# Human Microbiome and its Role in the Development of Lumbar Spine Degeneration and Modic Changes

> **NIH NIH R21** · RUSH UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · 2022 · $173,708

## Abstract

Summary
Chronic low back pain (LBP) is the world’s most disabling condition, whose management
outcomes are often unsatisfactory and health-care costs worldwide are astronomical. Modic
changes Type 1 (MC1: subchondral bone marrow lesions adjacent to the endplate that are
associated with inflammation) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are highly associated with
the development and severity of chronic LBP. The etiology of MC1 remains speculative.
Systemic inflammatory and metabolomic biomarkers have been associated with MCI; however,
still under scrutiny. Intervertebral disc degeneration (DD) in general has been associated with
bacterial invasion, but not replicated and questionable. The human microbiome has been
associated with a string of human diseases. The following proposal aims to identify if lumbar
MC1 are associated with the pro-inflammatory nature of the intestinal microbiome compared to
non-MC1 intervertebral discs. Integrative approaches taking into account the microbiome,
metabolomics and systemic inflammatory markers will also be addressed in relation to MCI of the
lumbar spine.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10453349
- **Project number:** 1R21AR079679-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** RUSH UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Dino Samartzis
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $173,708
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-06-01 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10453349

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10453349, Human Microbiome and its Role in the Development of Lumbar Spine Degeneration and Modic Changes (1R21AR079679-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10453349. Licensed CC0.

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