ECTS Webinar Series Bone, Muscle & Beyond

ECTS Organises Webinars on practical issues on Bone Muscle & Beyond topics, including basic and clinical research. These webinars feature prominent speakers and allow participants to ask questions regarding the latest information on relevant topics.

Registration is free for members and non-members.

Upcoming Live Webinars

Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva
A joint initiative between ECTS, ICCBH and supported by IFOPA

Date & Time: 23 April 2020, 4pm CET

Featuring Marelise Eekhoff and moderated by Bram van der Eerden

Costs: Live webinar is free for ECTS members and non-members, but a registration is required. Recordings are accessible to ECTS members only.

This webinar is supported in the form of a sponsorship by Ipsen. The content has not been influenced in any way by its sponsor.

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Osteosarcoma

Date & Time: 9 June 2020, 9am CET

Featuring David Thomas and moderated by Hanna Taipaleenmäki

Costs: Live webinar is free for ECTS members and non-members, but a registration is required. Recordings are accessible to ECTS members only.

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Current and future strategies for fracture prevention

Date & Time: 25 June 2020, 4pm CET

Featuring Kassim Javaid and moderated by Thomas Funk-Brentano

Costs: Live webinar is free for ECTS members and non-members, but a registration is required. Recordings are accessible to ECTS members only.

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Genetics of rare bone diseases

Date & Time: 17 September 2020, 4pm CET

Featuring Uwe Kornak and moderated by Bram Van der Eerden

Costs: Live webinar is free for ECTS members and non-members, but a registration is required. Recordings are accessible to ECTS members only.

East-meets-West: Primary Hyperparathyroidism – West versus East perspective

Date & Time: 15 October 2020, 4pm CET

Featuring Salvatore Minisola and Weibo Xia.  Moderated by Nadia Rucci

Costs: Live webinar is free for ECTS members and non-members, but a registration is required. Recordings are accessible to ECTS members only.

Tips and tricks for histomorphometry

Date & Time: 12 November 2020, 9am CET

Featuring Nathalie Sims and moderated by Bram Van der Eerden

Costs: Live webinar is free for ECTS members and non-members, but a registration is required. Recordings are accessible to ECTS members only.

Osteocytes

Date & Time: 10 December 2020, 4pm CET

Featuring Teresita Bellido and moderated by Hanna Taipaleenmäki

Costs: Live webinar is free for ECTS members and non-members, but a registration is required. Recordings are accessible to ECTS members only.

Past Webinars

Biomaterials, tissue engineering & 3D printing

Date & Time: 19 March 2020, 4pm CET

Featuring Maria-Pau Ginebra and moderated by Bram van der Eerden

Costs: Live webinar is free for ECTS members and non-members, but a registration is required. Recordings are accessible to ECTS members only.

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Inflammation & Bone

Date & Time: 18 February 2020, 3.30pm CET

Featuring Georg Schett and moderated by  Thomas Funck-Brentano

Costs: Live webinar is free for ECTS members and non-members, but a registration is required. Recordings are accessible to ECTS members only.

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Bone Fragility in CKD

Date & Time: 16 January 2020, 4pm CET

Featuring Martine Cohen-Solal and moderated by  Nadia Rucci

Costs: Live webinar is free for ECTS members and non-members, but a registration is required. Recordings are accessible to ECTS members only.

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Fundamental and clinical aspects of Bone & Cancer

Date & Time: 17 December 2019, 5pm CET

Featuring Gabriel van der Pluijm & Peyman Hadji and moderated by Hanna Taipaleenmäki

Costs: Live webinar is free for ECTS members and non-members, but a registration is required. Recordings are accessible to ECTS members only.

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Nuclear Curvature Rupture, DNA damage, & Genome Variation

Date & Time: 14 November 2019, 4pm CET

Featuring Dennis Discher and moderated by Nika Lovšin

Costs: Live webinar is free for ECTS members and non-members, but a registration is required. Recordings are accessible to ECTS members only

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Presenter:

Dennis Discher is the Robert D. Bent chaired Professor at the University of Pennsylvania and Director of a National Cancer Institute-funded Physical Sciences Oncology Center at Penn, where he has been since 1996.  His lab discovered matrix elasticity effects on stem cell differentiation and generally takes a soft matter physics and polymers approach to cell biology and tissue biophysics topics. Recent efforts focus most specifically on mechanobiological determinants of nuclear structure-function, DNA damage, and genome variation. He is a member of the US National Academy of Medicine, the US National Academy of Engineering, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.  His PhD from UC Berkeley & UC San Francisco in membrane biophysics and splicing biochemistry was followed by a Postdoctoral Fellowship in computational biophysics at University of British Columbia & Simon Fraser University. His appointments at Penn are in Engineering & Applied Science as well as the Graduate Groups in Physics and Pharmacology. Additional honors and service include the Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Award from the Humboldt Foundation of Germany, various NIH and National Academy committees, and member of the Editorial Board of Science.

Moderator: Bram van der Eerden studied Biology in Utrecht (the Netherlands) and received his PhD in 2002 in Leiden (the Netherlands) working on the hormonal regulation of growth plate cartilage. Since then, he has been working within the department of Internal medicine of the Erasmus MC in Rotterdam on the role of calcium channels in bone and is now mainly involved in the functional characterization of novel compounds/genes/pathways that are anabolic to bone, using in vitro and in vivo models. Currently, he is group leader of the laboratory for Calcium and Bone Metabolism of Internal Medicine at the Erasmus MC. Bram has (co)-authored >50 peer-reviewed papers, has been board member of the Dutch Calcium and Bone Metabolism Society (NVCB) for 6 years and is now in the Bone networking group of the Dutch Society for Endocrinology. He was co-chair of the IBMS young investigator committee and is currently chairing the ECTS Webinar Committee. He has been involved in a number of international projects, including an ongoing Horizon2020 Marie-Curie Staff Exchange project (RUBICON) focusing on the molecular pathways in connective tissue diseases. His research group consists of 2 senior scientists, 1 Post-doc, 4 PhD students and 2 technicians.

Treatments for osteoporosis

Date & Time: 31 October 2019, 4pm CET

Featuring Bente Langdahl and moderated by Nerea Alonso Lopez

Costs: Live webinar is free for ECTS members and non-members, but a registration is required. Recordings are accessible to ECTS members only.

Learning Objectives

• Understand the differences between antiresorptive and bone anabolic treatments
• Identify patients who will benefit from from bone anabolic treatment.
• Outline a long-term management plan for a patient with osteoporosis
• Discuss treatment goals

Presenter: Bente Langdahl graduated from the medical school at Aarhus University in 1988. Bente Langdahl received her PhD at Aarhus University in 1995: “Investigations on a possible pathogenic role of thyroid hormones in postmenopausal osteoporosis” and received a DMSc at the same university in 2004: “The genetics of bone mass and risk of osteoporotic fractures”. In 2004 Bente Langdahl was appointed consultant at the department of Endocrinology and Internal Medicine at Aarhus University Hospital. In 2012 Bente Langdahl was appointed professor at Aarhus University. Bente Langdahl’s main research interests are identification and further investigation of genetic variants that imply increased risk of osteoporotic fractures, osteogenesis imperfecta in adult patients, the impact of thyroid diseases and diabetes on bone health, and the development of new treatments for osteoporosis.

