2:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Arrival and Check-in
6:00 pm
Dinner
7:30 pm – 7:40 pm
Welcome / Introductory Comments by Chair
7:40 pm – 9:30 pm
KEYNOTE SESSION: DEVELOPMENT TO DISEASE
Discussion Leader: Irving Shapiro, PhD, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
This session will introduce the theme of the meeting with a keynote talk.
7:40 pm – 7:50 pm
Opening Remarks
7:50 pm – 8:25 pm
Keynote Talk: Epigenetic Mechanisms of Aging and Senescence
Keynote Speaker: Shelley Berger, PhD
Daniel S. Och University Professor
Department of Cell & Developmental Biology
Director, Penn Epigenetics Institute
Perelman School of Medicine
University of Pennsylvania
8:25 pm – 8:40 pm
Discussion
8:40 pm – 9:15 pm
Replenishment of Annulus Fibrosus Cells by Endplate Hypertrophic Chondrocytes in Intervertebral Disc Maintenance
Danny Chan, BSc, MSc, PhD, University of Hong Kong, PR China
9:15 pm – 9:30 pm
Discussion
9:30 pm – 10:30 pm
Welcome Reception
7:30 am – 8:30 am
Breakfast
9:00 am – 12:30 pm
DISC BIOLOGY
Discussion Leaders: Mauro Alini, PhD, AO Research Institute, Davos, Switzerland
Zulma Gazit, PhD, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
This session will highlight the latest advances in disc development and cell biology.
9:00 am – 9:10 am
Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:10 am – 9:35 am
Role of Shh in the Postnatal Spine Development and Maintenance
Chitra Dahia, PhD, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York
9:35 am – 9:45 am
Discussion
9:45 am- 10:10 am
CCN Proteins in the Intervertebral Disc
Cheryle Seguin, PhD, University of Western Ontario, Canada
10:10 am – 10:20 am
Discussion
10:20 am – 10:30 am
The Enigmatic Carbonic Anhydrase 3: A Novel Nucleus Pulposus Marker and Abundant Antioxidant
Elizabeth Silagi, BS, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
10:30 am – 10:35 am
Discussion
10:35 am – 11:05 am
Coffee Break
11:05 am – 11:30 am
Novel functions of RNA-binding Protein HuR in Hypoxic Nucleus Pulposus Cells
Makarand Risbud, PhD, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
11:30 am – 11:40 am
Discussion
11:40 am – 11:50 am
TGFβ utilizes Noggin to Determine Sclerotome Fate Decision in the Axial Skeleton
Ga I Joy Ban, BS, University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL
11:50 am – 12:00 pm
The Role of TRP Channels in Mechanical Unloading/Loading of Intervertebral Disc Cells
Elena Cambria, MS, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
12:00 pm – 12:10 pm
Discussion
12:30 pm
Lunch
1:30 pm – 4:00 pm
Free Time
4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Poster Session
6:00 pm
Dinner
7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Disc Pathobiology
Discussion Leader: Lisbet Haglund, PhD, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
This session will highlight the latest advances in disc pathobiology.
7:30 pm – 7:35 pm
Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:35 pm – 7:55 pm
Degenerative Disc Disease: Review & Recommendations from ISSLS
Michele Battie, PhD, University of Alberta, Alberta, Canada
7:55 pm – 8:05 pm
Discussion
8:05 pm – 8:30 pm
The Ins and Outs of Intervertebral Disc Aging
Nam Vo, PhD, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
8:30 pm – 8:40 pm
Discussion
8:40 pm – 9:05 pm
Good Fences Make Good Neighbors: Disc/Vertebra Cross-talk with Low Back Pain
Jeffrey Lotz, PhD, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
9:05 pm – 9:15 pm
Discussion
9:15 pm – 9:25 pm
Conditional Loss of Gpr126 Causes Scoliosis and Disc Degeneration in Mouse
Ryan S. Gray, PhD, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
9:25 pm – 9:30 pm
Discussion
9:30 pm – 10:30 pm
Networking Reception
7:30 am – 8:30 am
Breakfast
8:30 am
Group Photo
9:00 am – 12:30 pm
PATHOBIOLOGY AND PAIN
Discussion Leaders: Neil Malhotra, MD, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Gwendolyn Sowa, MD, PhD, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
This session will discuss advances in our understanding of mechanisms promoting disc degeneration and pain generation.
9:00 am – 9:10 am
Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:10 am – 9:35 am
Intervertebral Disc Degeneration, Neuroplasticity and Low Back Pain: Lessons from Pre-Clinical Models
Laura Stone, PhD, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
9:35 am – 9:50 am
Discussion
9:50 am – 10:15 am
Temporal Development of Neural-Behavioral Crosstalk in a Rodent Model of painful Disc Degeneration
Lori Setton, PhD, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
10:15 am – 10:30 am
Discussion
10:30 am – 10:40 am
Hypertrophy and Cell Fate Changes Underscore Spontaneous Disc Degeneration in SM/J Mice
Hyowon Choi, BA, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
10:40 am – 10:45 am
Discussion
10:45 am – 11:15 am
Coffee Break
11:15 am – 11:25 am
Fullerol Alleviates Lumbar Radiculopathy via Antagonizing TNF-α-induced Ion Channel Activation, Calcium Signaling and Neuropeptide Release
Joshua Li, MD, PhD, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
11:25 am – 11:35 am
Metabolic Reprogramming to a High Energy State Accompanies the Catabolic Phenotype of Human Senescent Disc Cells
Prashanti Patil, BS, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
11:35 am – 11:45 am
Deletion of RAGE Significantly Blunts the AGEs- and HMGB1- Mediated Degeneration of the Intervertebral Disc
Simon Tang, PhD, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
11:45 am – 11:55 am
Potential Involvement of Unfolded Protein Response in the Pathogenesis of Intervertebral Disc Degeneration
Takeshi Fujii, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
11:55 am – 12:15 pm
Discussion
12:30 pm
Lunch
1:30 pm – 4:00 pm
Free Time
4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Poster Session
6:00 pm
Dinner
7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
TISSUE ENGINEERING
Discussion Leaders: Jerome Guicheux, DSc, PhD, University of Nantes, Nantes, France
Abhay Pandit, PhD, NUI Galway, Galway, Ireland
This session will focus on novel strategies to create disc tissue substitutes, including novel biomaterials, bioreactors, and devices that mimic tissue physiology and pathophysiology.
