December Researchers unlock secrets of spinal disc degeneration

New research into the arrangement of sugar chains or ‘glycans’ in the cells of the spine has shed light for the first time on the critical role it plays in the complex process of disc degeneration.

Researchers at CÚRAM - Research Ireland Centre for Medical Devices at University of Galway, together with a team of international colleagues, carried out a comprehensive investigation into the different characteristics of glycans in healthy and degenerated intervertebral discs.

It is the first time that the whole human disc glycome in the spine - the entire set of sugar chains that modify human proteins and lipids - have been analysed in this way. 

Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is a major cause of low back pain, a significant global health issue. While glycosylation is critical for cellular signalling and inflammation, its malfunction can lead to diseases and its role in IVD degeneration has remained poorly understood until the research was conducted.

Dr Kieran Joyce, first author of the paper, said: “From this research, we now know which sugars are expressed in the degenerated or diseased disc states, so we can design therapies to target this.

“We observed distinct alterations in glycan expression, notably an overabundance of sialic acid on the surface of the cells in degenerated discs and decreased branching, which are associated with IVD degeneration. These observed differences have implications for regulating inflammatory responses and other cellular activities.”

Professor Abhay Pandit, Scientific Director of CÚRAM and senior author of the research paper, said: “Our findings suggest that there is therapeutic potential in using biomaterial systems to intervene and alter the way proteins and glycans attach to each other to reduce inflammation associated with IVD degeneration. This research significantly advances our knowledge of the glycomic mechanisms underlying IVD degeneration and opens new avenues for developing therapies to restore disc physiology.”

The finding of the research have been published in Advanced Science and can be accessed at https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/advs.202506669?af=R.

The project was carried out by CÚRAM researchers at University of Galway in collaboration with colleagues at Maynooth University, University College Dublin, the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT), the Medical University of South Carolina and the Institute of Chemical Technologies and Analytics in Austria.

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