Proteomic analysis of serum in a population-based cohort did not reveal a biomarker for Modic changes

Modic changes (MC) are bone marrow lesions of vertebral bones, which can be detected with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) adjacent to degenerated intervertebral discs. Defined by their appearance on T1 and T2 weighted images, there are three interconvertible types: MC1, MC2, and MC3. The inter-observer variability of the MRI diagnosis is high, therefore a diagnostic serum biomarker complementing the MRI to facilitate diagnosis and follow-up would be of great value.

We used a highly sensitive and reproducible proteomics approach: DIA/SWATH-MS to find serum biomarkers in a subset of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966. Separately, we measured a panel of factors involved in inflammation and angiogenesis to confirm some potential biomarkers published before with an ELISA-based method called V-Plex.

We found neither an association between the serum concentrations of the proteins detected with DIA/SWATH-MS with the presence of MC, nor a correlation with the size of the MC lesions. We did not find any association between the factors measured with the V-Plex and the presence of MC or their size.

Altogether, our study suggests that a robust and generally usable biomarker to facilitate the diagnosis of MC cannot readily be found in serum.