2024

Basic Science

Superiority of Nucleus Pulposus Cell- versus Mesenchymal Stromal Cell-derived Extracellular Vesicles in Attenuating Disc Degeneration and Alleviating Pain

D Sakai, L Ambrosio, J Schol, C Ruiz-Fernandez, S Tamagawa, H Soma, V Tilotta, G Di Giacomo, C Cicione,

S Nakayama, K Kamiya, R Papalia, M Sato, G Vadalà, M Watanabe, V Denaro

Clinical/Bioengineering Science

How Standing and Supine Positions Influence Nutrient Transport in human Lumbar Intervertebral Discs? - A serial post contrast MRI study Evaluating Interplay Between Convection and Diffusion.

Dr J Naresh Babu, Dr Prajwal G S, Dr Gajendra

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2023

Clinical Science

Automated annotation of lumbar MRI enables comparisons between prevalence of degenerative changes in intervertebral discs of large cohorts of chronic back pain and asymptomatic subjects: Influence of age and lumbar spinal level.

Amir Jamaludin, Timor Kadir, Andrew Zisserman, Iain McCall, Frances M.K. Williams, Helena Lang, Elaine Buchanan, Jill P.G. Urban, Jeremy C.T. Fairbank.

Basic Science

Lactate in Lumbar Discs – Metabolic Waste or Energy Biofuel? Insights from in-vivo MRS and T2r analysis following exercise and nimodipine in healthy volunteers.

Pushpa B.T., S. Rajasekaran, Murugesh Easwaran, Chandhan Murugan, Raksha Algeri, Sri Vijay Anand K.S., Rishi Mugesh Kanna, Ajoy Prasad Shetty

Bioengineering Science

Age- and sex-related differences in lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration between patients with chronic low back pain and asymptomatic controls.

Noah B. Bonnheim, Ann A. Lazar, Anika Kumar, Zehra Akkaya, Jiamin Zhou, Xiaojie Guo, Conor O’Neill, Thomas M. Link, Jeffrey Lotz, Roland Krug, Aaron J. Fields.

2022

Clinical Science

Accelerated disc degeneration after pubertal growth spurt differentiates adults with low back pain from their asymptomatic peers

Anni Aavikko, Martina Lohman, Leena Ristolainen, Hannu Kautiainen, Kalevi Österman, Dietrich Schlenzka, Teija Lund, Finland. 

Epidemiology, Risk Factors and Clinical Impact of Juvenile Modic Changes in Pediatric Patients with Low Back Pain

G. Michael Mallow, David Zepeda, Timothy G. Kuzel, J. Nicolas Barajas, Khaled Aboushaala, Michael T. Nolte, Alejandro Espinoza-Orias, Chundo Oh, Matthew Colman, Monica Kogan, Frank M. Phillips, Howard S. An, Dino Samartzis, USA

Bioengineering Science

Low Rate Cyclic Loading as a Therapeutic Strategy for Intervertebral Disc Regeneration

Elizabeth A. Capogna, Emma Brown, Evan Walrath, William Furst, Qing Dong, Chao-Ming Zhou, Sarah E. Gullbrand, Nam V. Vo, Gwendolyn A. Sowa, Eric H. Ledet, USA.

2021

Clinical Science

What are the risk factors for low back pain flares and does this depend on how flare is defined?
Nathalia Costa, Esther Smits, Jessica Kasza, Sauro Salomoni, Manuela Ferreira, Michael Sullivan, Paul W. Hodges, Australia, Canada. 

Basic Science
A Novel Inducible System to Regulate Transgene Expression of TIMP1
Yingchao Han, Zhihua Ouyang, Richard A Wawrose, Stephen R Chen, Maximiliane Hallbaum, Qing Dong, Emily Dando, Ying Tang, Bing Wang, Joon Y Lee, Jeremy D Shaw, James D Kang, Gwendolyn A Sowa, Nam V Vo, USA, China.

Bioengineering Science
In vivo sagittal motion of the lumbar spine in low back pain patients: a radiological big data study.
Fabio Galbusera, Frank Niemeyer, Youping Tao, Andrea Cina, Luca Maria Sconfienza, Annette Kienle, Hans-Joachim Wilke, Italy, Germany.

2020

Clinical Science
Examining Causal Effects of Body Mass Index on Back Pain: A Mendelian Randomization Study
Elizaveta E. Elgaeva, Yakov Tsepilov, Maxim B. Freidin, Frances M.K. Williams, Yurii Aulchenko, Pradeep Suri, Russia, The Netherlands, UK, USA.

Clinical Science
The reliability and interpretability of score change in lumbar spine research
C. Parai, O. Hägg, B. Lind, H. Brisby, Sweden.

Basic Science
Beyond microstructure: circumferential specialization within the lumbar intervertebral disc annulus extends to collagen nanostructure, with counterintuitive relationships to macroscale material properties
Tyler W. Herod, Samuel P. Veres, Canada.

To view the presentations of the 2020 ISSLS prize winners, click HERE.

2019

Basic science
Physical activity attenuates fibrotic alterations to the multifidus muscle associated with intervertebral disc degeneration.
James, D.M. Klyne, M. Millecamps, L.S. Stone, P.W. Hodges.

