Diagnostic Tool Unlocks Identification of Inflammatory Back Pain with Neil Klompas Augurex

Dec 8, 2025

Neil Klompas, President and CEO of Augurex, discusses breakthrough diagnostics for autoimmune diseases, particularly axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). He reveals how the SpineStat blood test identifies a specific biomarker that can distinguish axSpA from common mechanical back pain. Highlighting the staggering nine-year delay in correctly diagnosing axSpA, Neil underscores the importance of improved awareness among primary care physicians. With FDA recognition, he shares insights on future plans for broader launches and partnerships to enhance early detection.

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ANECDOTE

Company Background And Test Evolution

Augurex has developed blood tests since 2007 and served over 1.5 million patients with its first test (JointStat).
The company now plans to launch SpineStat to target axSpA specifically.

INSIGHT

axSpA Is A Frequently Missed Progressive Disease

Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is an autoimmune cause of chronic back pain that progressively fuses the spine and impairs mobility.
The North American average diagnosis delay is about nine years, causing irreversible damage by ~5 years.

INSIGHT

Younger Adults Are Commonly Affected

Genetic factors likely increase susceptibility to axSpA and symptoms typically begin between ages 25–45.
Many patients in their 30s–40s are misattributed to “getting older” instead of autoimmune disease.

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Neil Klompas, President and CEO of Augurex, has a mission to improve the diagnosis of autoimmune diseases, with a primary focus on axial spondyloarthritis, a form of inflammatory back pain that is often misdiagnosed. The Augurex blood test SpineStat is designed to differentiate axSpA from mechanical back pain by identifying a specific biomarker present in axSpA. Currently, there is an average nine-year delay from the onset of symptoms to an accurate diagnosis of axSpA, causing irreversible spinal damage and years of using drugs and therapy with no benefit.

Neil explains, "I think we're all familiar with back pain. Some of the NIH data and WHO data out there show that almost 28% of adult Americans live with chronic back pain, back pain lasting more than three months. It can be a real journey to figure out what the drivers are, with some patients really never getting resolution, resulting in pain management and, in some cases, even opioid pain management. But if you dive deeper into that category of back pain, there are really two broad classifications we can think about. We can think about mechanical back pain, which is due to lifting, twisting, sports injury, or maybe a car accident. But then there's this whole other category, as you indicated, called inflammatory back pain, which really has its roots in autoimmune, where the body's immune system is actually attacking itself. "

"Well, this is when the body's immune system attacks its peripheral joints. In inflammatory back pain, or as you said, axial spondyloarthritis, it's an autoimmune condition where the body's immune system actually attacks the spine. This can lead to pain increasing over time, new bone growth, fusion of the spinal cord, and permanent stiffness and loss of mobility. It's progressive. It keeps getting worse, and because it's an autoimmune condition. Simply stretching or swearing to take up yoga or getting a new pair of runners or doing PT or massage, while it might help with some of the symptoms, it's not going to slow down or stop the disease. The challenge with axSpA, with axial spondyloarthritis, is that while it's not really that well known or talked about in the media, it's actually more than twice as prevalent as rheumatoid arthritis, a condition which many people have heard about."

#Augurex #AdvancedDiagnostics #AutoimmuneDiseases #axSpA #AxialSpondyloarthritis #BackPain

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