Oxford scientist to investigate genetic basis of osteoporosis
Leading Oxford geneticist Dr Matthew Brown has been awarded another major grant from the Arthritis Research Campaign of £111,050 to track down the genes responsible for the bone thinning condition of osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis is a common condition causing increased risk of fracture, particularly in the elderly. More than one quarter of men and more than half of women over the age of 60 will have a fracture due to osteoporosis in their lifetime.
Dr Brown, an ARC Senior Research Fellow at the Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine at the University of Oxford, will spend the next three years attempting to identify the genetic controllers of bone density, and hence osteoporotic risk.
"As the British population gets older, the number of people with osteoporosis is increasing, and treatments at the moment can reduce this risk but only moderately effectively," explained Dr Brown.
"Most people develop osteoporosis because of an inherited tendency to the condition. By identifying the genes involved it may be possible to predict those who are at a high risk of developing the disease, to develop new and effective treatments, and potentially to prevent the condition in those at risk."
Dr Brown also holds a five-year fellowship from the ARC of more than half a million pounds to establish the genetic basis for ankylosing spondylitis, a rheumatic condition which leads to inflammation and severe stiffness in the spine, mainly in young men.
The Arthritis Research Campaign is the fifth biggest medical research charity in the UK, and in the past 12 months spent £21m on research programmes into all forms of arthritis and rheumatic disease.
