![Mechanisms in Diabetic Bone Loss]()
Diabetes affects the way sensory fibers in bones receive mechanical and neural signals. That means bone mass doesn’t increase as it normally does in response to mechanical stimulation. With a five-year, $2.1 million grant from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, Mia M. Thi, Ph.D., and Sylvia O. Suadicani, Ph.D., will build on previous research suggesting that the protein complex Panx1-P2X7R influences bones’ ability to receive and respond to signals. They will examine whether diabetes affects the bones’ sensory fibers; if regulating Panx1-P2X7R is essential for bone adaptation; and if dysfunction of this protein complex triggers inflammation that impairs bone growth. Using animal models of type 1 diabetes, they will investigate new treatments for stemming diabetic bone loss. Dr. Thi is an assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery and an instructor in the Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience. Dr. Suadicani is associate professor of urology and is an assistant professor in the Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience. (1R01AR073475-01)
Posted on: Tuesday, March 20, 2018