Archaeology and Anthropology experts from the University of Bristol have come together in a co-operation with computer modeling experts from the University of Leeds to examine the bones of people who died up to 100 years ago in an attempt to develop new treatments for chronic back pain.
The project involves analysis of many skeletons and looks at different spine conditions and how spines vary in size and shape. The data from the 40 skeletons from museums and university anatomy collections will be used to supplement data provided from bodies donated to science. The research which is being funded by the EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) is being led by Dr Ruth Wilcox from the University of Leeds.
The data which is being generated from all sources plays a key role in the creation and development of innovative computer models. These models will allow doctors, surgeons and research specialists to evaluate the potential impact of new treatments and implant materials such as those used in keyhole spinal surgery and disc replacements, before they are used on live patients.
It is hoped that ultimately the models will be able to be used to pinpoint the best type of treatment for an individual patient.
This is the first time this sort of software has been developed for the treatment of back conditions and it’s hoped that the research will also speed up the process of clinical trials for new treatments too. These can currently take up to ten years.
Dr Ruth Wilcox said ‘The idea is that a company will be able to bring in a design for a new product, and we’ll simulate how it would work on a number of different spines’. She went on to explain that the great thing about computer models is that they can be used over and over again to test lots of different products on the same model, unlike in a lab situation where many new donated spines would be needed each time a new treatment was to be tested.
The computer modeling breakthrough is possible because of recent advances in micro-computed tomography (CT) scanning where 3 dimensional images from cross sections of body organs or tissues are built up, combined with new techniques that have been developed at the University of Leeds which enable data from these micro-CT scans to be transformed into computer models.
Dr Kate Robson Brown from the Archaeology and Anthropology department at the University of Bristol said ‘The wider the pool of spinal data at our disposal the more effective the computer models will be in terms of demonstrating the impact of treatments on different back conditions and back types’. She explained that the software they are helping to create should be available in the next few years and that it might even provide new insights into how our ancestors evolved.
Back pain is an extremely common problem and with all spines being slightly different, developing new treatments can be very challenging. This new technology could significantly improve the quality of life for millions of back pain sufferers around the world.
Another solution
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