Research cuts to the bone

Story Mardi Chapman

Bone cell research in the School of Medical Science has received a significant boost with the awarding of two National Health and Medical Research Council grants to Associate Professor Nigel Morrison.

Together with another National Health and Medical Research Council funded study already underway into the regulation of bone formation, the grants bring $1.4 million over four years to a better understanding of bone metabolism.

According to Associate Professor Nigel Morrison, his research group is one of the few who investigate both the underlying drivers of bone formation and bone resorption. The two processes need to be in careful balance to avoid bone disease such as osteoporosis.

One of the new projects will investigate the internal chemical controls over the development and activity of osteoclasts, the cells which resorb or destroy bone.

"A number of proteins known as chemokines are involved in the early differentiation of osteoclasts from their precursors.

"It appears that the first stage of differentiation may be an inflammatory process, with these chemokines signalling and drawing in other cells to form the giant, highly specialised osteoclast. The basic science of this cell is fantastic."

Associate Professor Morrison said his primary motivation for the research was intellectual curiosity. However chemokines have also been recognised as potential targets for new therapies for diseases such as arthritis.

"If osteoclast differentiation and activity can be controlled, the skeletal side effects can be reduced and disease ameliorated."

The other new project with colleagues Professor Ifor Beacham and Dr Ian Peak will investigate the body's response to infection with Burkholderia pseudomallei. The bacteria cause the potentially fatal disease melioidosis, which is endemic in tropical and subtropical regions.

"Immune cells known as macrophages would normally kill bacteria in the body. Instead, Burkholderia seems to avoid the immune system by turning the macrophage into an osteoclast-like cell."

He said bone was an unappreciated site of latent infection with B pseudomallei but the way the bacteria appeared to subvert the normal host response was intriguing.

Associate Professor Nigel Morrison has been at Griffith for ten years and during that time has mentored numerous undergraduates into promising research careers.

"The advantage of teaching is to recognise and encourage good students," he said.

He describes his research and that of his team as 'the green jungle of discovery' where 'every time you go in, you find something new'.

"Interesting things are happening all the time. I like new discovery and having a research group that are your intellectual equals and are constantly generating new ideas. The mix of expertise in a group means people are seeing things differently and can contribute in a synergistic way."