Research Unit "Regeneration in aged"
The Research Unit aims to understand the basic mechanisms that hamper the otherwise effective healing process along the two pathways of early immune response and re-constitution of mechanical competence by means of aging.
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Nutrition, aging and marrow adipose tissue in bone maintenance and regeneration
Adipocyte-enriched yellow bone marrow develops during aging and obesity, among other metabolic disorders. It is thought to contribute to dysfunctional bone homeostasis and attenuated bone tissue repair. At the same time, aging and obesity are accompanied by a low-grade systemic inflammation (‘Inflamm-Aging’) and release of cytokines by local adipocytic cells. Together, these two factors are well-known negative regulators of bone healing. The aim of this project is to investigate the regulatory mechanisms driving marrow adipogenesis and its regulation of bone tissue repair. It is hypothesized that different physiological stimuli, such as diet-composition and different immune cell types, promote the accumulation of potentially beneficial and/or pathological types of marrow-resident adipocytes. The potential association of marrow-adipose tissue with reduced bone quality and impaired bone healing and its preferential occurrence in obese and aged individuals emphasizes the necessity to further investigate the relationship of metabolic pathologies and bone regeneration.