Fibrillar Nanostructure of Human Intervertebral Joints using 3D SAXS

Understanding the mechanisms underpinning musculoskeletal pathologies, like intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration in the spine, is increasingly important worldwide. The disruption of spinal joints is related to alterations in the tissue structure and biomechanics at the micro- and nanoscale. However, measuring such changes quantitatively in intact organs remains challenging. Here, we will apply a ground-breaking multiscale synchrotron X-ray imaging technique developed by us (TomoSAXS) to measure for the first time the 3D fibrillar nanostructure in human IVD in healthy and diseased conditions, using high-energy SAXS and phase-contrast tomography. These experiments will pave the way to applying TomoSAXS to multiple clinically relevant human musculoskeletal disease conditions, leading to advances in early detection, new biomarkers, and drug treatments.