Bente Langdahl is past-President of the European Calcified Tissue Society and the co-chair of the International Federation for Musculoskeletal Research.

Moderator: Nerea Alonso received her PhD in Cancer Biology and Clinical studies at the University of Salamanca, Spain in 2008. Her PhD research focused on the molecular analysis of patients with Gorlin syndrome, a rare disease involving developmental alterations and basal cell carcinomas.

She has been awarded the ECTS New Investigator Award, as well as other prizes at international conferences. She is currently the roving director of the Society of Spanish Researchers in the UK, an independent organization aiming to develop at social and professional network of researchers in UK, bring science to the general public, serve as scientific advisors and build bridges for collaboration between Spain and UK.

Nerves & Bone

Date & Time: 12 September 2019, 4pm CET

Featuring Florent Elefteriou and moderated by Thomas Funck-Brentano

Costs: Live webinar is free for ECTS members and non-members, but a registration is required. Recordings are accessible to ECTS members only.

Learning Objectives

• Refresh knowledge related to the types of nerves and neuropeptides present in bone
• Learn how sympathetic nerves modulate the behavior of bone cells
• Consider the existence of homeostatic mechanisms involved in the interaction between sympathetic nerves and the skeleton
• Discuss the possible clinical relevance of autonomic nerves in bones

Presenter: Florent Elefteriou obtained his PhD from the Claude-Bernard University/Institut de Biologie and chimie des Proteins, France, where he worked on the structure of extracellular proteins and their role in cell-matrix interactions. He is currently an Associate Professor at Baylor College of Medicine, with co-appointment in the Departments of Molecular and Human Genetics and Orthopedic Surgery.

He co-directs with Dr. Brendan Lee the BCM Center for Skeletal Biology and Medicine. His research program includes investigations related to the role of the autonomic nervous system on bone remodeling, aging and cancer metastasis, to the skeletal maladies associated with neurofibromatosis type I, and to growth plate and intervertebral disc development.

Moderator: Thomas Funck-Brentano is a clinical rheumatologist with a preclinical background. He is a member of the ECTS Academy since 2016. He trained in University Paris Diderot and defendend his PhD (supervised by Pr Martine Cohen-Solal) in 2013 on the role of the Wnt signaling pathway in the subchondral bone in preclinical models of osteoarthritis. He then was assistant professor in the department of Rheumatology in Hôpital Lariboisière in Paris (2012-2016) were he got particularly interested in managing bone diseases, such as osteoporosis and rare bone diseases. He has recently moved to the University of Gothenburg (Sweden) in Pr Claes Ohlsson’s group to enhance his skills in translational research. His project on the functional studies of NOTUM as a regulator of cortical bone mass was granted by Sweden’s Innovation Agency Vinnova for a two-year fellowship. He is also involved in clinical research projects on the link between bone and cardiometabolic diseases and osteoarthritis using various large databases.

Bone- Muscle cross-talk under pathological conditions

Date & Time: 27 June 2019, 4pm CET

Featuring Maria Luisa Bianchi and moderated by Nadia Rucci

Costs: Live webinar is free for ECTS members and non-members, but a registration is required. Recordings are accessible to ECTS members only.

Learning Objectives

• Understanding the recent developments on bone-muscle cross-talk: from the “old” theory of strictly mechanical bone-muscle interaction to the recent evidence of bone and muscle as secretory organs, and of bone-muscle communication essentially mediated by soluble factors (at least partly regulated by mechanical load).
• Understanding muscle-bone interaction during growth in physiological conditions.
• Understanding muscle-bone interaction during growth in some pathological conditions (e.g.Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Cerebral Palsy).

Presenter: Maria Luisa Bianchi, M.D., started her career in 1982 as a clinical nephrologist, and soon developed a special interest for disorders of bone metabolism. In addition to clinical activity (first at the University of Milano – Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, then at the Bone Metabolism Unit – Istituto Auxologico Italiano IRCCS, Milano, Italy), she has been involved in clinical research on all forms of primary and secondary osteoporosis (particularly in young patients with cystic fibrosis, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, celiac disease, osteogenesis imperfecta, hypophosphatasia, X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets or on long-term glucocorticoid treatment for different diseases), as well as on calciotropic hormones, bone turnover markers, and diagnostic techniques (dual X-ray bone densitometry, quantitative bone hystomorphometry).

Her current position is Director of the Experimental Laboratory for Children’s Bone Metabolism Research at Istituto Auxologico Italiano IRCCS, Milano, Italy.

Moderator: Nadia Rucci is Associate Professor and head of the Skeletal Diseases Laboratory (Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L’Aquila, Italy). She graduated in Biology at “La Sapienza” University of Rome (Italy), then she moved to the University of L’Aquila, where she achieved her PhD in Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases. Nadia Rucci’s research is mainly focused on oncologic (breast cancer induced bone metastases), metabolic (osteoporosis) and genetic (osteopetrosis) bone diseases. Nadia is currently PI of two projects: “Extracellular vesicles as new therapeutic approach to target bone tumour cells” funded by the Italian Association of Cancer Research  and “Bone phenotype in Duchenne muscular dystrophy: unveiling the role of LCN2 and implications for therapy” funded by AFM-Telethon. She has published 63 original research articles in peer-review international journals.

Interaction between bone cells and glucose metabolism

Date & Time: 30 May 2019, 4pm CET

Featuring Nicolas Bonnet and moderated by Nika Lovšin

Learning and objectives: To be announced shortly.

Costs: Live webinar is free for ECTS members and non-members, but a registration is required. Recordings are accessible to ECTS members only.

Presenter: Dr. Bonnet received his PhD degree from the University of Orleans, France, in 2006, after which he has been working as a post-doctoral fellow in the group of Prof. S Ferrari at the research laboratory of the Division of Bone Diseases, in Geneva, Switzerland.

Dr Bonnet has a keen interest in the molecular and signaling mechanisms for skeleton mechanotransduction. He has been promoted senior lecturer and received is privat docent by the faculty of medicine of Geneva where he is pursuing his academic development. Since 2016, with 7 others international researcher, Dr Bonnet found the ECTS Academy.

Moderator: Dr. Nika Lovšin obtained her PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Ljubljana in 2003. She trained as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of San Francisco. Currently, she is a researcher in the group of Prof. Marc at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana. Her research is focused on transcriptional regulation of bone remodeling and functional characterization of targets identified in GWAS studies.

Clinical guideline on diagnosis and management of Paget’s

Date & Time: 6 May 2019, 4pm CET

Featuring Stuart Ralston and moderated by Nerea Alonso Lopez

Costs: Live webinar is free for ECTS members and non-members, but a registration is required. Recordings are accessible to ECTS members only.

