Researchers uncover mechanism behind osteoporosis

Researchers have discovered that molecules in aging bones are unable to remain in step with one another during the complex molecular dance that results in healthy bones. The missteps by aging cells responsible for bone formation trigger cells that tear down bone. The result is the thinning of the bones characteristic of osteoporosis, according to preliminary research by Bernard Halloran, PhD, of the Laboratory for Human Aging and Bone Research at the San Francisco VA Medical Center.

Halloran will be presenting his latest findings on the mechanism behind osteoporosis in a press briefing on Monday, December 16 at 10 a.m. and during a poster presentation on Wednesday, December 18 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the 42nd annual meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology being held in San Francisco.

All items in the ASCB press book (http://www.ascb.org/publicpolicy/pressbooks/pressbook02.html) are embargoed for release on Friday, December 13 at 5 p.m. PST.

Halloran is also the senior author on a paper whose findings led to the current research. That paper will appear in the January issue of the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research to be published in late December.