Metabolism and Bone How Metabolic Diseases Control Bone In the Bone Lab, we are mainly focusing on two metabolic/endocrine diseases: obesity/diabetes and thyroid dysfunction. Bone in patients with diabetes breaks easily and heals poorly. For the patients, this means immobility over months and as a consequence less life quality. Type 2 diabetes mellitus and osteoporosis may affect half of the aging European population. However, the ‘sweet bone phenomenon’ remains a conundrum, since bone mineral density is paradoxically high or normal. Therefore, we set out to answer the fundamental question “How is bone weakened [...]

Cancer and Bone Fatal Attraction – Why Bone Cells Home to Bone Over the course of their lifetime, one out of eight women and men will develop breast or prostate cancer. These tumors display a high tendency to spread to bone, hibernate for several years, and rapidly destroy bone at later stages of bone metastases. Bone metastases due to breast and prostate cancer severely compromise the quality of life and indicate poor outcome. The mechanisms how and why these tumor cells metastasize to bone and the contribution of host factors from [...]

Biomaterials and Bone Regeneration Smart Solutions for Worst Case Scenarios Bone has a remarkable regeneration potential. Thus, when bone fractures due to e.g. accidents, usually bone repairs itself. However, during ageing and disease, this potential is markedly reduced, requiring the need for biomaterials to enhance this process. The material that is brought in is expected to mimic bone function and integrate into a living organism. In this research field, we study the potential of extracellular matrix components, such as glycosaminoglycans (GAG) to accelerate bone regeneration. Since GAGs are natural components [...]

OsteoImmunology How Bone and the Immune System communicate A wide variety of chronic inflammatory diseases cause bone loss. To understand this phenomenon, the Bone Lab focuses on two common diseases: rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic inflammation of the joints, and periodontitis, an inflammation of the tooth-supporting structures. In rheumatoid arthritis, which affects 1-2% of the population, joints and bones are damaged and mobility is lost. Periodontitis affects almost 50% of the aging population and leads to tooth loss. Both diseases considerably impair life quality. Our aim is to better understand the [...]

OsteoHematology Hidden Secrets of the Osteohematopoietic Niche In the osteohematopoietic niche, home of bone and blood stem cells, the aging process affects both cell types. Clinically, this translates into fragility fractures and anemia. Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a human disease of age-related impaired function of the osteohematopoietic niche. To disentangle the alterations in MDS, a comprehensive approach with suitable disease models is required. Using big data analysis of almost 900,000 patients, we recently found that MDS patients indeed have 2-fold higher risk for osteoporosis. Moreover, treatment of cytopenia in MDS [...]

Diabetes and Bone Towards more Quality – Deciphering the Sweet Bone Phenomenon Bone in patients with diabetes breaks easily and heals poorly. Sometimes, it does not heal at all. For the patients, this means immobility over months and as a consequence less life quality. Type 2 diabetes mellitus and osteoporosis may affect half of the aging European population. However, the 'sweet bone phenomenon' remains a conundrum, since bone mineral density is paradoxically high or normal. Therefore, we set out to answer the fundamental question “How is bone weakened by diabetes?” [...]