Learning and objectives:

• Awareness of the biochemical investigations recommended in assessment of Paget’s disease
• Awareness of the imaging techniques recommended in assessment of Paget’s disease
• Awareness of the evidence base and recommendations for bisphosphonate therapy in Paget’s
• Awareness of the evidence base recommendations for orthopaedic surgery in Paget’s

Presenter: Stuart H Ralston graduated in Medicine from Glasgow University in 1978 and underwent higher medical training in General Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.  He previously held the chair of Medicine and Bone Metabolism at the University of Aberdeen and moved to Edinburgh University in 2005 when he now holds the Arthritis Research UK Chair of Rheumatology. He is currently director of Edinburgh University’s online distance learning MSc in clinical trials and was director of Edinburgh Clinical Trials Unit between 2009 and 2016.  He holds an honorary consultant rheumatologist position with NHS Lothian where he is clinical lead for the osteoporosis service and clinical director of the rheumatology service.  Professor Ralston has researched widely on the molecular and genetic basis of osteoporosis and other bone and joint diseases. He has a special interest in the pathogenesis and management of Paget’s disease of bone.  He is joint editor-in-chief of Calcified Tissue International and editor of Davidson’s Principles and Practice of Medicine. He currently chairs the Commission for Human Medicines for the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Authority of the UK.

Moderator: Nerea Alonso received her PhD in Cancer Biology and Clinical studies at the University of Salamanca, Spain in 2008. Her PhD research focused on the molecular analysis of patients with Gorlin syndrome, a rare disease involving developmental alterations and basal cell carcinomas.

She has been awarded the ECTS New Investigator Award, as well as other prizes at international conferences. She is currently the roving director of the Society of Spanish Researchers in the UK, an independent organization aiming to develop at social and professional network of researchers in UK, bring science to the general public, serve as scientific advisors and build bridges for collaboration between Spain and UK.

Molecular mechanisms of bone tumors and Paget’s disease as a predisposing disorder

Date & Time: 25 April 2019, 4pm CET

Featuring Federica Scotto di Carlo and moderated by Bram van der Eerden

Costs: Live webinar is free for ECTS members and non-members, but a registration is required. Recordings are accessible to ECTS members only.

Learning and objectives:

• Awareness of molecular pathways underlying osteosarcoma and giant cell tumor of bone
• Insights into genetic bases of Paget’s disease of bone, Retinoblastoma and Li-Fraumeni syndrome as risk factors for bone cancers
• Understanding the genomic instability as driver event for osteosarcoma development

Presenter: Federica Scotto di Carlo is an early stage researcher at the Institute of Genetics and Biophysics (CNR) in Naples, Italy. She graduated in Molecular Biology at “Federico II” University in Naples in 2015, taking part into the identification and characterization of ZNF687 as gene responsible for giant cell tumor associated with Paget’s disease of bone, and building up expertise in next generation sequencing approaches. Recently, she got her PhD in Biomolecular Sciences working on the genetic and molecular mechanisms of bone tumors, applying genome editing technologies. Currently, she is post-doc in the Molecular Genetics and Genomics Laboratory headed by Dr. Fernando Gianfrancesco, where she is trying to elucidate the molecular events causing the genomic instability (chromothripsis) underlying osteosarcoma development.

Moderator: Bram van der Eerden studied Biology in Utrecht (the Netherlands) and received his PhD in 2002 in Leiden (the Netherlands) working on the hormonal regulation of growth plate cartilage. Since then, he has been working within the department of Internal medicine of the Erasmus MC in Rotterdam on the role of calcium channels in bone and is now mainly involved in the functional characterization of novel compounds/genes/pathways that are anabolic to bone, using in vitro and in vivo models. Currently, he is group leader of the laboratory for Calcium and Bone Metabolism of Internal Medicine at the Erasmus MC. Bram has (co)-authored >50 peer-reviewed papers, has been board member of the Dutch Calcium and Bone Metabolism Society (NVCB) for 6 years and is now in the Bone networking group of the Dutch Society for Endocrinology. He was co-chair of the IBMS young investigator committee and is currently chairing the ECTS Webinar Committee. He has been involved in a number of international projects, including an ongoing Horizon2020 Marie-Curie Staff Exchange project (RUBICON) focusing on the molecular pathways in connective tissue diseases. His research group consists of 2 senior scientists, 1 Post-doc, 4 PhD students and 2 technicians.

A practical view on Omics approaches: demystifying complex big data

Date & Time: 21 March 2019, 4pm CET

Featuring Andre van Wijnen and moderated by Thomas Funck-Brentano

Costs: Live webinar is free for ECTS members and non-members, but a registration is required. Recordings are accessible to ECTS members only.

Learning and objectives:

• Understand how to apply bioinformatic resources to address biological questions with omics data
• Appreciate the rationale behind filtering approaches to reduce complexity of omics data sets
• Understand how to generate and interpret bioinformatic diagrams

Presenter: Dr. Andre van Wijnen received pre-doctoral training in molecular biology and biochemistry at the University of Utrecht, Netherlands, in conjunction with the University of Florida, Gainesville, FL. He graduated with a doctoral degree in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Massachusetts Medical School where he ascended the academic track to the rank of Professor.

In 2012, he started a new translational research laboratory at Mayo Clinic focusing on musculoskeletal disorders and stem cell therapies. From a fundamental perspective, his research group focuses on projects that examine biological and mechanistic questions fundamental to regulation and deregulation of bone and cartilage development using state-of-the-art approaches including genomics, epigenomics, proteomics, and mouse genetics.

Moderator: Thomas Funck-Brentano is a clinical rheumatologist with a preclinical background. He is a member of the ECTS Academy since 2016. He trained in University Paris Diderot and defendend his PhD (supervised by Pr Martine Cohen-Solal) in 2013 on the role of the Wnt signaling pathway in the subchondral bone in preclinical models of osteoarthritis. He then was assistant professor in the department of Rheumatology in Hôpital Lariboisière in Paris (2012-2016) were he got particularly interested in managing bone diseases, such as osteoporosis and rare bone diseases. He has recently moved to the University of Gothenburg (Sweden) in Pr Claes Ohlsson’s group to enhance his skills in translational research. His project on the functional studies of NOTUM as a regulator of cortical bone mass was granted by Sweden’s Innovation Agency Vinnova for a two-year fellowship. He is also involved in clinical research projects on the link between bone and cardiometabolic diseases and osteoarthritis using various large databases.

Bone metabolism in liver diseases

Date & Time: 21 February 2019, 4pm CET

Featuring Núria Guañabens and moderated by Bram van der Eerden

Costs: Live webinar is free for ECTS members and non-members, but a registration is required. Recordings are accessible to ECTS members only.

Learning and objectives:

• Draw attention that liver diseases can be a risk factor for low bone mass and fracture
• Learn how cholestasis affects bone formation
• Learn that sclerostin is expressed in the bile duct epitelium

Presenter: Núria Guañabens is Chair of Medicine at the University of Barcelona, and is Consultant Senior of the Rheumatology Department at the Hospital Clinic in Barcelona. .

