The Novo Nordisk Foundation has awarded a five-year grant of DKK 10 million (approximately €1.3 million) for a research project headed by Professor Outi Mäkitie, investigating childhood-onset osteoporosis and its genetic causes.
For several years, Professor Mäkities group, a part of Folkhälsan Research Center (Biomedicum Helsinki) has been investigating factors underlying increased bone fragility. Chronic diseases and their treatment may predispose patients to osteoporosis. In addition to external factors, genes also play an important role.
The project supported by the Novo Nordisk Foundation aims to identify new genes that regulate skeletal metabolism by investigating children with early-onset osteoporosis or proneness to fractures, as well as families with occurrences of the same disorders. The identification of genetic causes enables early diagnosis, effective prevention and the development of novel forms of therapy.
