The bone research group experienced a very great loss on 18 July 2002 when its leader Dr. Lis Mosekilde passed away after a year long courageous battle against cancer. Lis Mosekilde was an exceptional kind and insightful person and colleague - she will be severely missed.
The bone research group at the Department of Cell Biology, Institute of Anatomy, University of Aarhus, Denmark consists of one scientists: Jesper Skovhus Thomsen (M.Sc., Ph.D.), two Ph.D. students, and one technician.
The group has developed new biomechanical testing techniques as well as new histomorphometric methods that have been applied in both pre-clinical and clinical settings.
The main focus of the group is to study the age- and sex-related changes in bone strength and structure in human vertebral and iliac bone through biomechanical testing and histomorphometry. Another important research focus of the group is biomechanical testing of rodent bones in connection with determination of the efficacy of different osteoporosis and osteopenia treatment regimens (pharmaceutical intervention or prevention treatments and the influence of exercise).
Current areas of research:
Preclinical:
Biomechanical testing of rodent bones (vertebral body, femoral neck, femoral mid-diaphysis, distal femoral metaphysis, proximal tibial metaphysis, tibial mid-diaphysis, proximal humeral metaphysis, humeral mid-diaphysis, cranial bone).
Histomorphometry of rodent bones (vertebral body, distal femoral metaphysis, and proximal tibial metaphysis).
Biomechanical testing of bones from pigs and monkeys.
Clinical (ex vivo):
Biomechanical testing of human vertebral and iliac bone.
Histomorphometry of human vertebral, iliac, and tibial trabecular bone.
Densitometry of human vertebral bone (DEXA, QCT, and pQCT).
The influence of microgravity on bone structure.
The bone research group collaborates with scientists in industry and universities from all parts of the world (Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Holland, Norway, Switzerland, UK, and USA).