Current research projects in bone growth
Project 1: Prevention of bone growth defects caused by chemotherapy
While chemotherapy-based cancer treatment is becoming more successful, the long-term skeletal side-effects are becoming more obvious. Chemotherapy stunts bone growth and causes osteoporosis and frequent bone fractures in children, which persist into adulthood. Our project is investigating the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms for chemo-induced bone growth defects and the regeneration potential of bone and bone marrow. We also aim to develop supplementary preventative treatments that will preserve bone growth and bone marrow during and after chemotherapy treatment. Our findings will benefit childhood cancer patients and adult survivors alike.
Using experimental models in young rats, we have already identified some micronutrients that have some protective properties for the skeleton during cancer chemotherapy. Started in 2007, our research project is being carried out in partnership with the University of South Australia and the Women's and Children's Hospital in Adelaide, and is funded by a $600,000 grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council. It involves eight researchers led by Professor Cory Xian of the Children's Research Centre, and addresses two of our national health priority areas: arthritis and muskoskeletal conditions, and cancer control.
Project 2: Mechanisms of growth plate trauma caused by childhood injury
Growth plate trauma is a major problem in Australia as 20% of childhood bone fractures involve the growth plate. The growth plate is responsible for the longitudinal growth of bones in children: when it is damaged, the growth of the bone can be retarded or stop altogether. In many cases, the injured growth plate cartilage is often undesirably repaired by bony tissue, causing the bone to grow unevenly and leading to significant growth defects. Started in 2002, our project aims to develop less invasive, preventative treatments for growth plate trauma, based in part on stem cell technology.
So far we have identified different phases of injury responses and some cellular and molecular events that lead to faulty bony repair. We have also discovered that the infiltration of progenitor cells into the growth plate injury site may be involved in the faulty repair of the growth plate.
Our research project is being carried out in partnership with the University of South Australia and the Women's and Children's Hospital in Adelaide, and is funded by a $350,000 grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council. It involves five researchers led by Professor Cory Xian of the Children's Research Centre, and addresses two of our national health priority areas: arthritis and muskoskeletal conditions, and injury prevention and control.
Project 3: Mechanisms of bone growth, bone mass accumulation, and nutritional regulation
We are currently trying to better understand the mechanisms for normal bone growth and bone lengthening, and bone mass accumulation. Started in 2009, this project is concerned with growth plate biology, its molecular regulation, osteocyte biology and bone remodelling. Not only will this project increase our knowledge of how bone growth is regulated, but it will also test whether or not micro-nutrients can be used to positively modulate bone growth, bone mass accumulation, populations of skeletal stem cells and the prevention of age-related bone loss and osteoporosis. Such knowledge will benefit adults as well as children.
Our research has already produced a significant finding. Through the use of mutant mice, we have discovered that dietary zinc interacts with the endogenous binding protein metallothionein, and that this interaction plays an important role in regulating postnatal bone growth and bone modelling.
Our research project is being carried out in partnership with the University of South Australia (UniSA) at the Sansom Institute, based at UniSA's City East campus. It involves six researchers led by Professor Cory Xian of the Children's Research Centre, and addresses our national health priority area of arthritis and muskoskeletal conditions.
