Invited Speaker Sydney Spinal Symposium 2024

Osteoarthritis (OA) of spine (facet joints [FJs]) is one of the major causes of severe low back pain and disability. The degeneration of cartilage is a key pathological feature associated with FJ OA. However, the mechanisms associated with cartilage degeneration during FJ OA are not well characterized. To understand the mechanisms associated with the FJ degeneration, we created a unique biobank of joint specimens from patients with varying degree of cartilage degeneration and employed high throughput omic technologies to understand the endogenous mechanisms and identify some novel mediators involved in joint destruction during OA.

The main objective of this talk will be:

• To discuss the utility of omic technologies coupled with well-characterized patient cohorts/biobanks to understand the endogenous mechanisms associated with the joint destruction during OA.
• To provide an update on some of the key therapeutic strategies to limit joint destruction during OA using small and large animal model studies (safety and efficacy trials).