Genetic predictors of recovery and surgical outcomes for Veterans with chronic low back pain and lumbosacral spine disorders
Identifying genetic predictors of outcomes for Veterans with chronic low back pain and lumbosacral spinal disorders
This project uses VA health records and genetic information to find DNA markers linked to how Veterans fare with chronic low back pain and related spine conditions.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | VA Puget Sound Healthcare System NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11446450 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you are a Veteran with ongoing low back pain or nerve-related leg symptoms, researchers will use VA electronic health records combined with genetic data to look for DNA differences tied to outcomes and responses to treatments. They will run genome-wide analyses and combine results across datasets to identify genetic variants, then build prediction models that include clinical and genomic information. The team will validate those models to see if they can better predict who will improve with non-surgical care and who might benefit most from procedures like decompression surgery. The goal is to make risk-based treatment choices more accurate for Veterans.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are Veterans with chronic or recurrent low back pain or with lumbosacral radicular syndrome or symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis who receive care in the VA system.
Not a fit: People without VA clinical or genetic records, or those whose pain has non-spinal causes, are unlikely to gain direct benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help tailor treatments so Veterans get therapies that are more likely to help them recover or avoid unnecessary surgery.
How similar studies have performed: Previous trials of stratified care for low back pain and some genetic studies of back pain have shown promise, but combining large-scale GWAS with VA EHR data to predict surgical outcomes is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
Seattle, United States
- VA Puget Sound Healthcare System — Seattle, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Suri, Pradeep — VA Puget Sound Healthcare System
- Study coordinator: Suri, Pradeep
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.