08/02/2010

Pioneering study on the genetics of osteoporosis - GAO

Sant Pau has launched a pioneering study on the genetic basis of osteoporosis - GAO (Genetic Analysis Osteoporosis) – the fruit of collaboration between Hospital Sant Pau’s Internal Medicine Service and the Research Institute’s Unit of Genomics of Complex Diseases. The study aims to identify the genes involved in the risk of osteoporosis and their mechanisms of action.

Once these goals are met we will be able to determine an individuals’ predisposition to develop this disease and identify individuals at high risk even before they present clinical symptoms. This knowledge will help us develop more efficient diagnostic and therapeutic strategies with clear advantages for healthcare.
The project is led by José Manuel Soria, director of the Unit of Genomics of Complex Diseases, and Jordi Casademont, director of the Internal Medicine Service, with the collaboration of Jordi Farrerons, Jorge Malouf, Ana Maria Laiz and Ana Marín from the Mineral Metabolism Unit. The study has an innovative design and is financed by FIS and the Fundación Mutua Madrileña. Over one hundred participants, grouped in families, have already been enrolled in the study and a total of over 500 individuals is expected.
The initiative is a fine example of collaboration in translational research between basic research and clinical teams at our institution.