Millions of people around the world suffer from chronic low back pain, a condition that often lingers for years and significantly affects daily life.
Until now, treatments have mostly focused on managing symptoms using pain medications or surgery, which don’t address the root cause.
But a recent study from McGill University offers hope for a new, more effective approach.
In a preclinical study published in Science Advances, researchers from McGill’s Alan Edwards Center for Research on Pain found that two drugs targeting “zombie cells” in the spine could reduce pain and even reverse damage in the spinal disks of mice.
These zombie cells, known as senescent cells, are older cells that no longer function properly.
Instead of dying off like healthy cells, they stick around and release harmful substances that cause inflammation, pain, and tissue damage—particularly in the spine as we age or after injury.
The research, led by Professor Lisbet Haglund, a specialist in orthopedic research at McGill and the Montreal General Hospital, tested two drugs: RG-7112, a cancer drug already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and o-Vanillin, a natural compound with anti-inflammatory properties found in turmeric.
The drugs were given orally to mice for eight weeks, either alone or in combination. Remarkably, both drugs were able to clear zombie cells from the spinal disks, reduce pain and inflammation, and even slow or reverse disk damage. When used together, the results were even more powerful.
This discovery is especially exciting because spinal disks are known to be very difficult to treat. They sit deep inside the body, and reaching them with medicine has always been a challenge. “We were surprised that an oral treatment could reach the spinal disks,” Haglund explained.
“This is a major hurdle in back pain treatment, and our results show it might be possible to overcome it.”
Interestingly, o-Vanillin wasn’t originally planned as a main part of the study. The research team decided to include it on a whim to see if its known anti-inflammatory benefits might help. It turned out to be one of the most effective parts of the treatment.
This is the first time o-Vanillin has been shown to clear senescent cells in this context, and it opens the door for further study and development of this natural compound.
While RG-7112 has already shown promise in treating other diseases linked to zombie cells—like osteoarthritis and cancer—this is the first time it’s been used to target chronic back pain. The success of this study suggests that zombie cell-clearing drugs could be used for a wide range of age-related illnesses, such as arthritis or osteoporosis.
The next steps for the research team include improving the chemical structure of o-Vanillin so that it stays in the body longer and works even better. Of course, human trials will be needed to confirm whether these drugs have the same effects in people. But the early findings are promising.
In summary, the study suggests a brand-new way to treat chronic back pain—not by simply dulling the pain but by removing the damaged cells that cause it. If the approach works in humans, it could lead to safer, longer-lasting treatments and offer real relief to millions living with pain every day.
If you care about pain, please read studies about vitamin K deficiency linked to hip fractures in old people, and these vitamins could help reduce bone fracture risk.
For more health information, please see recent studies that Krill oil could improve muscle health in older people, and eating yogurt linked to lower frailty in older people.
The research findings can be found in Science Advances.
Copyright © 2025 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