She was awarded with the Professional Excellence Award from the Medical Association of Barcelona and the Steven Boonen Award from ECTS. She is Past-President of the Catalan Society of Rheumatology and the Spanish Society for Bone and Mineral Research. She serves on the Board of Directors of ECTS and on the ASBMR Ethics Advisory Committee. Dr Guañabens coordinates the ECTS Education Committee.

She is currently Editor of Bone as well as Editorial Board Member of Bone Reports and Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.

Moderator: Bram van der Eerden studied Biology in Utrecht (the Netherlands) and received his PhD in 2002 in Leiden (the Netherlands) working on the hormonal regulation of growth plate cartilage. Since then, he has been working within the department of Internal medicine of the Erasmus MC in Rotterdam on the role of calcium channels in bone and is now mainly involved in the functional characterization of novel compounds/genes/pathways that are anabolic to bone, using in vitro and in vivo models. Currently, he is group leader of the laboratory for Calcium and Bone Metabolism of Internal Medicine at the Erasmus MC. Bram has (co)-authored >50 peer-reviewed papers, has been board member of the Dutch Calcium and Bone Metabolism Society (NVCB) for 6 years and is now in the Bone networking group of the Dutch Society for Endocrinology. He was co-chair of the IBMS young investigator committee and is currently chairing the ECTS Webinar Committee. He has been involved in a number of international projects, including an ongoing Horizon2020 Marie-Curie Staff Exchange project (RUBICON) focusing on the molecular pathways in connective tissue diseases. His research group consists of 2 senior scientists, 1 Post-doc, 4 PhD students and 2 technicians.

Glucocorticoid-induced Osteoporosis

Date & Time: 17 January 2019, 5pm CET

Featuring Juliet Compston and moderated by Hanna Taipaleenmäki

Costs: Live webinar is free for ECTS members and non-members, but a registration is required. Recordings are accessible to ECTS members only.

Learning and objectives:

• Update on epidemiology of GIOP
• Understand the pathophysiology of bone loss and fractures
• Learn about fracture risk assessment in glucocorticoid-treated individuals
• Update on available pharmacological options for fracture prevention

Presenter: Juliet Compston is Emeritus Professor of Bone Medicine at the University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine. Her research has involved the pathophysiology of osteoporosis, particularly secondary osteoporosis, and the mechanisms by which pharmacological interventions reduce fracture risk. Recently her research has focused on fractures in obese postmenopausal women.

Professor Compston is a Trustee of the Board of the National Osteoporosis Society and Chair of the UK National Osteoporosis Guidelines Group. She is Secretary/Treasurer Elect of the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research and was Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research between 2013 and 2018. She has published over 400 original research papers and reviews.

In 2006, Professor Compston was awarded the National Osteoporosis Society Kohn Foundation Award, and in 2009, the International Bone and Mineral Society John G Haddad Jr Award and the ASBMR Frederic C Bartter Award. In 2014 she was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to the treatment of osteoporosis.

Moderator: Dr. Hanna Taipaleenmaki is a group leader in the Molecular Skeletal Biology Laboratory (MSB-Lab) at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf in Hamburg, Germany. During her PhD studies at the University of Turku, Finland and at the Endocrine Research Unit, Odense University Hospital, Denmark she developed a strong interest in post-transcriptional regulation of osteoblast differentiation and bone formation by non-coding RNAs. During her post-doctoral training at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, USA and at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany. She further elucidated the contribution of microRNAs in pathological bone remodeling with specific focus on cancer-induced bone disease. Currently her research group is investigating the role of osteoblasts in breast cancer-induced metastatic bone disease. Hanna is an active member of scientific societies including the ECTS and the ASBMR and her work has been awarded several awards, fellowships and grants.

Can bone loss and osteoporosis be prevented with probiotics?

Featuring Mattias Lorentzon

and moderated by Nika Lovšin, PhD, researcher and assistant at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana

Date & Time: 13 December 2018, 4pm CET

Costs: Live webinar is free for ECTS members and non-members, but a registration is required. Recordings are accessible to ECTS members only.

Objectives:

• Understand importance of gut microbiome on bone metabolism
• Learn which probiotic supplements affect bone mineral density in humans
• Learn how probiotics can prevent osteoporosis in woman

Presenter: Mattias Lorentzon is currently the Head of the Geriatric Medicine Unit and Senior lecturer at the Dept. of Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition at University of Gothenburg. He is also the Chief Physician at the Osteoporosis Unit, Sahlgrenska University Hospital and Director of the national Clinical Osteoporosis Research School (CORS)

Academic Degrees:

• 1996, M.Sc., Uppsala University
• 2000, M.D., Umeå University
• 2000, Ph.D., Umeå University. Genetic Polymorphism and Bone Density in Adolescence. Supervisor Peter Nordström.

Distinctions:

1. Winner of the ASBMR/ECTS clinical debate Golden Femur Award, Rome, 2016
2. Eric K. Fernström Prize for highly gifted and successful young researchers, 2014
3. ESCEO Amgen Fellowship Award at the 8^th European Congress on Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis, Istanbul, Turkey, April 9^th to 12^th, 2008
4. John Haddad Young investigator award at the AIMM-ASBMR Meeting, Snowmass, Colorado, USA (2007)
5. Swedish Endocrinologist Foundation’s anniversary price (2006).
6. Young investigator award of the European Federation of Endocrine Societies annual meeting (Gothenburg September 3^rd-7^th, 2005)
7. Young investigator award, American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, Nashville, USA September 22^nd-27^th, 2005

Expert reviewer assignments:
2002– Invited reviewer for several major international scientific journals, including Nature Reviews Endocrinology, Annals of Internal Medicine, New England Journal of Medicine, and for many speciality journals in the bone field, including Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, Osteoporosis International and Bone.

Moderator: Dr. Nika Lovšin obtained her PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Ljubljana in 2003. She trained as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of San Francisco. Currently, she is a researcher in the group of Prof. Marc at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana. Her research is focused on transcriptional regulation of bone remodeling and functional characterization of targets identified in GWAS studies.

Zebrafish as model for skeletal diseases

Featuring Maria Leonor Quintais Cancela da Fonseca

and moderated by Nadia Rucci, University of L’Aquila, L’Aquila, Italy

Date & Time: 15 November 2018, 4pm CET

Costs: Live webinar is free for ECTS members and non-members, but a registration is required. Recordings are accessible to ECTS members only.

Objectives:

• Understanding usefulness of fish as vertebrate non-mammalian models of skeletal disorders
• How to check for available fish encoding human gene mutations associated with human skeletal pathologies
• Importance of fish for screening of molecules/drugs with osteogenic or osteotoxic effects

Presenter: Maria Leonor Quintais Cancela da Fonseca, Full Professor, University of Algarve/Dept of Biomedical Sciences and Medicine

Current research interests
Main: Molecular, environmental and epigenetic determinants affecting transcription regulation of genes expressed during onset of skeletogenesis in vertebrates. Vitamin K dependent proteins and their effect on cell differentiation and tissue mineralization in normal and pathological conditions, effect on cell proliferation and invasion associated to tumor development. Study of skeletal age related human pathologies (Paget disease of bone) and rare diseases (Keutel, MRD20, Holt-Oram, CDKL5 Syndromes).
Others: Development of in vitro and in vivo models for human skeletal diseases and studies of osteotoxicity. Biotechnological applications of marine resources, identification of molecules with mineralogenic/ osteogenic properties. Molecular evolution of skeletal related proteins.

