In This Issue

Mark your calendars for the premier scientific meeting on the latest concepts and innovations in bone and mineral research. On October 12-15, 2012, join scientists, physicians, and other health and research professionals in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, for an outstanding line-up of plenary and poster sessions, informal panel discussions and exciting networking events. Abstracts will be accepted beginning in mid-March and the abstract deadline is Wednesday, April 11, 2012. Visit the ASBMR website for abstract submission instructions and FAQs.

Join ASBMR July 17-18, 2012, in Kansas City, MO for the Topical Meeting on Bone and Skeletal Muscle Interactions. This “state of the science” topical meeting will draw together leading muscle and bone researchers to exchange ideas, develop new collaborations and accelerate the emerging scientific discoveries in the area of muscle and bone interactions.

Prominent faculty will participate, including:

Stephen F. Badylak, D.V.M., Ph.D., M.D., University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Susan A. Bloomfield, Ph.D., FACSM, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA

Thomas L. Clemens, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA

Dawn DW Cornelison, Ph.D., University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA

Steven R. Cummings, M.D., FACP, San Francisco Coordinating Center, San Francisco, CA, USA

Bess Dawson-Hughes, M.D., Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA

Mark A. Febbraio, Ph.D., Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia

David Glass, M.D., Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research Inc, Cambridge, MA, USA

Tamara B. Harris, M.D., National Institute on Aging, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA

Joseph A. Houmard, Ph.D., East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA

Mark L. Johnson, Ph.D., University of Missouri, Kansas City, MO, USA

Gerard Karsenty, M.D., Ph.D., Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA

Sundeep Khosla, M.D., Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA

Douglas P. Kiel, M.D., M.P.H., Institute for Aging Research, Hebrew Senior Life, Boston, MA, USA

Nathan K. LeBrasseur, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA

Mary B. Leonard, M.D., MSCE, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA

Robert Marcus, M.D., Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

Joan A. McGowan, Ph.D., National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA

Glen Nuckols, Ph.D., National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA

Regis J. O’ Keefe, M.D., University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA Bradley B. Olwin, Ph.D., University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA

Clifford J. Rosen, M.D., Maine Medical Center Research Institute, Scarborough, ME, USA

Clinton Rubin, Ph.D., Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA

Stephanie Studenski, M.D., M.P.H., University of Pittsburg, Pittsburg, PA, USA

James G. Tidball, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Karen Winer, M.D., National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA

Elazar Zelzer, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Teresa A. Zimmers, Ph.D., Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA

New: Pre-Meeting Workshop

ASBMR will also host a pre-meeting workshop in conjunction with the University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Dentistry on July 16th. This hands-on workshop, chaired by Mark L. Johnson, Ph.D., Charlotte L. Phillips, Ph.D. and Marco Brotto, MSN, Ph.D., will provide participants with an opportunity to learn and practice various techniques related to the analysis of bone and muscle.

Don’t miss this vital and timely topical meeting—check the ASBMR website for registration information in late March.

The ASBMR and Advances in Mineral Metabolism (AIMM) invite you to attend the AIMM/ASBMR John Haddad Young Investigators' Meeting being held April 9-12, 2012, in Snowmass, Colorado, USA. Important concepts in bone biology and clinical bone disease will be presented. Register today to join a mix of established and new investigators in a small and informal group setting. For more information or to obtain a registration form, please click here.

The 4th International Conference on Osteoimmunology: Interactions of the Immune and Skeletal Systems will be held this year from June 17-22, 2012. The conference will be held at the Corfu Chandris Conference Center in Corfu, Greece. ASBMR is pleased to be a co-sponsor of this meeting, and to provide support for Trainee Travel Awards, at $1,000 each, to offset a portion of the travel expenses to the Workshops.

Abstracts and trainee travel award applications for this meeting are due Thursday, March 15, 2012. To find out more about the conference and to apply for travel awards, please click here.

