The seventh biennial ORS-PSRS International Spine Research Symposium was held from November 10-14, 2024, at Skytop Lodge in Pennsylvania, USA. Jointly organized by the PSRS and ORS, the meeting brought together over 195 participants from 13 countries. Selected contributors were invited to submit full-length manuscripts for this JOR Spine Special Issue. The seventh edition of the biennial ORS–PSRS International Spine Research Symposium took place from November 10 to 14, 2024, at Skytop Lodge, located in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania, USA. Co-hosted by the Philadelphia Spine Research Society (PSRS) and the Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS), the meeting brought together 195 researchers and clinicians from 13 countries to discuss recent progress in basic and preclinical spine research (Figure 1). Over three and a half days, the program comprised 20 invited lectures, 29 oral presentations, and 126 poster presentations, with trainee-led work accounting for the majority of contributions. Scientific sessions addressed a broad range of topics, including spinal development, disease mechanisms, pain biology, genetics, phenotyping approaches, biomechanics, experimental models, and emerging therapeutic strategies. A highlight of the meeting was the presentation of the sixth PSRS Lifetime Achievement Award to Professor Mauro Alini, in recognition of his seminal contributions to intervertebral disc (IVD) mechanobiology and tissue engineering. Excellence in trainee research was recognized through three podium awards and six poster awards supported by the PSRS. Additional distinctions, sponsored by the ORS Spine Section, acknowledged innovative research, studies addressing health disparities, translational impact, and outstanding achievements by early-career investigators. To promote broader participation, seven diversity fellowships were awarded to trainees from underrepresented groups. The scientific program also featured a dedicated workshop on funding opportunities and strategies at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), presented by three NIH Program Directors. Outside the formal sessions, attendees networked and held informal discussions while enjoying the late-autumn setting of the Pocono Mountains. Consistent with longstanding tradition, the symposium concluded with a spine-themed quiz evening organized and led by trainee members of the ORS Spine Section. This Special Issue of JOR Spine brings together original research articles and reviews authored by symposium award recipients, discussion leaders, and invited faculty contributors. Taken as a whole, the collected works explore the convergence of aging, biological processes, and biomechanics, and emphasize the importance of integrative perspectives that consider interactions across tissues, organs, and scientific disciplines. These articles reflect the broad spectrum of spine research undertaken by these attendees, collectively advancing understanding of spine disease pathophysiology and moving us closer to more effective treatments for patients with back pain. This includes novel insights into network modeling 1 and improved spine kinematics models 2. Mehta et al. 3 described novel methods for using age and spinal level as predictors in mice and humans. Hutchinson et al. 4 provided a systematic review on sex hormones and their role in bone and joint tissues. Peeters et al. 2 described a novel spine biomechanics model and reviewed the relevant literature. Min Kyu et al. 5 described how total RNA isolation from IVDs of mice and rats can be optimized. Crump et al. 6, and Soubrier et al. 7, both presented cell signaling under two-axial loading profiles in the first study 6 and six-axial loading profiles and their effects in the second study 7 using bovine live ex vivo organ culture models. Bhadouria et al. 8 described the impact of age and injury on the biomechanics of the lumbar IVD using an ex vivo mouse model. The paper by Nüesch et al. 9 presents novel descriptive data on internalization evidence showing that IVD cells take up Cutibacterium agnes and Staphylococcus aureus in non-herniated IVD tissue. These data further support a previously formulated hypothesis that bacteria might be responsible for the pain and radiologic picture of Modic type 1 changes on magnetic resonance imaging 10. While the topic remains controversial and requires further work, the question arises as to whether the human IVD possesses a natural microbiome that compensates for imbalances that might be exacerbated by metabolic changes and other inflammatory processes. Jain et al. 11 published a systematic review on needle puncture-induced animal models of disc degeneration. Hasler et al. 12 described novel insights into the mechanobiology of IVD cells using a commercial cell stretcher device that uses polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and a customized design where the stiffness was customized and adapted for spine research. Lisiewski et al. 13 investigated how polarized M1 or M2 macrophage co-cultures, with or without tumor necrosis factor (TNF), could counteract negative changes in extracellular matrix (ECM) content in a rat IVD explant model. Gonzalez et al. 14 examined the effects of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) on the degeneration and innervation of the IVD adjacent to an injury. Anderson et al. 15 described how metastatic spine disease alters the spinal load-to-strength ratio. The movement patterns and the physical function between chronic low back pain patients with nociplastic and nociceptive pain mechanisms were compared by Archibeck et al. 16. Overall, this was an exceptionally high-level scientific meeting, which we highly recommend attending the next time it is held in November 2026. Benjamin Gantenbein: conceptualization, investigation, funding acquisition, writing – original draft. Lachlan J. Smith: conceptionalization, investigation, funding acquisition, writing – reviewing. Makarand V. Risbud: conceptionalization, investigation, funding acquisition. Chitra L. Dahia: conceptualization, funding acquisition, writing – reviewing. Sponsorship for the symposium from participating academic institutions and support from ORS staff are gratefully acknowledged. Funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for this symposium (R13AR084851) is also gratefully acknowledged. C. L. D. received additional funding support from NIH (R01AR077145 and R01AG070079) ; L. J. S. received additional support from the NIH (R01AR077435) and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (I01RX001321). M. V. R. received additional support from the NIH (R01AR055655, R01AR074813, and R01AG073349). B. G. acknowledges his recent and current funding sources, namely from the EU (iPSpine, 825925 & disc4all MSC ITN, 955735) and three Swiss National Science Foundation projects (310030E₁92674/1, 40B2-0₂11510/1, & CSRK3₂37950). This study was supported by National Institutes of Health (NIH) (R13AR084851). B. G. , C. L. D. , L. J. S. , and M. V. R. are members of the JOR Spine Advisory Review Board. C. L. D. is a current ORS Spine Section officer. Data sharing not applicable to this article as no datasets were generated or analyzed during the current study.
Dahia et al. (Thu,) studied this question.
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