A Retrospective Study to Identify New "Omics" Biomarkers of Chronic/Persistent Low Back Pain

Overview

Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most common medical problems encountered in daily life; it is related to disability and work absence and accounts for high economical costs in Western societies. Low-back pain is a diverse group of mixed pain syndromes (neuropathic and nociceptive) with different molecular pathologies at different structural levels displaying similar clinical manifestations. Currently, there are limited biomarkers (mostly imaging) or clinical findings that can be used objectively to help the physician in precise anatomic diagnosis leading to the safest and most cost-effective treatment for the patient (reduction of direct and indirect costs and improvement of treatment efficacy). The main aim of this trial is to identify all "omics biomarkers" associated with susceptibility to chronic/persistent LBP and its different pathophysiology.

Retrospective observational multinational clinical study, with a case control design. Investigators will compare "omic biomarkers" between patients with and without persistent chronic low back pain (CLBP). "OMIC" biomarkers investigated will be genetics, glycomics and activomic. Genetics through GWA studies has already obtained important results in pain research; however concerning low back pain, there is not yet suitable genotype-phenotype correlations helpful to stratify patients. Glycomics is an emerging field that has recently been identified as a priority for the next decade by the US National Academies of Science. Many common complex diseases will be associated with specific changes in glycan structures. In addition, common genetic polymorphisms influencing glycosylation and consequent differences in glycome composition could be important diagnostic and prognostic markers. The first studies reporting protein glycosylation in large human population samples have been recently published by partners in the consortium. Reliable identification of valid associations between specific glyco-phenotypes and predisposition for the development or progression of a specific disease requires analysis of thousands of patients. Activomics: combines data about enzymatic activity of numerous numerous post-translational modification proteins in an integrated model which provides dynamic characterization of the current state of an organism. In this project information about numerous proteases, kinases, phosphatases and glycosidases will be collected and used to complement the existing phenotype information.

Conditions

Eligibility

Locations (6)

Outcomes