A BABOON MODEL OF DEGENERATIVE DISC DISEASE: A PILOT STUDY TO EVALUATE

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Vertebral discs are cushions of cartilage between each bone of the spine allowing for movement. An outer ring of tough fibrous cartilage that surrounds an inner water-filled center forms the discs. Discs are the largest structures in the body without a blood supply. Because of this, damaged or degenerated disc tissue is extremely limited in its ability to repair itself. An estimated 5 million adults in the US alone suffer with chronic back or neck pain primarily due to disc degeneration. There is no proven model for induced lumbar disc degeneration in the baboon, and research has generally been limited to normal spines with acute injury. This study will develop a degenerated lumbar disc model in the baboon. A proven model would become an invaluable tool for the study of the degenerated disc and its treatment with implants like dynamic stabilization and biologics like hydrogels. The results of this study will be used to determine that surgical technique and time point which best produce mild-to-moderate degenerative disc disease in people. It is hypothesized that an appropriate injury to the disc will induce a reproducible degenerative response that replicates degenerative disc disease in the human lumbar spine. The literature reports the use of mice, rats, rabbits, sheep, minipigs, monkeys, and baboons as in vivo models for study of the lumbar spine. The primate model better reproduces the biomechanics of an erect spine than the sheep model. Compared to smaller mammals, the baboon may better reproduce the pathophysiology of the human spine because of its relatively large size. In fact, the intervertebral disc of the baboon demonstrates characteristic patterns of degeneration similar to those in humans. Additionally, genetic homology between humans and primates may also facilitate analyses using immunohistochemical and gene chip technologies. In this pilot study, six baboons will undergo disc surgery and two different types of injury will be caused at three different levels. The degeneration will be monitored with radiological and magnetic resonance imaging. After the baboons are euthanized at the end of the study, the spines will be processed for histology.