Why it is important

More than half of people who suffer hip fractures in old age do not get any treatment because the diagnostics and therapies need improving.

How it can benefit patients

We are studying healthy ageing in the bone so we can develop better diagnostic tools and identify novel treatment targets for people who age and get fragile.

Summary of current research

We have discovered that the weak link in bone tissue is the bond between the two main nanoscale components – collagen and mineral. We should be able to diagnose fragility by measuring the bond then treat fragility by strengthening the bond. The combination wil allow us to prevent fractures which affect about 9 million people every year.