Novel Therapeutic Strategy for the Prevention of Bone Fractures

PUBLIC ABSTRACT

Falls and debilitating bone fractures are a major problem for veterans. More than 40,000 veterans suffered hip fractures from 2000 to 2002. Men have a higher fracture-related mortality than women, and one out of every three male veterans that sustains a hip fracture dies within one year. Falls are the main etiological factor in more than 90% of fractures, and so treatments that can improve muscle strength while at the same time increasing bone mass will significantly reduce fracture-related morbidity and mortality.

Myostatin is a factor that induces muscle wasting and suppresses bone formation. Our application seeks to develop myostatin inhibitors as novel therapeutic agents for improving muscle and bone strength, and preventing falls and fractures. We hypothesize that expression of myostatin and its receptor increase with age in musculoskeletal tissues, contributing to loss of muscle and bone mass, but that myostatin inhibitors will reverse these effects. The preclinical studies proposed in our application will evaluate the effectiveness of myostatin inhibitors for improving muscle and bone strength in an aged animal model.

These studies will provide an experimental basis for future human trials, in order to further evaluate the safety and efficacy of these molecules for reducing falls and fractures among veterans of the armed forces and their families.