Citation metrics: http://www.researcherid.com/rid/F-4665-2012
Web Site: http://bioskel.ccmar.ualg.pt
ORCID: 0000-0003-3114-6662

Moderator: Nadia Rucci is Associate Professor and head of the Skeletal Diseases Laboratory (Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L’Aquila, Italy). She graduated in Biology at “La Sapienza” University of Rome (Italy), then she moved to the University of L’Aquila, where she achieved her PhD in Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases. Nadia Rucci’s research is mainly focused on oncologic (breast cancer induced bone metastases), metabolic (osteoporosis) and genetic (osteopetrosis) bone diseases. Nadia is currently PI of two projects: “Extracellular vesicles as new therapeutic approach to target bone tumour cells” funded by the Italian Association of Cancer Research  and “Bone phenotype in Duchenne muscular dystrophy: unveiling the role of LCN2 and implications for therapy” funded by AFM-Telethon. She has published 63 original research articles in peer-review international journals.

Osteohematology – Alterations of bone metabolism in MDS

Featuring Martina Rauner, Professor for Molecular Bone Biology

and moderated Hanna Taipaleenmäki, Molecular Skeletal Biology Laboratory (MSB-Lab), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf

Date & Time: 18 October 2018, 4pm CET

Costs: Live webinar is free for ECTS members and non-members, but a registration is required. Recordings are accessible to ECTS members only.

Objectives:

• Learn about myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and interactions within the osteo-hematopoietic niche
• Get insights into how bone is affected in MDS
• Learn how to create your own Science Sketch: making your science more accessible to peers

Presenter: Martina Rauner studied biotechnology at the University of Applied Sciences in Vienna, Austria. After completing her doctorate at the Department of Pathophysiology at the Medical University of Vienna in 2008, she received the ECTS/AMGEN bone research fellowship and joined the group of Professor Lorenz Hofbauer in Dresden, Germany to study mechanisms of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis. In 2011, Martina became Junior Group leader for Osteoimmunology and expanded her research area to chronic inflammatory diseases and Wnt signaling. Due to her comprehensive knowledge on bone biology, its interactions with other organ systems, and her leadership skills, she was promoted to the Scientific Director of the Bone lab in 2015 and became Professor for Molecular Bone Biology in 2018. Currently, her group is interested in the interactions of bone with hematopoiesis, the immune system, and hormones (glucocorticoids, erythropoietin, and thyroid hormones), and studies the role of Wnt and BMP signaling.
Martina has published over 100 publications in the field of bone biology and has received several awards for her work. Moreover, she is on the board of the ECTS, was part of New Investigator Committee of ECTS for many years, and is a founding member of the ECTS Academy, a group of outstanding young scientists in the musculoskeletal field.

Moderator: Dr. Hanna Taipaleenmaki is a group leader in the Molecular Skeletal Biology Laboratory (MSB-Lab) at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf in Hamburg, Germany. During her PhD studies at the University of Turku, Finland and at the Endocrine Research Unit, Odense University Hospital, Denmark she developed a strong interest in post-transcriptional regulation of osteoblast differentiation and bone formation by non-coding RNAs. During her post-doctoral training at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, USA and at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany. She further elucidated the contribution of microRNAs in pathological bone remodeling with specific focus on cancer-induced bone disease. Currently her research group is investigating the role of osteoblasts in breast cancer-induced metastatic bone disease. Hanna is an active member of scientific societies including the ECTS and the ASBMR and her work has been awarded several awards, fellowships and grants.

Dairy products: Good or bad for bone health?

Featuring Emanuel Biver

and moderated by Thomas Funck-Brentano, CBAR, University of Gothenburg

Date & Time: 20 September 2018, 4pm CET

Costs: Live webinar is free for ECTS members and non-members, but a registration is required. Recordings are accessible to ECTS members only.

Objectives:

• Understand which key nutrients for bone health are provided by dairy products intakes
• Learn by which mechanisms dairy products might contribute to bone growth and bone homeostasis
• Learn how prebiotics and probiotics may influence bone health beyond calcium and proteins
• Discuss controversial epidemiological data on dairy products and bone health

Presenter: Emmanuel Biver completed medical training and specialization in rheumatology at the University of Lille 2, France. He obtained a PhD in medical sciences based on preclinical research on the regulation of signaling pathways in bone cells. He is currently consultant and in charge of clinical and translational research in the department of Bone Diseases at the University Hospital of Geneva, Switzerland. He is the coordinator of the Geneva Retirees Cohort (GERICO), an ongoing prospective cohort investigating the determinants of bone fragility and sarcopenia with ageing. He is particularly interested in the impact of nutrition or chronic metabolic or inflammatory conditions on bone microstructure and fracture risk.

Moderator: Thomas Funck-Brentano is a clinical rheumatologist with a preclinical background. He is a member of the ECTS Academy since 2016. He trained in University Paris Diderot and defendend his PhD (supervised by Pr Martine Cohen-Solal) in 2013 on the role of the Wnt signaling pathway in the subchondral bone in preclinical models of osteoarthritis. He then was assistant professor in the department of Rheumatology in Hôpital Lariboisière in Paris (2012-2016) were he got particularly interested in managing bone diseases, such as osteoporosis and rare bone diseases. He has recently moved to the University of Gothenburg (Sweden) in Pr Claes Ohlsson’s group to enhance his skills in translational research. His project on the functional studies of NOTUM as a regulator of cortical bone mass was granted by Sweden’s Innovation Agency Vinnova for a two-year fellowship. He is also involved in clinical research projects on the link between bone and cardiometabolic diseases and osteoarthritis using various large databases.

Non invasive evaluation of bone microarchitecture

Featuring Prof. Roland Chapurlat, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France

and moderated by Tilen Krajnic
Date & Time: 7 June 2018, 4pm CET

Costs: Live webinar is free for ECTS members and non-members, but a registration is required. Recordings are accessible to ECTS members only.

Objectives:

• Learn about non-invasive microstructure measurements for better fragility fracture predictions
• Learn about diagnostic value of non-invasive microstructure assessments
• Understand assessment of microstructure by high resolution peripheral QCT method
• Understand advantages of high resolution peripheral QCT measurements of bone microstructure in comparison with DXA

Presenter: Dr Roland Chapurlat has been a Professor of Rheumatology at the University Claude Bernard-Lyon 1 since 2005. He is the Chief of the Division of Rheumatology and Bone Diseases at Edouard Herriot Hospital In Lyon France and the head of the Department of medicine in this same hospital. Dr Chapurlat is also leading the team “Bone and chronic diseases” at INSERM UMR 1033 and a reference center for rare bone diseases in Lyon, France. His main research interests are osteoporosis, osteoarthritis and rare bone diseases such as fibrous dysplasia of bone and osteogenesis imperfecta. He has published more than 250 articles in peer-reviewed journals.