Registration for the 5th International Workshop on Advances in the Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics of Bone Disease is now open. The workshop, taking place June 27-30, 2012 in Oxford, UK, will provide a basis for understanding the molecular mechanisms of action of drugs known to act on the skeleton, and a rational basis for developing novel therapies in the future, based on some of the remarkable recent advances in the genetics and biology of bone. The workshop should be of interest to all scientists involved in drug discovery and the pharmacology of bone and related tissues, as well as to clinical scientists involved in translating this new knowledge into clinical practice for the benefit of patients with bone and joint diseases, including osteoporosis, Paget’s disease, inflammation, arthritis and cancer as well as rarer forms of bone disease.

Free registration to the workshop will be offered to ECTS PhD training course award recipients. The deadline for applications is Thursday, March 15th. Please see the ASBMR website for further details and to submit an application.

This year’s ECTS 2012, will be held in Stockholm, Sweden, May 19-23. Watch this short video to find out more about this year’s congress highlights and get a sneak preview of what the city of Stockholm has to offer.

ECTS and ASBMR
As part of the two organizations’ continued collaboration, the opening ceremony of ECTS 2012 will include the popular ECTS/ASBMR clinical debate. The debate will take place on Saturday, May 19^th at 7pm with Richard Eastell, M.D., FRCP (UK) and John Schousboe, M.D., Ph.D. (USA) discussing whether bone turnover markers are the best tool for managing osteoporosis treatment in the individual. Be sure to arrive on time for this exciting session and the Welcome Reception to follow at the Stockholmsmässan.

The International Society of Nephrology (ISN) will be holding their ISN Nexus 2012 meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark on September 20 – 23, 2012. This meeting will look at the latest knowledge in physiology, pathophysiology and treatment. Topics that will be highlighted include bone-kidney axis and vascular calcification, vitamin D and calcimimetrics, and new understanding of phosphate metabolism. To view the complete program and to register, please visit the ISN website.

On February 14^th, 2012, ASBMR Councilors and Committee Chairs met with Congressional and Senate offices in Washington, D.C., USA to urge them to support greater funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and advocate for wider patient access to DXA testing. Additional photos are available on the ASBMR website.

Due to several years of flat funding and spending cuts enacted in 2011, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget is insufficient to fund all of the critical research that needs to be done. The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) analyzed data from the NIH website to demonstrate how difficult times have become. For example, the fiscal year 2012 budget and the President’s proposal for fiscal year 2013 are $4 billion lower than the peak year (fiscal year 2003) and at the lowest level since fiscal year 2001. Also, the number of research project grants funded by NIH is consistently declining, while success rates have fallen more than 14 percent in the past decade. With exciting NIH initiatives to improve treatments on the horizon, the NIH needs reliable budget growth to continue scientific research. This has led to FASEB’s recommendation of at least $32.0 billion for fiscal year 2013. To view FASEB’s collection of data and full report, please visit their website.

On Wednesday, February 22, ASBMR member Andre van Wijnen, Ph.D. presented a webinar on How to Write a Persuasive Abstract. The response to this webinar was very strong, with over 208 registrants for the live event. To listen to the recording and view the slides that were presented, please visit the ASBMR website.

The American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) is pleased to announce the continuation of its partnership with the European Calcified Tissue Society (ECTS) to provide five Young Investigator Awards for the ECTS PhD Training Course. These awards will cover registration and travel expenses to attend the ECTS PhD Training Course in Oxford, UK, on June 24 – 27, 2012.

The ECTS four-day training course for PhD students provides young investigators with a valuable opportunity to network with other PhD students in the bone field as well as increase their knowledge about physiology and pathology of mineralized tissue and discuss key methods in bone research.

This year, the award recipients will also be offered complimentary registration and accommodations to attend the International Workshop on Advances in Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics of Bone Disease which will take place immediately following the training course from June 27-30, 2012 in Oxford.

The online application will be available beginning Monday, February 13, 2012. The deadline for receipt of ASBMR application will be Thursday, March 15, 2012. For more information, please visit the ASBMR website.

ASBMR will begin accepting applications for the 2012 Harold Frost Young Investigator Award starting Monday, March 5^th. This year the ASBMR will provide support for nine young investigator awards of $1,500, based on competitive application. These awards give young investigators a unique opportunity to present their research and connect with senior investigators at the Sun Valley Workshop on Musculoskeletal Biology, which will be held on August 5- 8 in Sun Valley, Idaho. The deadline to apply is Thursday, April 5, 2012. For more information about the award, eligibility and to apply, please visit the ASBMR website.

