NIH awards $3 million grant to study synbiotic medical food for bone health in older women

The NIH/Nationwide Institute on Growing older has awarded a R01 $3 million grant to check the affect of a probiotic/prebiotic (synbiotic) medical meals developed by Solarea Bio on sustaining bone well being of older ladies.

The examine will assist an 18-month medical trial of a synbiotic medical meals in 220 older ladies to check whether or not it maintains lumbar spine bone mineral density (BMD) with getting old.

Grant recipients are Hebrew SeniorLife, USDA HNRCA at Tufts College, Maine Medical Heart Analysis Institute, and Solarea Bio.

“There’s an unmet want for secure and efficient dietary interventions for the metabolic processes underlying bone loss,” mentioned Dr. Shivani Sahni, PhD, who’s an affiliate professor of medication at Harvard Medical Faculty, affiliate scientist on the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Growing older Analysis at Hebrew SeniorLife, and director of the Diet Program on the Marcus Institute. “Present really helpful methods for upkeep of wholesome bone mass are restricted to consuming a weight loss program wealthy in nutritional vitamins and minerals and performing weight bearing exercise.”

Osteoporotic fractures can have devastating well being and financial penalties. Thirty % of girls is not going to survive the primary 12 months following a hip fracture, and in america 1.5 million fractures prices the healthcare system $17 billion yearly. As our inhabitants ages and life expectancy will increase, the burden of osteoporotic fractures will proceed to rise with out particular, secure, and efficient methods to keep up bone mass with age.”

Dr. Clifford J. Rosen, MD, Maine Medical Heart Analysis Institute

“The proposed examine is important as a result of it’ll take a look at the efficacy of the synbiotic medical meals, SBD111, to keep up bone density with age,” mentioned Dr. Eric Schott, co-founder and COO, Solarea Bio. “It additionally will present the mechanistic insights resulting in methods for the dietary administration of the metabolic processes underlying osteopenia and osteoporosis.”

“Osteoporotic fractures lead to extra hospitalizations than coronary heart assaults, strokes, and breast most cancers mixed and trigger extreme ache, long-term incapacity, and early demise,” mentioned Douglas P. Kiel, MD., MPH, director of the Musculoskeletal Analysis Heart at Hebrew SeniorLife’s Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Growing older Analysis and professor of medication at Harvard Medical Faculty. “The projected enhance in age-related osteoporotic fractures is estimated to be greater than 48% between 2005 to 2025 with direct prices exceeding $25 billion in 2025.”

Hebrew SeniorLife Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Growing older Analysis investigators are Dr. Shivani Sahni, PhD (PI), Dr. Douglas P. Kiel, MD MPH (Co-I), and Dr. Thomas G. Travison (Co-I). Solarea Bio collaborators are Dr. Eric Schott, PhD (PI), and Dr. Gerardo V. Toledo, PhD (Co-I). USDA HNRCA at Tufts College collaborator is Dr. Paul F. Jacques, DSc (PI). Maine Medical Heart Analysis Institute (MMCRI) collaborator is Dr. Clifford J. Rosen, MD (PI).