# Non-Invasive Evaluation of In Vivo Intervertebral Disc Mechanical Function

> **NIH NIH F31** · UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE · 2023 · $45,553

## Abstract

Project Summary
The intervertebral disc has a mechanical function, with degeneration and aging the disc structure and function
are altered which can cause low back pain. Imaging is often used to evaluate disc structure and health via disc
grading schemes but fail to identify clinically relevant disc changes. This may be due to the lack of mechanical
function assessment in static MRI imaging. There is a critical need to measure disc mechanical function in vivo
and evaluate disc health by functional capacity to diagnose and treat spine pathology.
Mechanical function has been evaluated in cadaver models, but the relationship between the in vivo and
cadaveric states is purely speculative, due to the lack of common reference state and unknown differences
between them. The boundary and loading conditions of the in vivo condition have not been quantified and
therefore cannot be replicated in cadaveric tests or finite element models (FEM). The objective of this proposal
is to quantify the disc’s mechanical function in vivo, establish a function-based disc grading scheme,
and create an in vivo human disc FEM. I will measure in vivo disc strain, use an animal model to establish a
translational matrix between in vivo and cadaveric conditions, and use a FEM to predict the disc’s internal
mechanical state in vivo.
Aim 1: Quantify Mechanical Function of Human In Vivo Disc with Degeneration and Aging
Current disc grading schemes are structure-based and cannot distinguish normal aging and degeneration from
disc pathology; I will use multi-positional MRI to assess in vivo disc function and a statistical model to establish
a novel multi-factorial disc grading scheme.
Aim 2: Establish a Translational Matrix Between In Vivo and Cadaver States in a Porcine Model
An animal model will be used to conduct paired MRI quantifications between in vivo and cadaver conditions.
Ex vivo mechanical testing and paired in vivo FEM will enable further comparison between conditions. These
quantifications will allow me to establish a translation matrix between the in vivo and cadaveric states.
Aim 3: Create and Validate In Vivo Human Disc FEM
MRI loading data from Aim 1, transformation matrix from Aim 2 and a previously validated disc model will be
used to create and validate an in vivo human disc FEM for evaluating the internal mechanics of the in vivo disc.
This study will yield a function-based disc grading scheme to replace prior structure-based schemes. It will
establish a transformation matrix between in vivo and cadaveric states, an essential step for interpreting
research data in the in vivo context and for appropriate setup for ex vivo mechanical testing and FEM. The
main impact of this work will be the methods and techniques needed for research to investigate disc pathology
and in the long term, clinical tools for the diagnosis and assessment of treatment options for low back pain.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10683167
- **Project number:** 5F31AR081687-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE
- **Principal Investigator:** Harrah Newman
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $45,553
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-07-16 → 2025-07-15

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10683167

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10683167, Non-Invasive Evaluation of In Vivo Intervertebral Disc Mechanical Function (5F31AR081687-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10683167. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*