Lumbar back pain is the largest cause of morbidity worldwide, but there is controversy as to its specific cause, which involves poor treatment options and prognoses. The degeneration of the intervertebral disc is the leading unique cause of back pain in middle-aged adults and, in general, among the active population; but the effect of the interactions among genetic, biochemical, mechanical, social and psychological factors, is not sufficiently known.

“Although there is a great deal of clinical and experimental evidence related to intervertebral disc degeneration, it has not yet been possible to integrate the degenerative processes and risk factors that come from these data on a holistic and rational map of interactions. Achieving this map would be a huge step forward for preventing and more sustainably treating chronic lumbar back pain, which affects the quality of life of many people. Hence, we need to create cross-cutting professional skills that current training programmes fail to address”, says the Disc4All project coordinator, Jérôme Noailly, principal investigator in the Biomechanics and Mechanobiology research area at BCN MedTech, within the UPF Department of Information and Communication Technologies (DTIC).

Disc4All aims to advance computational simulations integrated into translational medicine applied to intervertebral disc degeneration

The project Training network to advance integrated computational simulations in translational medicine, applied to intervertebral disc degeneration: Disc4All, is one of the ten selected projects in Catalonia as an Innovative Training Network (ITN) Marie Sklodowska-Curie, in the European Commission’s ITN MSC Actions call.

Disc4All aims to integrate available data and computational simulations on back pain caused by intervertebral disc degeneration with a multidisciplinary translational medicine approach. On the one hand, the unique population cohort data from Twins UK (King’s College London) and from the Northern Finland Birth Cohorts (University of Oulu) will be exploited to generate matching sets of molecular profiles and specific intervertebral disc phenotype. On the other hand, cell and organ culture laboratory experiments will be used to pinpoint the most likely relationships among molecular profiles and cell microenvironments. Computer simulations will integrate these population and experimental data, to predict the cell microenvironments through multiscale modelling, and to extract the causality between the emergence of specific molecular activity and specific intervertebral disc phenotypes.Finally, data mining and artificial intelligence techniques will generate interpretable correlation models between measurable clinical data and unmeasurable, but predicted, key regulators of cell and molecular activities. The final output shall be identification of rational patient-specific maps of concurring risk factors.

Researchers are needed in the initial stage who can work beyond the boundaries of traditional disciplines to understand and manage complex multifactorial disorders

To carry it out, researchers are needed in the initial stage who can work beyond the boundaries of traditional disciplines, integrating experimental and computational approaches to understand and manage complex multifactorial disorders.

With a consortium of 11 beneficiaries, complemented by eight partner organizations, Disc4All aims to address this problem through the collaborative experience of physicians; physicists and computational biologists; geneticists; computer scientists; cell and molecular biologists; microbiologists; bioinformaticians; and industrial partners. Only at UPF, research will cover various topics such as data science and machine learning, medical image analysis and processing and computational biology and biomechanics, thanks to the joint supervision by Gemma Piella, Miguel Ángel González Ballester and Jérôme Noailly, all principal investigators of the BCN MedTech research unit. The project also addresses the importance of the role of the society in promoting new medical technologies.

Translational research applied to multifactorial disorders

The network will promote the interdisciplinary training of 15 predoctoral researchers in data processing and integration; experimental and theoretical/computer modelling; the development of computer algorithms; the generation of tools; and platforms of models and simulations for the transparent integration of primary data for clinical interpretation improved by models and simulations.

Besides, Disc4All will provide additional training in dissemination; project management; research integrity; ethics; regulation; policy; business strategy; and patient commitment and public engagement.

The results of Disc4All will provide a new generation of professionals with international mobility equipped with a set of unique capabilities for developing careers in translational research applied to multifactorial disorders.

The European innovative training networks (ITN) aim to train a new generation of researchers in their early stages who are creative, enterprising and innovative, capable of dealing with the challenges of the future and turn knowledge and ideas into products and services with an economic and a social benefit. ITN programmes within the framework of the European Commission’s Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions support joint competitive programmes for training in research or joint doctorates. These programmes will be implemented by partnerships of universities, research centres, businesses, SMEs and other stakeholders in Europe and the rest of the world.

The work necessary to build the successful proposal Disc4All has received financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the European Research (Europa Investigación) grant programme (EUIN2017-89399).

Reference project:

Disc4All: Training network to advance integrated computational simulations in translational medicine, applied to intervertebral disc degeneration. Innovative Training Network (ITN) Marie Sklodowska-Curie, European Training Network (ETN) category, in the European Commission’s ITN MSC Actions call.

Project coordinator: Jérôme Noailly (UPF) UPF funding: €501,809.76 Consortium funding: €3,996,776.52

Beneficiaries:

Pompeu Fabra University (ES), InSilicoTrials (IT), Barcelona Supercomputing Center (ES), Oulun Yliopisto (FI), Galgo Medical SL (ES), King’s College London (UK), Sheffield Hallam University (UK), Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM) (ES), University of Bern (CH), ProATonce Ltd (GR), Université de Liège (BE).

Partner organizations:

Catalan Agency for Health Quality and Evaluation (ES), Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd (FI), Plexalis Ltd (UK), Virtual Physiological Human Institute (BE), QUAES Foundation (ES), National Technical University of Athens (GR), University of Barcelona (UB), Rochester Institute of Technology (USA).