Latest research and emerging treatments for osteoporosis focus of NYAS conference

Recently, the US Surgeon General issued a report emphasizing the need to recognize osteoporosis as a public health
hazard. It is fortuitous that, in recent years, the use of advanced molecular technologies, including transgenesis, gene
knockout, and gene array have greatly expanded our understanding of how our bones and joints are affected by aging, health
and disease. Researchers have gained a better understanding of the precise pathways through which new and old bones are
repaired and remodeled. Clearer too are the basic biological properties of the skeleton and how it responds to hormonal,
cytokine, and mechanical stimulation.


How are these exciting new studies opening the doors to novel cellular and molecular targets for future drug development?
What are the latest and emerging therapies for osteoporosis?


To highlight the latest research on osteoporosis and the effect of health, disease and aging on skeletal development, the New
York Academy of Sciences is sponsoring a conference, Skeletal Development and Remodeling in Health, Disease and Aging on May
18-21 at the Hatch Auditorium in the Guggenheim Pavilion at The Mount Sinai Medical Center.


The conference will be divided into five broad themes:


-- skeletal development and repair

-- molecular endocrinology of bone

-- bone cell biology

-- conservation of skeletal integrity

-- current and emerging therapies for osteoporosis.


Each section will offer participants to engage in a focused discussion within each category.


The Keynote Speakers are: Harvey V. Fineberg, President of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies; Henry
Kronenberg, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School; David L. Lacey, Amgen, Inc.; Bjorn Olsen, Harvard
Medical School; Dame Julia Polak, Imperial College; Graham Russell, University of Oxford; Allen M. Spiegel, NIDDK, National
Institutes of Health; and Steven L. Teitelbaum, Washington University School of Medicine Dr. Mone Zaidi, Mount Sinai School
of Medicine, New York, is Scientific Director and Program Chair of the conference.


"This conference will bring together international experts who will focus on the mechanisms underlying the genesis of
osteoporosis and help translate new research findings into novel therapeutic strategies," said Dr. Zaidi. "Research into
osteoporosis has blossomed during the last decade and this calls for a concerted effort by investigators to help disseminate
the results and create new options for future patient-related research."


The proceedings of this conference will be published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.


For a preview of the conference, visit nyas/ebriefreps/splash.asp?intEBriefID=398


Founded in 1817, the New York Academy of Science is an independent nonprofit organization of more than 22,000 members
worldwide dedicated to serving science, technology, and society.


Contact: Jennifer Tang

jtangnyas

212-838-0230 x257

New York Academy of Sciences

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