Osteoporosis and related bone diseases are endemic in Western society. Reflecting development of a number of in vitro and in vivo models of osteoblast and osteoclast function, the pathogeneses of these disorders now lend themselves to molecular exploration. Because future gains in preventing skeletal dysfunction are likely to hinge on identifying molecular an physical events which regulate osteoblasts and osteoclasts, it is imperative that graduate students and post-doctoral fellows, from assorted disciplines, commit to bone cell biology. The pace at which information is generated makes this a particularly propitious time to attract new investigators to the field. This meeting will provide an overview of the most prevalent disorders of bone in context of the fundamentals of cell and molecular biology and the opportunity for graduate students and post-doctoral fellows to present their data in an interactive and critical environment. Reviewing the pathogenesis of these diseases in terms of intracellular signaling, cell-matrix interactions, and hormonal, cytokine and transcriptional regulation will afford a basis for new investigators to extend their expertise to pathobiological events within the skeleton.
