“The big news is we found 56 different regions of the genome which affect bone mass,” said Michael J. Econs, M.D., Glenn W. Irwin Jr. Professor of Endocrinology and Metabolism and director of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism at the IU School of Medicine.
Dr. Econs said his lab has turned its attention to understanding how some of these genes influence bone density and whether increasing or decreasing the amount of protein these genes make will change bone strength. Much of his research and that of the other participating centers in the United States are funded by National Institutes of Health grants.
Other IU researchers involved in the study include Munro Peacock, M.D., professor of medicine; Tatiana Foroud, Ph.D., the P. Michael Conneally Professor of Medical and Molecular Genetics and Chancellor’s Professor at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis; Daniel L. Koller, Ph.D., assistant research professor of medical and molecular genetics; and Siu Hui, Ph.D., professor of biostatistics.