Preclinical imaging modalities

Featuring Dr. Claus-Christian Glüer, Professor of Medical Physics

and moderated by Bram Van der Eerden
Date & Time: 17 May 2018, 4pm CET

Costs: Live webinar is free for ECTS members and non-members, but a registration is required. Recordings are accessible to ECTS members only.

Objectives:

• Understanding the concept of quantitative parametric imaging studies
• Learn about caveats and quality aspects of parametric imaging
• Understand the respective advantages and limitations of different imaging technologies
• See examples of morphological, functional, and molecular imaging studies of bone and other tissues
• Understand requirements for sequential and time lapse imaging in vivo

Presenter: Claus-Christian Glüer is Professor of Medical Physics in the Department of Radiology and Neuroradiology at the University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Christian-Albrechts-University in Kiel, Germany. For over 30 years, Professor Glüer has focused his research on osteoporosis and other metabolic bone diseases. His research is aimed at the development of innovative parametric-imaging techniques and their quantitative evaluation. Professor Glüer has contributed specifically to the development of bone densitometry, quantitative ultrasound methods and high-resolution computed tomography approaches. He has coordinated several multicentre studies, and is responsible for developing case-finding models and strategies for the German Osteoporosis Guidelines.

Professor Glüer is particularly interested in multimodal technologies for molecular imaging, with applications in oncology, inflammation and skeletal research. He co-founded the Molecular Imaging North Competence Center at the Christian-Albrechts-University, a preclinical imaging lab, and is past President of the European Calcified Tissue Society, past President of the German Society for Osteology, and past-President of the German Academy of Bone and Joint Sciences. Professor Glüer has published more than 240 articles in peer-reviewed journals with h-index=63, 20 books and book chapters and he holds four patents.

Moderator: Bram van der Eerden studied Biology in Utrecht (the Netherlands) and received his PhD in 2002 in Leiden (the Netherlands) working on the hormonal regulation of growth plate cartilage. Since then, he has been working within the department of Internal medicine of the Erasmus MC in Rotterdam on the role of calcium channels in bone and is now mainly involved in the functional characterization of novel compounds/genes/pathways that are anabolic to bone, using in vitro and in vivo models. Currently, he is group leader of the laboratory for Calcium and Bone Metabolism of Internal Medicine at the Erasmus MC. Bram has (co)-authored >50 peer-reviewed papers, has been board member of the Dutch Calcium and Bone Metabolism Society (NVCB) for 6 years and is now in the Bone networking group of the Dutch Society for Endocrinology. He was co-chair of the IBMS young investigator committee and is currently chairing the ECTS Webinar Committee. He has been involved in a number of international projects, including an ongoing Horizon2020 Marie-Curie Staff Exchange project (RUBICON) focusing on the molecular pathways in connective tissue diseases. His research group consists of 2 senior scientists, 1 Post-doc, 4 PhD students and 2 technicians.

Update on Atypical Femur Fractures

Featuring Bo Abrahamsen

and moderated by Thomas Funck-Brentano, CBAR, University of Gothenburg
Date & Time: 19 April 2018, 4pm CET

Costs: Live webinar is free for ECTS members and non-members, but a registration is required. Recordings are accessible to ECTS members only.

Objectives:

• Be able to diagnose AFF and take appropriate treatment decisions
• Understand the epidemiology and pharmacoepidemiology of these fractures
• Be able to advise patients and colleagues on AFF
• Understand the unknowns and directions for future research for AFFs

Presenter: Bo Abrahamsen is an endocrinologist at Holbæk Hospital in Denmark, a Silver Starred FLS Service, and primarily treats patients with osteoporosis, metabolic bone diseases and parathyroid disorders. He is also a professor of clinical database studies at the University of Southern Denmark. He attended Medical School in Odense, Denmark, the B.Sc. Hons Course in Experimental Pathology at St. Andrews, UK, and part of his PhD lab work at UMASS Medical Center, Worcester, MA. Main research interests include absolute fracture risk, secondary osteoporosis, fracture epidemiology and safety of anti-osteoporotic drugs and supplements.  He served on both ASBMR Task Forces on Atypical Femur Fractures. Dr Abrahamsen is a member of the Committee of Scientific Advisors to the IOF, the Clinical Chair for the ECTS 2019 annual meeting SPC and Deputy Editor of JBMR plus. He is a former member of the Board of Directors of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research and Associate Editor of the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.

Moderator: Thomas Funck-Brentano is a clinical rheumatologist with a preclinical background. He is a member of the ECTS Academy since 2016. He trained in University Paris Diderot and defendend his PhD (supervised by Pr Martine Cohen-Solal) in 2013 on the role of the Wnt signaling pathway in the subchondral bone in preclinical models of osteoarthritis. He then was assistant professor in the department of Rheumatology in Hôpital Lariboisière in Paris (2012-2016) were he got particularly interested in managing bone diseases, such as osteoporosis and rare bone diseases. He has recently moved to the University of Gothenburg (Sweden) in Pr Claes Ohlsson’s group to enhance his skills in translational research. His project on the functional studies of NOTUM as a regulator of cortical bone mass was granted by Sweden’s Innovation Agency Vinnova for a two-year fellowship. He is also involved in clinical research projects on the link between bone and cardiometabolic diseases and osteoarthritis using various large databases.

Bone fragility in childhood – a complex and evolving subject

Featuring Nick Bishop

and moderated by Nerea Alonso Lopez, Rheumatology and Bone Disease Unit, Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Date & Time: 5 April 2018, 5pm CET

Costs: Live webinar is free for ECTS members and non-members, but a registration is required. Recordings are accessible to ECTS members only.

Objectives:

• Understanding the genetic origins of bone fragility in children
• Understanding current concepts of the pathophysiology of osteogenesis imperfecta
• Understanding current paradigms in differentiating bone fragility from inflicted injury when infants present with unexplained fractures.

Presenter: Nick Bishop, Professor of Paediatric Bone Disease, Director of the Clinical Research Facility at Sheffield Children’s Hospital

Professor Nick Bishop is an internationally recognised expert in the field of paediatric bone research with a particular focus on experimental medicine/early phase studies in osteogenesis imperfecta, steroid-induced or disease-associated osteoporosis and hypophosphatasia, as well as an interest in early life influences on later skeletal health. He has published extensively on bone fragility during childhood. He is based at Sheffield Children’s Hospital, a member of the Rare Bone Disease ERN, and the lead designated centre for the nationally-commissioned Highly Specialised Severe, Complex and Atypical Osteogenesis Imperfecta Service. He is an Associate Director of the AR-UK Experimental Arthritis Treatment Centre, leading the bone theme, immediate Past-President of the Academic Paediatric Association of Great Britain and Ireland and Director of the Clinical Research Facility at Sheffield Children’s Hospital.

Moderator: Nerea Alonso Lopez, Rheumatology and Bone Disease Unit, Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Nerea Alonso received her PhD in Cancer Biology and Clinical studies at the University of Salamanca, Spain in 2008. Her PhD research focused on the molecular analysis of patients with Gorlin syndrome, a rare disease involving developmental alterations and basal cell carcinomas.

