that cause the pain. That is why a new study that has uncovered one of these mechanisms, and developed a drug to block it, matters. Italian researchers at the Catholic University in Rome have identified a molecule in cells that causes the spine to degenerate with age, a key mechanism behind low back pain and other spinal problems. They have developed an experimental drug that blocks this degeneration by locking the molecule's receptors.
According to the study, published in the journal Spine, ageing, obesity and an unhealthy lifestyle cause the discs between the vertebrae to degenerate, stiffening the spine. This degeneration is mainly responsible for chronic low back pain and neck pain, and preventing it would spare millions of people from back pain.
The researchers studied mice genetically modified to age quickly. Normal mice live about two years, but these live only about eight months, so they mimic the spinal degeneration seen in older people. The researchers tested their new drug on these mice, with encouraging results.
"In our study we developed a specific drug that can block the molecules responsible for degeneration, and it has been tested successfully on laboratory animals by American scientists," says Dr Nasto, one of the authors.
With these experiments complete, the drug has entered its first trial phase on the way to approval as a treatment for back pain, one of the main causes of lost work and disability in adults and one of the most common complaints.
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