A new treatment approach has been identified by researchers and it is expected that it may lead to the development of new bone-forming cells in patients who suffer from bone loss.

A study has been conducted by the Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) and it concentrates on a protein called PPARy, which is known as the master regulator of fat. Effect of PPARy on the fate of stem cells that were derived from bone marrow (mesenchymal stem cells) was also studied.

These mesenchymal stem cells can develop into a number of different cell types- such as connective tissues, bone and cartilage; they have many potentially significant therapeutic applications.

It was known that a partial loss of PPARy in a GM (genetically modified) mouse model caused increased bone formation. The researchers combined various structural biology approaches to realistically design a new compound that could hold back the biological activity of PPARy, in order to observe if they could imitate that effect using a drug candidate.

It was found in the study that when the new compound, which they called SR2595 (SR=Scripps Research), was used to treat human mesenchymal stem cells, there was a statistically considerable increase in formation of osteoblast, a cell type that is known to form bone.

According to Patrick Griffin, PhD, molecular therapeutics department chair and director of the Translational Research Institute at Scripps Research Institute, "These findings demonstrate for the first time a new therapeutic application for drugs targeting PPARG, which has been the focus of efforts to develop insulin sensitizers to treat type 2 diabetes".