Researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions have discovered the third in a sequence of genes that accounts for previously unexplained forms of osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), a genetic condition that weakens bones and results in frequent fractures. The newly identified gene contains the information needed to make the protein Cyclophilin B. This protein is part of a complex of three proteins that modifies collagen, folding it into a precise molecular configuration.

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Researchers have developed a simpler, faster and more accurate method than the earlier ones of determining how stress injuries might affect inanimate or human structures. The researchers take 3-D sampled or scanned data of structures and calculate the point of weakness so that preventive measures can be taken in advance.

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The drug Teriparatide offers new hope for osteoporosis patients. It contains a natural human hormone’s synthetic form that helps in treating bone-thinning osteoporosis. Even patients who have already been treated with Fosamax (alendronate) and Zometa (zoledronate) might benefit from Teriparatide. The earlier treatment methods treated osteoporosis by blocking the cells that break down bones whereas Teriparatide works by enhancing cells that build bones.