Research

Osteoporotic fractures are a major healthcare problem in Europe and this is set to increase as the proportion of the elderly individuals in the population expands. Osteoporosis can be treated by drugs that inhibit bone resorption, but these do not restore normal skeletal strength and are incompletely effective at preventing fractures. Consequently, there is an urgent need to develop new treatments for osteoporosis that stimulate bone formation. Such treatments would offer the prospect of greater efficacy by reversing the structural abnormalities of bone in established osteoporosis. This project will advance understanding of the mechanisms responsible for bone formation, with the long-term aim of harnessing this knowledge to develop new anabolic agents for osteoporosis. These aims will be achieved by drawing leading European academic research groups together with SME’s working in bone metabolism to define the mechanisms of bone formation and uncover pathways that can be targeted for therapeutic intervention. We will define downstream effectors of molecules that regulate bone formation and define signalling pathways that are activated in human genetic diseases characterised by increased bone formation. The mechanisms of action of drugs with known anabolic effects will be investigated and novel genes that regulate bone formation will be uncovered by ENU mutagenesis and genetic mapping studies. The project will lead to a greater understanding of how bone formation is regulated and will underpin the development of new therapeutic strategies for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis.

ANABONOS
Project Manager: Dr H Rogers h.l.rogers@abdn.ac.uk
University of Aberdeen · Institute of Medical Sciences · Foresterhill · Aberdeen · AB25 2ZD