Aclarion's Nociscan Technology Reveals Immune Biomarkers in Chronic Back Pain, Expanding Beyond Surgical Planning
Key Insights
Award-winning NIH-funded research demonstrates that Aclarion's Nociscan (search) magnetic resonance spectroscopy technology can identify immune-associated biological signatures in chronic low back pain patients.
The study used Nociscan (search)'s MRS methodology to measure intradiscal propionic acid levels, revealing distinct systemic immune activation patterns in patients with Modic type 1 (search) changes.
Findings suggest potential expansion of Nociscan (search)'s clinical applications beyond surgical decision support to include personalized treatment strategies based on biological pain mechanisms.
Aclarion's Nociscan (search) magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) technology has demonstrated potential applications beyond its current surgical planning role, according to award-winning research that identified immune-associated biological signatures in chronic low back pain patients. The study, which received the 2026 ISSLS Best Paper Award, suggests the technology could help clinicians understand the underlying biological mechanisms driving patient pain.
Breakthrough in Pain Mechanism Understanding
The research, conducted by investigators at University of Zurich, UCSF and the REACH Center (search), used Nociscan (search)'s underlying MRS methodology to non-invasively measure propionic acid (PA) inside lumbar discs of patients with Modic type 1 (search) (MC1) changes, a condition marked by inflammation near the spinal disc. Propionic acid is a metabolic byproduct associated with Cutibacterium acnes (search) bacteria.
The study revealed that elevated PA levels identified a subgroup of MC1 patients with distinct systemic immune activation, particularly involving B-cells. This finding represents a significant advancement in understanding the biological factors associated with back pain in this patient population.
"Chronic low back pain affects 266 million people worldwide, and one of the biggest challenges is that standard imaging often cannot tell us what is actually causing a patient's pain," said Jeff Thramann, M.D., Executive Chairman of Aclarion. "This research is significant because it demonstrates that Nociscan (search)'s platform technology may be able to go further — helping clinicians understand not just which disc is painful, but whether that pain has a mechanical, inflammatory, or immune-associated origin."
Expanding Clinical Applications
Currently, Nociscan (search) is commercially available as a decision-support tool that provides physicians with objective biochemical data for evaluating chronic low back pain. Its primary use today involves helping surgeons understand which discs are likely to be painful according to the algorithm. However, this new research highlights additional potential applications of the underlying technology.
The study findings suggest that biochemical signatures inside the disc may help clinicians differentiate between biochemical signatures associated with mechanical, inflammatory, and infection-related processes in disc pain. Additionally, the technology could identify patients whose back pain may involve an immune or autoimmune component and stratify MC1 patients into biologically distinct subgroups.
Implications for Personalized Treatment
The research indicates that back pain in some patients may be associated with an immune response, not just wear-and-tear or structural degeneration. Higher levels of propionic acid were linked to a specific pattern in the patient's immune system, especially activation of B-cells — the cells that make antibodies.
These findings may inform future research into personalized treatment strategies, including use of anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, or immune-modulating therapies. In the future, Nociscan (search)'s platform technology may help clinicians understand not just which disc is painful but what type of biological process is driving a patient's pain, opening the door to more personalized spine care.
Technology Platform
Aclarion leverages Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS), proprietary signal processing techniques, biomarkers, and augmented intelligence algorithms to optimize clinical treatments. Through a cloud connection, Nociscan (search) receives MRS data from an MRI machine for each lumbar disc being evaluated. In the cloud, proprietary signal processing techniques extract and quantify chemical biomarkers demonstrated to be associated with disc pain.
The biomarker data is entered into proprietary algorithms to indicate if a disc may be a source of pain. When used with other diagnostic tools, Nociscan (search) provides critical insights into the location of a patient's low back pain, giving physicians clarity to optimize treatment strategies.