She has been awarded the ECTS New Investigator Award, as well as other prizes at international conferences. She is currently the roving director of the Society of Spanish Researchers in the UK, an independent organization aiming to develop at social and professional network of researchers in UK, bring science to the general public, serve as scientific advisors and build bridges for collaboration between Spain and UK.

Epigenetic regulation of osteoblast differentiation

Featuring Riku Kiviranta

and moderated by Hanna Taipaleenmaeki

Date & Time: 15 March 2018, 4pm CET

Costs: Live webinar is free for ECTS members and non-members, but a registration is required. Recordings are accessible to ECTS members only.

Objectives:

• To understand the basic mechanisms of epigenetic regulation
• To get familiar with the methods of epigenetic research
• To learn how the transcriptome is regulated by epigenetic mechanisms during cellular differentiation
• To share data newly generated on the regulation of osteoblast differentiation

Presenter: Riku Kiviranta M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor in Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital

Dr. Riku Kiviranta graduated as an M.D. from the University of Turku, Finland in 2000 and defended his Ph.D. thesis on the role of Cathepsin K in bone metabolism in 2004 at the University of Turku. He did his post-doctoral training in the laboratory of professor Roland Baron at Yale University and Harvard Medical School during 2005-2010, after which he returned to Finland to continue his clinical training in Endocrinology as well as founding his own research group. He finished his Endocrinology training in 2015, after which he has worked as a consultant in Endocrinology at the Turku University Hospital. He was appointed as Assistant Professor in Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases in 2018. Dr. Kiviranta’s group focuses on the role of Wnt signaling in bone metabolism, in epigenetic regulation of osteoblast differentiation and the role of bone marrow adipose tissue in bone health.

Moderator: Hanna Taipaleenmäki, Molecular Skeletal Biology Laboratory (MSB-Lab), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf

Dr. Hanna Taipaleenmaki is a group leader in the Molecular Skeletal Biology Laboratory (MSB-Lab) at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf in Hamburg, Germany. During her PhD studies at the University of Turku, Finland and at the Endocrine Research Unit, Odense University Hospital, Denmark she developed a strong interest in post-transcriptional regulation of osteoblast differentiation and bone formation by non-coding RNAs. During her post-doctoral training at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, USA and at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany. She further elucidated the contribution of microRNAs in pathological bone remodeling with specific focus on cancer-induced bone disease. Currently her research group is investigating the role of osteoblasts in breast cancer-induced metastatic bone disease. Hanna is an active member of scientific societies including the ECTS and the ASBMR and her work has been awarded several awards, fellowships and grants.

BOND ERN: an opportunity for research?

Featuring  Dr Luca Sangiorgi, Rizzoli Rare Disease Center , Bologna, Italy,

and moderated by Nadia Rucci, University of L’Aquila, L’Aquila, Italy

Date & Time: 8 February 2018, 4-5pm CET

Costs: Live webinar is free for  ECTS members and non-members, but a registration is required.  Recordings are accessible to ECTS members only.

Objectives

• To become familiar with BOND European Reference Network (ERN) activities
• To review the possibilities of interactions within ERNs
• To review the integration of care and research within ERNs

Presenter: Dr Luca Sangiorgi, Rizzoli Rare Disease Center, Bologna, Italy

Luca Sangiorgi helds a Medical degree from the University of Bologna, a PhD in Clinical Genetics at “La Sapienza” University of Rome and a Master Degree in Research Promotion and Governance in Hospital Trusts and Local Health Units at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia.

He has been Visiting Scientist at the Molecular Oncology Section, Paediatric Branch of the National Cancer Institute in Maryland (USA).

He is coordinator of the Rizzoli Rare Disease Center and responsible of four National Registers of Rare Disease (Multiple Hereditary Exostoses, Osteogenesis Imperfecta, Ehrler Danlos and Ollier Disease). He also coordinates the Emilia Romagna Region Hub and Spoke Network on Rare Bone Disorders.

Italian representative in the Assembly of Member States (AoM) of BBMRI (Biobanking and Biomolecular Resources Research Infrastructure) since 2013, he is currently acting as Chair of the AoM and Coordinator of the BBMRI Rare Disease Interest Group.

Since December 2014 he is acting as Alternate of the Representative of Italian Government for the Committee for Advanced Therapies (CAT) of the European Medicine Agency (EMA).

Since March 2017 he is the coordinator of BOND ERN that includes 38 Centres of Excellence for the treatment of Rare Bone Disorders in 10 EU Member States.

As member of many different medical and scientific societies, he has been appointed President of Connective Tissue Oncology Society and International Skeletal Dysplasia Society.

Moderator: Nadia Rucci, University of L’Aquila, Italy

Nadia Rucci is Associate Professor and head of the Skeletal Diseases Laboratory (Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L’Aquila, Italy). She graduated in Biology at “La Sapienza” University of Rome (Italy), then she moved to the University of L’Aquila, where she achieved her PhD in Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases. Nadia Rucci’s research is mainly focused on oncologic (breast cancer induced bone metastases), metabolic (osteoporosis) and genetic (osteopetrosis) bone diseases. Nadia is currently PI of two projects: “Extracellular vesicles as new therapeutic approach to target bone tumour cells” funded by the Italian Association of Cancer Research and “Bone phenotype in Duchenne muscular dystrophy: unveiling the role of LCN2 and implications for therapy” funded by AFM-Telethon. She has published 63 original research articles in peer-review international journals.

Big Data, Omics, and the Need to Replicate

Featuring  Prof. André Uitterlinden,  Dept of Internal Medicine & Epidemiology, Erasmus MC, The Netherlands

and moderated by Nerea Alonso Lopez, Rheumatology and Bone Disease Unit, Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Date & Time: 18 January 2018, 4-5pm CET

Costs: free webinar for  ECTS members and non-members, but a registration is required

Objectives

• To become familiar with Big Data in Life Sciences, complex biology and Genomics/Genetics
• To understand a few examples of Technology and Big Omics Datasets
• To understand analytical challenges in big data analysis
• To understand the best way forward in obtaining robust results

Presenter: Prof. André Uitterlinden,  Dept of Internal Medicine & Epidemiology, Erasmus MC, The Netherlands

André Uitterlinden is Professor of Complex Genetics at the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam – The Netherlands – where he holds positions in 3 departments: Internal Medicine, Epidemiology, and Clinical Chemistry.

His research is focusing on genetic factors for common traits and disease, including anthropometry, endocrine traits & disorders and locomotor disease such as osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. At Erasmus MC he is also head of one of Europe’s largest high-throughput DNA facility, providing services for DNA isolation, genotyping and sequencing.

As a PI (Personal Investigator) and member of the MT, he is coordinating all molecular genetic analyses in 2 major cohort studies at Erasmus MC: the Rotterdam Study (12,000 elderly subjects) and the Generation R birth-cohort (n=7,000 children +12,000 parents).

