Meenakshi Chellaiah, PhD, was awarded a patent for a small peptide drug that is non-toxic and clears the system quickly, minimizing long- and short-term side effects.
Osteoporosis, a condition that’s defined by a loss of bone density that makes a person more susceptible to fractures and can be life-threatening, affects millions worldwide. In the United States, about one in 10 people age 50 and older have been diagnosed, and another 44 million people are estimated to have the disease or are at risk.
The condition has been dubbed a silent disease because its symptoms don’t often present early. But its impact, such as when a senior person falls and suffers a broken hip, can lead to death.
Medications and lifestyle changes are the predominant means of treatment while health care professionals explore novel avenues for preventing bone loss. That’s the leading scientific focus for Meenakshi Chellaiah, PhD, a professor in the Department of Oncology and Diagnostic Sciences at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry (UMSOD). Chellaiah focuses on bone remodeling caused by changes in osteoclasts and osteoblasts in response to various treatments and cancer metastasis to bone.
"Bone is a living tissue renewed constantly throughout life," she says. Osteoclasts remove older bones, and new bones are formed by osteoblasts. When the balance is off, osteoporosis results.
In November 2022, Chellaiah was awarded a patent for a small peptide drug that is non-toxic and clears the system quickly, minimizing long- and short-term side effects, and this could add to the arsenal of ways to treat or, better yet, prevent or slow the progression of the disease.