ECTS/Amgen Bone Biology Fellowship

3-year fellowship program (shorter terms will not be considered)

• any scientist or clinician working in the field of bone biology
• the award will be used exclusively to support translational or clinical research in the area of bone disease, in particular projects which concern the RANK/RANKL/OPG pathway or Wnt pathway translated into clinical relevance of bone disease
• applicants must be an ECTS member and be working in a European institution. Applications will be considered from European members who are working in an International institution if a strong case can be presented for performing the research outside of Europe
• previous recipients of an ECTS/Amgen Bone Biology Fellowship or ECTS/Servier Fellowship are not eligible to apply
• applicants may only apply for one award (i.e. applicants for the ECTS/Amgen Bone Biology Fellowship may not apply for any other ECTS award in the current year)
• applications from previous winning applicants or supervisors for funding the same or similar project will not be considered

€100,000 (Euros), of which 50% shall be deployed to cover salary costs

All applications are reviewed by an independent panel of reviewers. The final decision is based on the marks and comments from the reviewers and any conflicts of interest are identified and dealt with appropriately.

• applicants should clearly indicate in their application how the ECTS /Amgen funds are going to be used and which additional funds they have in place for their studies
• funds are not to be used for university/institution overheads
• applications must be made on-line from the ECTS web site

One patent and one manuscript in preparation.

1. Bonnet N, Biver E, Durosier Chevalley T, Rizzoli R & Ferrari S. Cr. Additive genetic effects on circulating periostin contribute to the heritability of bone microarchitecture. JCEM, in press, 2015.
2. Gerbaix M, Vico L, Ferrari SL, Bonnet N. Periostin expression contributes to cortical bone loss during unloading. Bone. 2015 Feb;71:94–100.
3. Bonnet N, Conway SJ, Ferrari SL. Regulation of beta catenin signaling and parathyroid hormone anabolic effects in bone by the matricellular protein periostin. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Sep 11;109(37):15048–53.

Autoantibodies to osteoprotegerin are associated with increased bone resorption in Rheumatoid Arthritis. Accepted in Annals Rheum Diseases.

1. Daroszewska A, van ‘t Hof RJ, Rojas JA, Layfield R, Landao–Basonga E, Rose L, Rose K, Ralston SH. A point mutation in the ubiquitin-associated domain of SQSMT1 is sufficient to cause a Paget’s disease–like disorder in mice. Hum Mol Genet. 2011 Jul 15;20(14):2734–44.

Additional publication under writing.

1. Rauner M, Goettsch C, Stein N, Thiele S, Bornhaeuser M, De Bosscher K, Haegeman G, Tuckermann J and Hofbauer LC. Dissociation of osteogenic and immunological effects by the selective glucocorticoid receptor agonist, compound A, in human bone marrow stromal cells. Endocrinology 2011;152:103-112
2. Rauch A, Gossye V, Bracke D, Gevaert E, Jacques P, Van Beneden K, Vandooren B, Rauner M, Hofbauer LC, Haegeman G, Elewaut D, Tuckermann JP, De Bosscher K. An anti-inflammatory selective glucocorticoid receptor modulator protects osteoblast differentiation. FASEB J 2011;25:1323-1332
3. Hofbauer LC and Rauner M. MINIREVIEW: Live and let die: molecular effects of glucocorticoids on bone cells. Mol Endocrinol 2009;23:1525-1531
4. Bauer W*, Rauner M*, Haase M, Kyttälä S, Arabanian L, Habermann I, Hofbauer LC, Ehninger G, Kiani A. Osteomyelosclerosis, anemia and extramedullary hematopoiesis in mice lacking the transcription factor NFATc2. Haematologica, in press
5. Rauner M, Stein N, Winzer M, Goettsch C, Zwerina J, Schett G, Albers J, Schulze J, Schinke T, Bornhäuser M, Hofbauer LC. WNT5A is induced by inflammatory mediators in bone marrow stromal cells and regulates cytokine and chemokine production. J Bone Miner Res, in revision

1. Aymen I. Idris, Maala Krishnan, Petra Simic, Euphemie Landao-Bassonga, Patrick Mollat, Slobodan Vukicevic, and Ralston SH. Small molecule inhibitors of IKK signalling inhibit osteoclast formation in vitro and ovariectomy induced bone loss in vivo. FASEB J. 24: 4545-4555, 2010.
2. Aymen I. Idris, E. Coste, I.R Greig, Ralston SH and R.J. van’t Hof. The orally active biphenyl carboxylic acid derivative ABD328 prevents ovariectomy bone loss in vivo. CTI. 2010; 87(6):525-32.
3. Aymen I. Idris, Helene Libouban, Hervé Nyangoga, Euphemie Landao-Bassonga, Daniel Chappard and Stuart Ralston. Pharmacological inhibitors of IKK suppress growth and migration of mammary carcinosarcoma cells in vitro and prevent osteolytic bone metastasis in vivo. Molecular Cancer Therapeutics. 2009 8:2339-2347.
   Sarah Aitken, Euphemie Landao-Bassonga, Stuart H. Ralston and
4. Aymen I. Idris. Beta-2 adrenoreceptor ligands regulate osteoclast differentiation in vitro by direct and indirect mechanisms. Arch Biochem Biophys. 2009; 482:96-103.
5. Aymen I. Idris, S. Ralston and van ’t Hof, RJ. The nitrosylated Flurbiprofen derivative HCT1026 inhibits bone resorption by suppressing RANKL signalling. Eur J Pharmacol. 2009 602 (2-3): 215-222.
6. Aymen I. Idris, I.R Greig, S.H. Ralston and R.J. van’t Hof. Identification of Novel Biphenyl Carboxylic Acid Derivatives as Novel Antiresorptive Agents that Do Not Impair Parathyroid Hormone-Induced Bone Formation. Endocrinology. 2009; 150:5-13.
7. Aymen I. Idris, Emanuela Mrak, Iain Greig, Francesca Guidobonoc, Stuart H. Ralstona and Rob van’t Hof. ABD56 causes osteoclast apoptosis by inhibiting the NFκB and ERK pathways. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 2008; 371 (1): 94-98.
8. Aymen I. Idris, I.R Greig, R.J. van’t Hof and S.H. Ralston. Aminobisphosphonates cause osteoblast apoptosis and inhibit bone nodule formation in vitro. Calcif Tissue Int. 2008; 82:191 – 201.