Projects

Osteoporosis is a silent and debilitating disease that leads to fractures and pain. Most fractures target the femoral head, the wrist and the spine. A recent research focus in our lab has been the development of a novel approach to target the formation of new bone to specific skeletal sites.

The fusion of macrophages is a rare event, which leads to the formation of multinucleate osteoclasts that are essential for the development, remodeling and repair of bone. Dysfunctional osteoclast activity is often the cause of bone diseases such as osteoporosis. The fusion of macrophages also leads to the formation of multinucleate giant cells that form in response to a foreign body, such as a pathogen or an implant. Research in our laboratory focuses on the molecular mechanisms of macrophage fusion.