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Washington, DC ( November 17, 2006) – Some of the world’s top scientists will convene in the Washington, DC area December 4 – 5 to explore controversies surrounding the diagnosis and management of vitamin D-related disorders. The degree and rate of accumulated scientific momentum in the field in recent years, along with issues related to the diagnosis and treatment of vitamin D-related diseases, make this a critical opportunity for experts to think collectively about the direction the field should take.

“Within the past five to 10 years, a growing conviction has emerged that varying degrees of vitamin D deficiency may lead to skeletal disease and may contribute to the development of several clinically important non-skeletal diseases,” says Marc K. Drezner, MD, chair of the Organizing Committee for the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR), and Associate Dean of Translational and Clinical Research, and Head of the Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “However, there are conflicting interpretations of much of the newly available data,” he notes.

This meeting is designed to enable participants to begin the essential task of creating new research approaches to advance the collective knowledge in the field and to prioritize key questions that must be addressed to improve future diagnosis and treatment of vitamin D-related disorders, including osteoporosis, bone disease in chronic kidney disease patients, muscle weakness contributing to falls in the elderly, cancer, immune diseases, and diabetes. The meeting is partly supported by the National Institutes of Health

The meeting will focus on seven topic areas:

• Assessment of Vitamin D Status
• Vitamin D Physiology
• Traditional Abnormalities of Vitamin D
• Vitamin D and Population Health
• Non-Traditional Roles of Vitamin D
• Vitamin D and Kidney Disease
• Vitamin D and Other Metabolic Bone Diseases

A final session will focus on future directions in vitamin D research. (See program schedule for more information, Vitamin D Meeting Program).

Some of the issues and controversies to be addressed include:

• Risks vs. benefits of sunlight exposure’s role in providing vitamin D
• Vitamin D’s effects on calcium metabolism and skeletal health
• Optimal dosage of vitamin D and intake guidelines
• Vitamin D deficiency and osteoporosis
• How vitamin D impacts the immune system
• Vitamin D’s cancer prevention role
• Vitamin D deficiency in chronic kidney disease patients

NOTE: Scientific abstracts presented at the ASBMR Vitamin D Meeting are embargoed until one hour after presentation time.

Credentialed media representatives may register or request interviews by contacting Angela Carlson at acarlson@asbmr.org or at (202) 367-2427.

The ASBMR is the premier professional, scientific and medical society established to promote excellence in bone and mineral research and to facilitate the translation of that research into clinical practice. The ASBMR has a membership of nearly 4,000 physicians, basic research scientists, and clinical investigators. To learn more about the Society and the field of bone and mineral research, visit the ASBMR website at www.asbmr.org.

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