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Research project

Establishment of a National Network on Musculoskeletal Ageing

Project overview

Our overall aim is to establish a new national network which will underpin a step change in musculoskeletal ageing research capacity and strategy, by identifying: key tractable research priorities; developing an integrated multi-disciplinary grouping to address the identified research gaps; providing a platform to disseminate best practice; supporting Early Career Researchers (ECRs) to build research capacity and ensure longevity to current UKRI investments; and coordinating an ongoing programme of innovative studies to identify, develop and translate findings from our discovery science to clinical impact. Crucially the network will contribute to delivering the government Grand Challenge target of 5 more years of independent living by 2035, by identifying approaches to maintain mobility in old age. The network will bring together the scientific excellence of the three principal applicants. Focusing on the leading chronic non-communicable disorders of bone, muscle and joint (osteoporosis, sarcopenia, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis), the integration of these groups will galvanize a truly bench to bedside approach to provide a strong evidence base for health policy, underpinning a step change in UK musculoskeletal ageing research capability/capacity, and promoting increased healthspan.

Staff

Lead researchers

Professor Cyrus Cooper

Prof Rheumatology Clinical Epidemiology
Research interests
  • Key research contributions have been:
  • discovery of the developmental influences which contribute to the risk of osteoporosis and hi…
  • demonstration that maternal vitamin D insufficiency is associated with sub-optimal bone miner…
Connect with Cyrus

Email: cc@mrc.soton.ac.uk

Other researchers

Professor Nicholas Harvey

Director/Professor
Research interests
  • Lifecourse epidemiology of osteoporosis and fragility fractures
  • Understanding mechanism and development of novel interventions across lifecourse to prevent f…
Connect with Nicholas

Email: nch@mrc.soton.ac.uk

Collaborating research institutes, centres and groups

Research outputs

Lower birth weight is linked to poorer cardiovascular health in middle-aged population-based adults
Zahra Raisi-Estabragh, Jackie Cooper, Mae S. Bethell, Celeste McCracken, Adam J. Lewandowski, Paul Leeson, Stefan Neubauer, Nicholas C. Harvey & Steffen E Petersen, 2022, Heart
DOI: 10.1136/heartjnl-2022-321733
Type: article
The association between number and ages of children and the physical activity of mothers: cross-sectional analyses from the Southampton Women's Survey
Rachel F. Simpson, Kathryn R. Hesketh, Sarah R. Crozier, Janis Baird, Cyrus Cooper, Keith M. Godfrey, Nicholas C. Harvey, Kate Westgate, Hazel M. Inskip & Esther M.F. van Sluijs, 2022, PLoS ONE, 17(11)
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0276964
Type: article
Intervention thresholds and diagnostic thresholds in the management of osteoporosis.
John A. Kanis, Eugene V. McCloskey, Nicholas Harvey, Cyrus Cooper, Rene Rizzoli, Bess Dawson-Hughes, Stefania Maggi & Jean-Yves Reginster, 2022, Aging Clinical and Experimental Research, 34(12), 3155 - 3157
DOI: 10.1007/s40520-022-02216-7
Type: letterEditorial
Knee osteoarthritis and adverse health outcomes
Nicola Veronese, Germain Honvo, Olivier Bruyère, René Rizzoli, Mario Barbagallo, Stefania Maggi, Lee Smith, Shaun Sabico, Nasser Al-Daghri, Cyrus Cooper, Francesco Pegreffi & Jean-Yves Reginster, 2022, Aging Clinical and Experimental Research
DOI: 10.1007/s40520-022-02289-4
Type: review
Novel formulations of oral bisphosphonates in the treatment of osteoporosis
Nicholas Fuggle, Nasser Al-Daghri, Olivier Bock, Jaime Branco, Olivier Bruyère, Enrique Casado, Etienne Cavalier, Bernard Cortet, Maarten de Wit, Andrea Giusti, Philippe Halbout, Nicholas C Harvey, Mickaël Hiligsmann, Jean-Marc Kaufman, Andreas Kurth, Stefania Maggi, Radmila Matijevic, Salvatore Minisola, Santiago Palacios, Régis Pierre Radermecker, Friederike Thomasius, Sansin Tuzun, Nicola Veronese, John A Kanis, Jean-Yves Reginster, René Rizzoli & Cyrus Cooper, 2022, Aging Clinical and Experimental Research, 34(11), 2625-2634
DOI: 10.1007/s40520-022-02272-z
Type: review
A review of epigenetics and its association with ageing of muscle and bone.
Nicholas Fuggle, Faidra Laskou, Nicholas Harvey & Elaine Dennison, 2022, Maturitas, 165, 12-17
DOI: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2022.06.014
Type: review
Determinants of muscle density and clinical outcomes: findings from the Hertfordshire Cohort Study
Faidra Laskou, Leo Westbury, Nicholas Fuggle, Nicholas Harvey, Harnish Patel, Cyrus Cooper, Kate Ward & Elaine Dennison, 2022, Bone, 164
DOI: 10.1016/j.bone.2022.116521
Type: article