Bioengineering science
Biomechanical changes in dynamic sagittal balance and lower limb compensatory strategies following realignment surgery in adult spinal deformity patients.
Jeannie F. Bailey, Robert P. Matthew, Sarah Seko, Patrick Curran, Leslie Chu, Sigurd Berven, Vedat Deviren, Shane Burch, Jeffrey C. Lotz.

Clinical science
Clinical importance of trunk muscle mass for low back pain, spinal balance, and quality of life: A multicenter cross-sectional study.
Yusuke Hori, Masatoshi Hoshino, Kazuhide Inage, Masayuki Miyagi, Shinji Takahashi, Shoichiro Ohyama, Akinobu Suzuki, Tadao Tsujio, Hidetomi Terai, Sho Dohzono, Ryuichi Sasaoka, Hiromitsu Toyoda, Minori Kato, Akira Matsumura, Takashi Namikawa, Masahiko Seki, Kentaro Yamada, Hasibullah Habibi, Hamidullah Salimi, Masaomi Yamashita, Tomonori Yamauchi, Takeo Furuya, Sumihisa Orita, Satoshi Maki, Yasuhiro Shiga, Masahiro Inoue, Gen Inoue, Hisako Fujimaki, Kosuke Murata, Ayumu Kawakubo, Daijiro Kabata, Ayumi Shintani, Seiji Ohtori, Masashi Takaso,  Hiroaki Nakamura.

2018

Basic science
Growth differentiation factor-6 attenuated pro-inflammatory molecular changes in the rabbit annular-puncture model and degenerated disc-induced pain generation in the rat xenograft radiculopathy model
S. Miyazaki, A.D. Diwan, K. Kato, K. Cheng, W.C. Bae, Y. Sun, J. Yamada, C. Muehleman, M.E. Lenz, N. Inoue, R.L. Sah, M. Kawakami, K. Masuda; USA, Japan

Bioengineering science
Dynamic imaging of degenerative spondylolisthesis reveals mid-range dynamic lumbar instability not evident on static clinical radiographs
M.E. Dombrowski, B. Rynearson, C. LeVasseur, Z. Adgate, W.F. Donaldson, J.Y. Lee, A. Aiyangar, W.J. Anderst, USA, Switzerland

Clinical science
Longitudinal analysis of inflammatory, psychological and sleep-related factors following an acute low back pain episode: the good, the bad and the ugly
D. Klyne, M. Barbe, W. Van den Hoorn, P.W. Hodges, Australia

2017

Basic Science
Intervertebral disc/bone marrow cross-talk with modic changes
Stefan Dudli, David Sing, Serena S Hu, Sigurd H  Berven, Shane Burch, Vedat Deviren, Ivan Cheng, Bobby KB Tay, Todd Alamin, Ma Agnes Martinez Ith, Eric M Pietras, Jeffrey C Lotz; Switzerland

Bioengineering science
Automation of reading of radiological features from magnetic resonance images (MRI’s) of the lumbar spine without human intervention is comparable with an expert radiologist
Jeremy Fairbank, Amir Jamaludin, Meelis  Lootus, Timor Kadir, Andrew Zisserman, Jill Urban, Michele Battié, Iain McCall, Genodisc Consortium; United Kingdom

Clinical science
Is infection the possible initiator of disc disease? An insight from proteomic analysis
Rajasekaran Shanmuganathan, Chitraa  Tangavel, Siddharth N Aiyer, Sharon Miracle Nayagam, M Raveendran, Naveen Luke Demonte, Pramela Subbaiah, Rishi Kanna, Ajoy Prasad Shetty, K Dharmalingam; India

2016

Clinical Science
Consensus on the clinical diagnosis of lumbar spinal stenosis: Results of an International Delphi Study
Tomkins-Lane C., Melloh M., Lurie J., Smuck M., Battie M., Freeman B., Samartzis D., Hu R., Barz T., Stuber K., Schneider M., Haig A., Schizas C., Cheung J., Mannion A., Staub L., Comer C., Macedo L., Ahn S-H., Takahashi K., Sandella D. (CA)

Bioengineering Science
Vibration really does disrupt the disc – a microanatomical investigation: Kelly Wade,Meredith Schollum,Peter Robertson,Ashvin Thambyah,Neil Broom, New Zealand

2015

Basic Science
A Detailed Examination of the Elastic Network Leads to A New Understanding of Annulus Fibrosus Organisation
Yu J, Schollum ML, Wade KR, Broom ND, Urban JPG; UK, New Zealand

Bioengineering Science
Cyclic Loading-Induced Convection Enhances Net Transport Into the Intervertebral Disc
Gullbrand SE, Peterson J, Ahlborn J,  Mastropolo R, Fricker A, Roberts TT, Abousayed M, Lawrence JP, Glennon JC, Ledet EH; USA

Disc Biology
Vertebral endplate (Modic) change is an independent risk factor for episodes of severe and disabling low back pain
Määttä J, Wadge S, MacGregor A, Karppinen J, Williams FMK;  Finland

ISSLS Prize Award Winners prior to 2015