Metabolic Bone Diseases Clinical Study Group

The Metabolic bone disease CSG is chaired by Professor David M Reid, Professor of Rheumatology at the University of Aberdeen.

Annual report 2009

For more information on the recent activities of the Metabolic bone disease CSG please read the latest annual report.

Steering group

A steering group for the metabolic bone disease CSG has been established whose members are:

 Member  Institution
 Professor Juliet Compston  University of Cambridge
 Professor Cyrus Cooper  Universities of Southampton & Oxford
 Professor Richard Eastell  University of Sheffield
 Professor Roger Francis  University of Newcastle (Vice-Chair)
 Professor David Marsh  University College London
 Mrs Jean Nunn  Lay Member
 Dr Dani Preedy  University of Southampton
 Professor Stuart Ralston   University of Edinburgh
 Mr Mark Wilkinson  University of Sheffield

They provide a variety of expertise stretching across the entire spectrum of metabolic bone diseases including post-menopausal osteoporosis, secondary osteoporosis, Paget’s disease and rare metabolic bone disorders.

Dr Dani Preedy previously of the National Osteoporosis Society and now working for the National Institute of Health: Efficacy and Evaluation Programme represents non-Arthritis Research UK funders perspectives.

As needed the panel will be enhanced by others co-opted in to provide expertise in additional speciality areas such as orthopaedics or pharmacology.

Group meetings

The Steering Group held their first face-to-face meeting on 31st January 2008 at the Novartis Foundation in London. The main aim of that meeting was to reach an initial consensus on some of the 'Big Questions' that need to be answered in the Bone arena, including:

  1. The need for vitamin D testing and supplementation in Osteoporosis Management
  2. How it is best to cost-effectively monitor treatment for patients with metabolic bone disease
  3. How long should bisphosphonates be used in the treatment of osteoporosis?
 Minutes of meetings    
January 2008 May 2008 September 2008
May 2009 August 2009 November 2009

Strategy

Read the strategy.

A shortlist of questions has been circulated to a large number of individual Research Group Members who will score the importance of the research questions. The Research Group Members will be self-nominated as having taken part in clinical studies or advising on clinical research needs in Bone disease. If you wish to become a member of the Research Group please email the chair at csg-metabolicbone@arthritisresearchuk.org .

In addition to helping scope some of the big questions in Bone Disease Research, members of the Research Group will receive a regular email update of new contents on this website and will potentially be invited to consider participation in commercial or non-commercial clinical trials. Membership is free and will be advertised at UK Bone meetings in 2008. Interest in membership will also be sought through the Health Partners Forum of the National Osteoporosis Society which includes representative from the British Society of Rheumatology, British Orthopaedic Association & the UK division of the International Society for Fracture Repair, British Endocrine Society, British Geriatrics Society, British Society for Skeletal Radiologists and the Bone Research Society. Articles will be published on the work of the Research Group in Society newsletters.

The Research Group chair will work with other research groups chairs to involve pharmaceutical companies, and fund giving bodies such as the Medical Research Council and Wellcome Trust thus identifying further research needs and potential funding opportunities. Liaison with UK Clinical Research Network – Comprehensive Local Network will be a key activity of the group and in addition contacts are being established with similar emergent networks in Scotland via the Scottish Executive Chief Scientist’s Office, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Until a full clinical research strategy for Bone Disease studies in the UK can be completed, Arthritis Research UK will funnel applications for clinical research in Bone Disease via the Steering Group for advice as to how the study matches the developing strategy and thereafter, if appropriate, the project will be sent for International Peer Review as normal.

Questionnaire - prioritising research proposals

The Metabolic Bone Disease CSG still wishes to seek your help in drawing up the research proposals and prioritising them. If you are willing to help with this process, please complete the questionnaire and return to David Reid by email/fax/post.

Contact details

For all enquiries and additional information, please contact:

Professor David Reid,
School of Medicine,
University of Aberdeen,
Foresterhill, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD
csg_metabolicbone@arthritisresearchuk.org
Tel.: 01224 551154, Fax.: 01224 554761

Share |