Sundar Srinivasan, Ph.D.
Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine
E-mail: sundars@u...


TITLE:

"Bone Mechanotransduction and Age-Related Degradation in Function"


ABSTRACT:

Mechanical loading of the skeleton, as occurs during physical activity, is a
critical determinant of bone structure and morphology.  Further, ‘extra’
loading of the skeleton is anabolic (e.g., weight lifting, tennis) and can be
used to augment bone mass and strength.  Given the promise of physical
exercise, mechanical loading has been considered a noninvasive means to
counteract increased skeletal fragility associated with aging and menopause.
However, the promise of physical exercise has remained unrealized, in part
because aging degrades a number of cellular functions involved in bone
mechanotransduction (or how cells perceive and initiate biochemical cascades
in response to the stimulus).  In this seminar, I will present our research
exploring mechanotransduction, its age related degradation as well as possible
means to counteract deficits in its functioning.  The tools we have used in our
explorations, from in vivo animal studies to complex systems based modeling,
will also be briefly discussed to highlight our iterative use of these tools to
explore the basic science of bone mechanotransduction.