ASBMR is pleased to announce the 2012 ASBMR Career Enhancement Award. The award is intended to foster the academic potential and career of a bone and mineral faculty member, clinical, basic and translational scientist, as well as stimulate the academic growth of the applicant's department. One award will be given in this grant cycle. The deadline to apply for this year’s award is Friday, April 20^th. The award is for $50,000 with an additional 10% indirect costs to the institution and is a one year, non-renewable, award. For more information please visit the ASBMR website.

ASBMR is pleased to announce the 2012 ASBMR Junior Faculty Osteoporosis Research Award. The award is designed to promote research related to osteoporosis and develop the applicant's future career in the bone field. One award will be given in osteoporosis-related clinical or osteoporosis-related basic research. Applications will be accepted through Friday, April 20^th. For more information about the award, please visit the ASBMR website.

The ASBMR is pleased to announce the establishment of a new Young Investigator award, The ASBMR Phoebe Leboy Professional Development Award. This award will provide a female researcher from an emerging country with resources to attend the ASBMR Annual Meeting, receive onsite mentorship from senior women in related areas of research, and have access to professional and educational resources while at the meeting.

The award is named in honor of the legacy and contributions of Dr. Phoebe Leboy. Dr. Leboy is a longstanding ASBMR member who has been tireless in championing ASBMR programs and initiatives including her lifelong dedication to mentoring young investigators. She has carried out a number of important studies on the inequities faced by women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Over the last 40 years, she has made it her mission to see these barriers removed. Dr. Leboy is Professor Emerita of Biochemistry at the University of Pennsylvania.

To Make a Donation

To move forward with implementing this program in 2012 we need your financial support. If you wish to make an online donation on behalf of this effort, please follow the instructions below:

1. Go to the following ASBMR web page: https://www.asbmr.org/Membership/Donation.aspx
2. Login using your ASBMR Username and Passcode
3. Complete the Donation Form and note in the section, “in honor of” The Leboy Award

Apply for the Phoebe Leboy Award

Submit an Abstract for the ASBMR Annual Meeting before the deadline of Wednesday, April 11, 2012. Candidates will be asked to provide additional information to the Selection Committee. Each award will total up to $3,900 USD, including the ASBMR Annual Meeting registration fee and travel expenses. One award will be presented for the 2012 ASBMR Annual Meeting. To learn more about the application process, please visit the ASBMR website.

If you have any questions about making a donation or applying, please contact Earline Marshall at emarshall@asbmr.org.

The National Medal of Science is the Nation’s highest honor for American scientists. It is awarded to individuals deserving of special recognition for their outstanding cumulative contributions to knowledge in the chemical, physical, biological, mathematical, engineering, or behavioral or social sciences, in combination with exemplary service to the Nation. Nominations will be accepted on the National Science Foundation’s website by submitting a short description of the nominee’s contribution to their field, including three letters of support. Nominations are due by March 31, 2012.

The March 2012 issue of the Journal for Bone and Mineral Research (JBMR) is now off press. Highlights in this issue include:

Perspective: Osteocyte RANKL: New insights into the control of bone remodeling
Original Article: Odanacatib reduces bone turnover and increases bone mass in the lumbar spine of skeletally mature ovariectomized rhesus monkeys
Original Article: Odanacatib treatment increases hip bone mass and cortical thickness by preserving endocortical bone formation and stimulating periosteal bone formation in the ovariectomized adult rhesus monkey

The JBMR is introducing a new feature, the “Viewpoint” article. The intent of Viewpoint articles is to provide rapid, critical commentaries, generally reflecting differing perspectives, on pressing topics arising in the bone field that the JBMR editors believe deserve immediate discussion and dissemination.

In the inaugural JBMR Viewpoint article, osteoporosis experts Drs. E. Michael Lewiecki, Andrew Laster, Paul Miller and John Bilezikian write that monitoring bone mineral density by DXA should be done at intervals much shorter than 15 years for many individuals. These include younger postmenopausal women at high risk for fracture, patients whose DXA scans indicate bone mineral density values substantially below normal, those with prior fracture or clinical risk factors for fracture, and patients already receiving osteoporosis drug therapy.

