How outer spinal disc cells feel stiffness and surface shape through the TRPV4 channel
Official title: Substrate Stiffness, Topography, and TRPV4 in AF Mechanotransduction
Funded at Rochester Institute of Technology · NIH-11174501 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Looks at whether changes in tissue stiffness and surface features change a cell sensor called TRPV4 and affect the health of the outer ring of the spinal disc for people with or at risk of low back pain.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rochester Institute of Technology NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Rochester, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2022 |
| Project end | August 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $185,000 |
| NIH project number | 5R16GM146717-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11174501 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with degenerative disc disease or chronic low back pain would be the eventual patient group most relevant to these findings and potential future therapies.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose pain comes from non-disc causes (for example, pure muscular back pain or nerve issues unrelated to disc degeneration) may not benefit from these findings.
What this research studies
Researchers will grow annulus fibrosus (outer disc) cells on surfaces that mimic different stiffnesses and topographies to see how those physical cues change cell behavior. They will measure activity of the TRPV4 mechanosensitive ion channel and look at how cells make or break extracellular matrix components. Experiments likely use animal-derived disc cells and lab models to map the feedback between matrix changes and TRPV4 signaling. The goal is to link specific mechanical cues to cell responses that drive disc degeneration.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new ways to slow or reverse disc degeneration and reduce low back pain by targeting TRPV4 or the mechanical environment of disc cells.
How similar studies have gone: Related studies in other tissues have shown TRPV4 links matrix stiffness to cell behavior, but applying this link to annulus fibrosus cells and disc degeneration is largely new.
Where this research is happening
-
Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wuertz-Kozak, Karin — Rochester Institute of Technology
- Study coordinator: Wuertz-Kozak, Karin
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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.