Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) is the most common paediatric skeletal disease affecting more than 20 million adolescents worldwide. Despite its high prevalence and considerable physical and psychological impacts on patients and their families, the etiopathogenesis of AIS is still elusive and controversial. Preventive treatment and pharmacological intervention remain unavailable for AIS. Treatment is limited to managing spinal deformity post-onset, through bracing and/or invasive surgery.

A collaborative research team led by Prof. Gao Bo from School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, CUHK, in collaboration with clinicians and scientists from the LKS Faculty of Medicine of HKU, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, and Scottish Rite for Children in Dallas, USA, has uncovered a novel pathogenic mechanism for AIS.

The related findings have been published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation: https://www.jci.org/articles/view/168783