7:30 pm – 7:35 pm
Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:35 pm – 7:55 pm
Annulus Fibrosus Injury, Repair, and Regeneration
James Iatridis, PhD, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
7:55 pm – 8:05 pm
Discussion
8:05 pm – 8:30 pm
Cell Migration into Degenerative Intervertebral Disc: The Good and the Bad
Sibylle Grad, PhD, AO Research Institute Davos, Switzerland
8:30 pm – 8:40 pm
Discussion
8:40 pm – 9:05 pm
GDF6: A Biologic Offering a Dual Regenerative Approach for Intervertebral Disc Degeneration
Judith Hoyland, PhD, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
9:05 pm – 9:15 pm
Discussion
9:15 pm – 9:25 pm
Optimizing Microenvironmental Conditions for Physiologically Relevant Culture of Full Organ Disc Explants
Conor T. Buckley, PhD, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
9:25 pm – 9:30 pm
Discussion
9:30 pm – 10:30 pm
Networking Reception
7:30 am – 8:30 am
Breakfast
9:00 am – 12:30 pm
DISC BIOMECHANICS AND IMAGING
Discussion Leaders: Dawn Elliott, PhD, University of Delaware, Newark, NJ
Larry Bonassar, PhD, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
This goal of this session is to discuss advances in our understanding of the mechanisms by which cells sense mechanical perturbations and the role of altered mechanics to disc pathologies.
9:00 am – 9:10 am
Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:10 am – 9:35 am
Modes of Loading and Structural Changes Influence the Failure of the Disc
Hans Joachim Wilke, PhD, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
9:35 am – 9:45 am
Discussion
9:45 am – 10:10 am
Nucleus Pulposus Cell Mechanobiology: Effects of Inflammation and Degeneration
Nadeen Chahine, PhD, Columbia University, New York, NY
10:10 am – 10:20 am
Discussion
10:20 am – 10:30 am
Effects of Dynamic Loading on Solute Transport Across the Human Cartilage Endplate
Aaron J. Fields, PhD, University of California, San Francisco, CA
10:30 am – 10:35 am
Discussion
10:35 am – 11:05 am
Coffee Break
11:05 am – 11:30 am
Embracing the Challenges of Translational Spine Research
Marianna Tryfonidou, PhD, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
11:30 am – 11:40 am
Discussion
11:40 am – 11:50 pm
Functional Restoration of Intervertebral Disc Biomechanics Following Neonatal Herniation Injury
Olivia M. Torre, M.Eng., Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
11:50 am – 12:00 pm
In Vivo MRI Quantification of Human Disc Compression and Flexion/Extension
Dawn M. Elliott, PhD, University of Delaware, Newark
12:00 pm – 12:10 pm
Detection of Internal Tissue Disruptions within Injured Intervertebral Discs via Magnetic Resonance Elastography
Benjamin A. Walter, PhD, The Ohio State University, Columbus
12:10 pm – 12:25 pm
Discussion
12:30 pm
Lunch
1:30 pm – 3:45 pm
Free Time
3:45 pm – 5:45 pm
Poster Session
5:45 pm
Dinner
6:45 pm – 7:30 pm
Business Meeting
Nominations for the Next Chair and Discuss Future Site; Life Time Achievement Award Presentation
7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
ANIMAL MODELS, TRANSLATIONAL AND CLINICAL TRIALS
Discussion Leaders: Ashish Diwan, MD, PhD, University of New South Wales, Australia
Keita Ito, MD, PhD, Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands
Session co-sponsored by the ORS-Spine Section
7:30 pm – 7:35 pm
Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:35 pm – 7:55 pm
Biological Repair of Intervertebral Discs: Adventures in Commercialization
Fackson Mwale, PhD, Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
7:55 pm – 8:05 pm
Discussion
8:05 pm – 8:15 pm
Cell Delivery in Collagen Gels Enhances Annulus Fibrosus Repair of the Sheep Spine In Vivo
Stephen Sloan Jr., BS, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
8:15 pm – 8:25 pm
Lentiviral CRISPR Epigenome Editing: A Potential Gene Therapy Strategy for Disc Degeneration
Niloofar Farhang, BS, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
8:25 pm – 8:35 pm
Discussion
8:35 pm – 9:00 pm
Developing Regenerative Therapies for Disc Degeneration Targeting the Degenerate Niche
Christine Lemaitre, BSc, PGCert HE, PhD, FHEA, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, UK
9:00 pm – 9:10 pm
Discussion
9:10 pm – 9:20 pm
Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging Correlates with Histological Grade in a Percutaneous Needle Injury Mouse Model of Disc Degeneration
Lachlan Smith, PhD, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
9:20 pm – 9:30 pm
Discussion
9:30 pm – 9:40 pm
Awards Ceremony
9:40 pm – 9:50 pm
Closing Remarks
9:50 pm – 10:50 pm
Networking Reception
7:30 am – 8:30 am
Breakfast
9:00 am
Departure
