Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is often associated with low back pain. In- silico models based on finite elements provides a complementary information to understand what happens in the disc. The project aims to include metabolic relations between proteases and lactate and glucose concentrations into a 3D mechano-transport finite element model to identify critical areas for extracellular matrix degradation. Two condition will be evaluated for disc degeneration Grade I (healthy) and Grade III (early degeneration). The candidate will use a previous developed mechno-transport 3D finite element model for the IVD, using experimental data for the enzyme production. Also, the candidate will have the support of all biomechanics and mechanobiology team of the BCN MedTech research unit. Previous knowledge of finite element modelling and programming are valuable, no mandatory.