This initial Viewpoint article comments on the findings of Dr. Margaret Gourlay and colleagues, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in January 2012. The JBMR is also publishing a Viewpoint article by Dr. Gourlay.

In this week's ASBMR Scientific Web Editor Blog, Joseph Lorenzo, M.D., comments on “The State of Biomedical Research Funding in 2012”

To receive the regular ASBMR Scientific Web Editor Blog on your homepage or by email, subscribe to the ASBMR RSS News Feed. You can share your thoughts on these subjects by commenting on the website. To provide your ideas and feedback on topics you would like Dr. Lorenzo to address in future blogs, please email webeditor@asbmr.org

Representing significant advances in the areas of basic, translational and clinical bone and mineral research, "In the Field" articles on the world's literature are updated weekly to facilitate open discussions and a variety of viewpoints. ASBMR Scientific Web Editor Joseph Lorenzo, M.D., provides short commentary about recently published articles in journals other than the JBMR. This week features the following articles

• Hypercalcemia, Hypercalciuria and Elevated Calcitriol Concentrations with Autosomal Dominant Transmission Due to CYP24A1 Mutations: Effects of Ketoconazole Therapy

• Wnt5a-Ror2 signaling between osteoblast-lineage cells and osteoclast precursors enhances osteoclastogenesis

• Decreased PTH Levels Accompanied by Low Bone Formation Are Associated with Vertebral Fractures in Postmenopausal Women with Type 2 Diabetes

• Osteoclasts promote the formation of hematopoietic stem cell niches in the bone marrow.

It is with great sadness that the ASBMR announces the passing of Dr. Sergio Ragi-Eis on February 22, 2012. Dr. Ragi-Eis was the Medical Director and Principal Investigator of the Osteoporosis Diagnosis and Research Center of Espirito Santo (CEDOES) in Vitoria, Brazil. He will be remembered for his important work in the field of osteoporosis, as well as helping to advance health professional education.

The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) was created to support research of the causes, treatment, and prevention of arthritis and musculoskeletal and skin diseases. Each month, they issue a newsletter with updates on new research, innovations and grants. To read the NIAMS February 2012 update, click here.

The National Institutes of Health Common Fund has issued two Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) for the Health Care Systems (HCS) Research Collaboratory Program. The overall goal of this program is to strengthen the national capacity to implement cost-effective large-scale research studies that engage health care delivery organizations as research partners. These FOAs solicit applications for a Coordinating Center (RFA-RM-11-021) and Pragmatic Trials Demonstration Projects (RFA-RM-12-002).

Coordinating Center letters of intent are due March 27, 2012 and the application receipt date is April 27, 2012. Pragmatic Trials Demonstration Projects letters of intent are due April 2, 2012. The application receipt date is May 2, 2012.

Webinars are available for the Coordinating Center and the Pragmatic Trials Demonstration Projects.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has issued a new program to support the development of health services research infrastructure in emerging centers of excellence. The grant program will provide funding for the training of researchers in comparative effectiveness methods. The next deadline for receipt of applications is June 19, 2012. To learn more and apply, please visit the AHRQ website.

The Department of Defense (DoD) has recently announced the availability of its Peer Review Medical Program for 2012. This year’s Defense Appropriations Act provides $50 million to the DoD Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP). The PRMRP challenges the scientific and clinical communities to submit original ideas that foster new directions in basic science and translational research; novel product development leading to improved therapeutic or diagnostic tools; or clinical trials that address an immediate clinical need. The PRMRP is soliciting research applications for 22 topic areas, including osteoporosis and related bone disease, and Paget’s disease. The full list of topics can be viewed on their website.

A pre-application is required and must be submitted through the CDMRP eReceipt website prior to the April 10, 2012 pre-application deadline. Requests for email notification of the program announcements release may be sent to help@cdmrp.org. For more information about the PRMRP or other CDMRP-administered programs, please visit the CDMRP website.