The bare bones

Every eight minutes someone is admitted to an Australian hospital with an osteoporotic fracture. By the year 2021 this figure is expected to double.

The story of bone degeneration is similar the world over. With an ageing population, greater risk of bone fractures and increasing use of prosthetics, some serious research is being undertaken into the causes, treatment and prevention of human bone degeneration.

University of Adelaide graduate, Dr Tania Crotti, is among a group of young investigators gaining an international reputation for expertise in the human bone field.

Dr Crotti is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Harvard Institute of Medicine in Boston, focusing on the osteoclast, the principal cell type responsible for bone loss.

Her work is jointly funded by the Arthritis Foundation of America and a CJ Martin Overseas Biomedical Fellowship Grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) in Australia.

Her principal goal is to develop targeted therapies for inhibiting bone loss.

"Numerous studies have shown that the bone loss that characterises osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis results from excessive bone resorption that is not matched by bone formation. An understanding of the cells and mediators involved in bone loss is essential to developing effective therapies," Dr Crotti said.

"Total joint arthroplasty has become a common procedure in the US. Despite the impressive success of joint replacement, the premature failure of total hip and other arthroplasties - caused by loosening of the implant - is also a significant concern.

"Despite ongoing improvements in materials and surgical techniques, the need for surgical revision remains a serious problem. Recent large studies report that 10%-15% of joints need to be replaced within 20 years and we need to work on that," Dr Crotti said.

The quality of her work has already been recognised with a swag of national and international awards for her research, including citations for published work.

The 33-year-old has lived in Boston for the past five years with her husband, Jason, and 18-month-old daughter. She works in the Longwood Medical Area which is home to a mind-boggling 21 medical and academic institutions.

"Boston is an enormous intellectual hub with more than 250,000 students attending the multiple graduate schools here. I'm very fortunate to work in such a stimulating environment with access to the latest technologies.

"The ability to attend international conferences annually has proven invaluable in keeping up with the field and interacting with the main players in my area of research," she said.

Dr Crotti graduated from the University of Adelaide in 1996 with a Bachelor of Health Sciences (First Class Honours). She was awarded her PhD in Medicine in 2002, specialising in bone degeneration and the failure of prosthetic joint implants.

By January 2003 she had started work in the Harvard Institute of Medicine and a year later won the four-year CJ Martin Fellowship, which is equally split between overseas and Australia.

To fund her additional time in the US, Dr Crotti has also been awarded a highly sought-after postdoctoral fellowship from the Arthritis Foundation of America.

She intends to return to Australia with her young family to continue her career. ■

STORY CANDY GIBSON