He is collaborating with many (large) international epidemiological study populations and coordinates the GEFOS consortium involving >150.000 subjects to identify genetic risk factors for osteoporosis. He is a member of the Research Steering Committee of the CHARGE consortium and was director of the Netherlands Consortium for Healthy Aging (NCHA).

He has published over 850 papers in refereed journals (H-index 116, source Web of Science); furthermore he is leading annual international well known courses on complex genetics at Erasmus MC in Rotterdam – The Netherlands.

BoneCLARITY

Date & Time: 7 December  2017, 4-5pm CET

Costs: free webinar for  ECTS members and non-members, but a registration is required

Join Alon Greenbaum (California Institute of Technology, CalTech) to hear about Bone CLARITY, a bone tissue clearing method that enables visualization of the physiological processes at the cellular level in an intact bone environment. During this one-hour session Alon will present his work and how he used Bone CLARITY to detect the endogenous fluorescence of Sox9-tdTomato⁺ osteoprogenitor cells in the tibia, femur, and vertebral column of adult transgenic mice.

Presenter: Alon Greenbaum, California Institute of Technology, CalTech

Alon holds his BS and MS degrees in Electrical Engineering from Tel Aviv University, and his Ph.D in Electrical Engineering from University of California, Los Angeles. In his doctoral degree, Alon conducted biophotonics research under Prof. Aydogan Ozcan, focusing on high-resolution and high-throughput microscopy for biomedical applications. In Prof. Viviana Gradinaru’s lab (California Institute of Technology), he is exploring innovative imaging techniques for various bone and neuroscience applications. Alon have been awarded the Good Ventures Postdoctoral Fellowship of the Life Sciences Research Foundation, as well as the Howard Hughes Medical Institute International Student Research Fellowship. Alon have published over 25 peer reviewed journal articles and his work has been presented in over 30 conferences.

Moderator: Nadia Rucci, University of L’Aquila, Italy

Nadia Rucci is Associate Professor and head of the Skeletal Diseases Laboratory (Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L’Aquila, Italy). She graduated in Biology at “La Sapienza” University of Rome (Italy), then she moved to the University of L’Aquila, where she achieved her PhD in Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases. Nadia Rucci’s research is mainly focused on oncologic (breast cancer induced bone metastases), metabolic (osteoporosis) and genetic (osteopetrosis) bone diseases. Nadia is currently PI of two projects: “Extracellular vesicles as new therapeutic approach to target bone tumour cells” funded by the Italian Association of Cancer Research  and “Bone phenotype in Duchenne muscular dystrophy: unveiling the role of LCN2 and implications for therapy” funded by AFM-Telethon. She has published 63 original research articles in peer-review international journals.

Gut Microbiota – Regulation of Bone Mass

Date & Time: 12 October 2017, 16:00 – 17:00 CET

Learning Objectives:

• To learn about possible mechanisms for the impact of the gut microbiota on bone mass.
• To understand challenges in preclinical research on gut microbiota and bone: how genetic background, age, diet, animal facility, sex and GM composition can impact the results.
• To critically evaluate the gut microbiota as a possible novel therapeutic target for osteoporosis and fracture prevention.
• To define probiotics and prebiotics and learn how changing the gut microbiota may impact bone.
• To understand the concept of transplantation of a beneficial faecal microbiota.

Presenter: Klara Sjögren, CBAR, University of Gothenburg

Klara Sjögren is Associate Professor in Molecular Medicine at the Centre for Bone and Arthritis Research at the Sahlgrenska Academy in Göteborg, Sweden. Her research focuses on connections between gut microbiota (GM) and bone mass and whether changes in GM could promote bone disease. She was the first to demonstrate that the gut microbiota regulates bone mass. Her research projects are translational and multidisciplinary connecting microbiology, endocrinology, immunology and bone metabolism and include cell cultures, experimental animal models and clinical trials.

Moderator: Thomas Funck-Brentano, CBAR, University of Gothenburg

Thomas Funck-Brentano is a clinical rheumatologist with a preclinical background. He is a member of the ECTS Academy since 2016. He trained in University Paris Diderot and defendend his PhD (supervised by Pr Martine Cohen-Solal) in 2013 on the role of the Wnt signaling pathway in the subchondral bone in preclinical models of osteoarthritis. He then was assistant professor in the department of Rheumatology in Hôpital Lariboisière in Paris (2012-2016) were he got particularly interested in managing bone diseases, such as osteoporosis and rare bone diseases. He has recently moved to the University of Gothenburg (Sweden) in Pr Claes Ohlsson’s group to enhance his skills in translational research. His project on the functional studies of NOTUM as a regulator of cortical bone mass was granted by Sweden’s Innovation Agency Vinnova for a two-year fellowship. He is also involved in clinical research projects on the link between bone and cardiometabolic diseases and osteoarthritis using various large databases.

Liquid Biopsy

Date & Time: 14 September 2017 from 4:00pm to 5:00pm CET

Objectives: 

• Learn about the advantages/disadvantages of using liquid biopsies in the clinic
• Learn about the collection and use of liquid biopsies
• Learn about the content of liquid biopsies
• Learn about extraction methods of liquid biopsies
• Learn about miRNAs and their correlation with bone metabolism endpoints

Presenter: Matthias Hackl, CEO and co-founder, TAmiRNA GmbH

Matthias Hackl graduated in the area of Biotechnology from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (Boku) in 2012. His studies of microRNA function in mammalian cell lines and model systems of Ageing involved rotations through labs at the University of Georgia and Minnesota in the United States as well as University Bielefeld in Germany.  Matthias has won two private company grants for developing applications of PCR and Flow Cytometry based microRNA quantification tools and was honored by the Austrian Association of Molecular Life Sciences and Biotechnology for his achievements during his PhD. He has authored 30 publications and two book chapters in the field of microRNA biology and held a one-year PostDoc position in microRNA-based cell engineering at the Vienna Institute of Biotechnology before joining TAmiRNA. Matthias Hackl is also co-founder of Remute Bio GmbH, founded in 2016.

Moderator: Bram van der Eerden

Bram van der Eerden studied Biology in Utrecht (the Netherlands) and received his PhD in 2002 in Leiden (the Netherlands) working on the hormonal regulation of growth plate cartilage. Since then, he has been working within the department of Internal medicine of the Erasmus MC in Rotterdam on the role of calcium channels in bone and is now mainly involved in the functional characterization of novel compounds/genes/pathways that are anabolic to bone, using in vitro and in vivo models. Currently, he is group leader of the laboratory for Calcium and Bone Metabolism of Internal Medicine at the Erasmus MC. Bram has (co)-authored >50 peer-reviewed papers, has been board member of the Dutch Calcium and Bone Metabolism Society (NVCB) for 6 years and is now in the Bone networking group of the Dutch Society for Endocrinology. He was co-chair of the IBMS young investigator committee and is currently chairing the ECTS Webinar Committee. He has been involved in a number of international projects, including an ongoing Horizon2020 Marie-Curie Staff Exchange project (RUBICON) focusing on the molecular pathways in connective tissue diseases. His research group consists of 2 senior scientists, 1 Post-doc, 4 PhD students and 2 technicians.