Bone and mineral research

The research of the division of Endocrinology within the department of Internal Medicine is concentrated around the pathophysiology, prevention and treatment of metabolic disease, including regenerative strategies. The research focuses on three themes: 1) regulation of energy metabolism, 2) beta-cell regeneration, and 3) bone and mineral research, all of which are organized in a multidisciplinary way.

The pathogenesis of skeletal diseases and disturbances of bone metabolism are still not completely understood and despite advances in therapeutics, new treatment modalities are needed. The long-term goal of this research programme is the development of improved methods for diagnosis, prevention and treatment of bone diseases. Emphasis is on translational research using patients with rare bone diseases as model for hypo- or hyperfunction of bone cells. Clinical and research activities are mixed within these theme. The group currently is actively involved both in the European Reference Network (ERN) for rare bone diseases (BOND), and in ENDO-ERN, and is one of the key members of the International Fibrous Dysplasia consortium together with the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, USA.

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The pathogenesis of skeletal diseases and disturbances of bone metabolism are still not completely understood and despite advances in therapeutics, new treatment modalities are needed. The long-term goal of this research programme is the development of improved methods for diagnosis, prevention and treatment of bone diseases. Emphasis is on translational research using patients with rare bone diseases as model for hypo- or hyperfunction of bone cells. Clinical and research activities are mixed within these theme. The group currently is actively involved both in the European Reference Network (ERN) for rare bone diseases (BOND), and in ENDO-ERN, and is one of the key members of the International Fibrous Dysplasia consortium together with the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, USA.

All subjects studied belong to the LUMC medical research profile area of Vascular and Regenerative Medicine, which fits well with Regenerative Medicine being one of the three healthcare-related topics that are part of the Dutch National Research Agenda. The overarching goal of our research, innovation in disease prevention, monitoring and therapy is built on strong pillars of basic science programs and ‘state of the art technologies’ in physiology, systems biology, genetics, molecular biology, regenerative biology, and imaging.