Source: The University of Hong Kong HKU investigators use genetics to shine a light on susceptibility for back pain caused by degeneration of spinal discs HKU scientists and clinicians announce the results of a large-scale international study with more than 4000 sample subjects in Hong Kong, Northern China, Japan and Finland, with the discovery of a new genetic variant with an enzyme called “carbohydrate sulfotransferase 3 (CHST3) associated with an increased risk to develop lumbar disc degeneration (LDD).