Troy, N.Y. — A team of researchers led by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has been awarded a five-year, $1.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to work on improving the prediction of bone fracture risk by developing a new way to measure bone quality.

Bone fracture risk increases with age, causing widespread health problems such as osteoporosis in the aging population. The current standard medical test for risk of age-related, non-traumatic fractures is through measurement of an individual’s bone mass index, but recent studies show that bone mass index is not a reliable means of predicting fracture risk.

“In people with similar bone mass index measurements, some patients break their bones and some do not,” says Deepak Vashishth, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Rensselaer and principal investigator of the project. “We believe determining the quality of the bone, not simply the quantity of bone mass, can improve the prediction of fracture in the elderly and osteoporotic population.” 

Research in Vashishth’s lab focuses on identifying, establishing, and reversing the effects of age- and diabetes-related bone fragility. Studies involve the modification of proteins in bone and their influence on bone fracture.

Vashishth says fractures could be better predicted and prevented if researchers understood the aging body’s modification of a specific protein, type 1 collagen, found in bone. “Our research group proposes that an individual’s bone health is determined in part by the quality of tissue within the bone, and we are working on developing a biochemical assay to better predict bone fracture risk,” he said. 

Vashishth is collaborating on the project with David Burr, professor of anatomy and cell biology at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, and Gary Gibson, biochemist at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

“Dr. Vashishth’s research integrates mechanical and biological studies to address a serious health issue affecting an increasing number of older patients,” said Omkaram “Om” Nalamasu, vice president for research at Rensselaer. “This project is an example of the ongoing biomedical research efforts at Rensselaer that explores new approaches to address major health concerns.”

Vashishth and Winson George, who recently earned a doctorate in biomedical engineering at Rensselaer, published results on age-related differences in bone Sept. 20 in the journal Bone. The paper, titled “Susceptibility of aging human bone to mixed-mode fracture increases bone fragility,” looks at the relationship between bone quality and mechanical bone loading experienced by the elderly during daily exercises and other activities. Using fatigue tests based on analysis of bone loading in human volunteers, this study demonstrates increased propensity of fracture in aging human bone for activities such as downhill walking and running.

Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies at Rensselaer
At Rensselaer, faculty and students in diverse academic and research disciplines are collaborating at the intersection of the life sciences and engineering to encourage discovery and innovation. Rensselaer’s four biotechnology research constellations - biocatalysis and metabolic engineering, functional tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, biocomputation and bioinformatics, and integrative systems biology - engage a multidisciplinary mix of faculty and students focused on the application of engineering and physical and information sciences to the life sciences. Ranked among the world’s most advanced research facilities, Rensselaer’s Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies provides a state-of-the-art platform for collaborative research and world-class programs and symposia.

Contact: Tiffany Lohwater
Phone: (518) 276-6542
E-mail: lohwat@rpi.edu