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Epigenomic and Gene Expression Signatures of Racial Differences in Chronic Low Back Pain

Award Number: R01AR079178
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ARTHRITIS & MUSCULOSKELETAL & SKIN DISEASES
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 06/15/2021
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 03/31/2026

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Epigenomic and Gene Expression Signatures of Racial Differences in Chronic Low Back Pain - PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT Chronic low back pain (cLBP), lasting more than 12 weeks, is associated with high monetary (up to $200 billion annually in the USA) and non-monetary societal and personal costs such as decreased quality of life, lowered self-worth, reduced productivity, stigma, depression, and accelerated aging. Individuals in the USA who identify with an African American/Black racial background experience more frequent, severe, and disabling cLBP compared to other racial groups, particularly Caucasians/Whites. This difference underscores the substantially higher burden of cLBP among Blacks, which are exacerbated by low socioeconomic status, stigma, and discrimination. However, there is a gap in knowledge relating to 1) the mechanisms that cause and sustain racial differences in cLBP, and 2) the relative contributions of these factors for worse cLBP outcomes in Blacks. Genetic and environmental factors influence chronic pain. DNA methylation (DNAm) is a type of epigenetic mechanism by which environmental factors alter which genes are turned-on or turned-off without changing the DNA sequence. Informed by our preliminary data and literature, we propose to prospectively collect blood samples from an ongoing parent study (R01MD010441) to elucidate the mechanism that causes and sustains racial differences in cLBP. Our central hypothesis is that Blacks experience more adverse environmental exposures than Whites in the USA, which may induce DNAm changes that cause and sustain more severe and disabling cLBP for Blacks. Our primary objective is to uncover novel epigenetic and gene expression mechanisms that underlie racial differences in cLBP. We will use cutting edge technology, reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS) and RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq), to determine DNAm and gene expression changes. Our specific aims are 1) to determine racial group differences in DNAm and gene expression between Blacks and Whites with and without cLBP, and 2) to determine if DNAm and gene expression patterns are associated with stressful environmental exposures as well as severity of cLBP. To our knowledge, no study has examined psychological, socioeconomic status, epigenomic, and transcriptomic data in a racially diverse sample of adults with cLBP. Combining rigorous psychosocial data from the parent study, with molecular information from this ancillary study, represents a paradigm shift in studies of racial differences in cLBP. This project is significant, as it will increase our understanding of cLBP and may inform intervention studies to reverse epigenomic changes that drive cLBP outcomes, which will allow a better quality of life for all patients with cLBP.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2025	2024	UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM	701 S 20TH STREET	BIRMINGHAM	AL	35294	JEFFERSON	USA	Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research	000	4	2/12/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $369,443 )
2024	2024	UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM	701 S 20TH STREET	BIRMINGHAM	AL	35294	JEFFERSON	USA	Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research	000	4	4/8/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$284,384
2024	2024	UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM	701 S 20TH STREET	BIRMINGHAM	AL	35294	JEFFERSON	USA	Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research	002	4	6/7/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$22,117
2024	2024	UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM	701 S 20TH STREET	BIRMINGHAM	AL	35294	JEFFERSON	USA	Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research	001	4	5/20/2024	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$62,942
														Subtotal = $369,443

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $372,980 )
2023	2023	UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM	701 S 20TH ST	BIRMINGHAM	AL	35294	JEFFERSON	USA	Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research	000	3	3/14/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$372,980
														Subtotal = $372,980

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $473,998 )
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM	701 S 20TH ST	BIRMINGHAM	AL	35294	JEFFERSON	USA	Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research	002	2	9/15/2022	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$99,995
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM	701 S 20TH ST	BIRMINGHAM	AL	35294	JEFFERSON	USA	Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research	001	2	7/21/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM	701 S 20TH ST	BIRMINGHAM	AL	35294	JEFFERSON	USA	Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research	000	2	4/20/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$374,003
														Subtotal = $473,998

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $384,970 )
2021	2021	UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM	701 S 20TH ST	BIRMINGHAM	AL	35294	JEFFERSON	USA	Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research	000	1	6/11/2021	NEW	$384,970
														Subtotal = $384,970

Grand Total All Awards = $1,601,391

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Epigenomic and Gene Expression Signatures of Racial Differences in Chronic Low Back Pain

Award Number: R01AR079178

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ARTHRITIS & MUSCULOSKELETAL & SKIN DISEASES

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 06/15/2021

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 03/31/2026

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