(l-r) Joshua Li, MD, PhD, and Li Jin, PhD
Joshua Li, MD, PhD, a professor of orthopaedic surgery in the Division of Spine Surgery, and Li Jin, PhD, a research professor of orthopaedic surgery, were awarded a five-year, $2.8 million NIH grant to study how one type of white blood cells may impact treatment of acute and chronic back pain.
The primary treatment for back and leg pain typically involves anti-inflammatory medications such as steroids and NSAIDs to reduce the inflammation caused by disc herniation. However, recent research, along with Dr. Li and Jin’s other R01 findings, indicates that early suppression of inflammation may hinder long-term pain resolution. The immune response triggered by disc herniation involves complex interactions, driven by the influx of immune cells.
In this new study, Drs. Li and Jin will examine the fates and roles of immune cells in response to specific microenvironment at disc herniation site, aligning with their long-term goal of identifying disease-modifying therapies. This R01 project could shift the current standard of care away from anti-inflammatory drugs as the first-line treatment in the acute phase of disc herniation.
Collaborators on the project include UVA’s Chia-Yi Kuan, MD, in the Department of Neuroscience; Sung-Sang Sung, PhD, in the Department of Medicine; and Pankaj Kumar, PhD, in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics.
Learn more about the Jin-Li Lab, which focuses on back and neck pain treatment, intervertebral disc biology, and nanomedicine development.
Filed Under: Research