The mission of
the Regional Bone Center (RBC), founded in 1979, is to
conduct a broad-based research program focused on the elucidation
of
cellular mechanisms underlying metabolic bone disease and
the
development of new treatments for bone disease.
RBC scientists are currently focusing on two important areas of bone biology. The first is a comprehensive study of the factors that influence bone quality and strength. This area has received renewed interest in the past several years as the concept of bone quality was incorporated in the latest NIH definition of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is now defined as a reduction in bone strength leading to an increased risk of fracture. Bone strength, in turn, is determined not only by bone mineral density, which we can measure clinically, but also by bone quality. While the factors that influence bone quality are not well understood at present, we know that there are many, including bone microarchitecture and geometry, mineralization, bone turnover, and microdamage. At the Regional Bone Center, state-of-the art technology is being applied to human iliac crest bone biopsies to assess such factors in variety of disease states, including osteoporosis, primary hyperparathyroidism, hypoparathyroidism, myeloma bone disease and Paget’s disease.
The second area of interest at the RBC
is the development of animal
models of human bone disease, particularly of osteoporosis.
These
models permit detailed study of the disruption in cell function
that
causes the disease and also allow the evaluation and testing
of
potential new treatments, including injectable parathyroid
hormone.
This treatment has recently obtained FDA approval and is the
first of a
new class of drugs, called anabolic agents, for treatment
of
osteoporosis. These studies are now being extended, in order
to provide
a greater opportunity to investigate the molecular mechanisms
of bone
loss and restoration.
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For more information on the Regional Bone Center please contact:
David Dempster, PhD
845-786-4839; toll-free at 1-888-707-3422, ext. 4839
E-mail: dempster@helenhayeshosp.org
Adrienne Tewksbury, Grants Administrator
845-786-4834; toll-free at 1-888-707-3422, ext. 4834
E-mail: tewksburya@HelenHayesHosp.org
RBC FAX: 845-786-4878
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