Abaloparatide to help broken bones heal faster
Official title: BCCMA:Foundational Research to Act Upon and Resist Conditions unfavorable to bone (FRACTURECURB):Role of abaloparatide for fracture healing
Funded at Veterans Affairs Med Ctr San Francisco · NIH-11212782 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work looks at whether the bone-building drug abaloparatide can speed and strengthen healing after fractures, especially in people at risk for delayed healing.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Veterans Affairs Med Ctr San Francisco NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project start | October 1, 2022 |
| Project end | September 30, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5I01BX005854-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11212782 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people with fractures who are at high risk for delayed healing or non-union, such as older adults or Veterans with conditions that weaken bone.
✕Less likely to help
People without fractures or whose fractures are already healing normally are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this research, and those with contraindications to anabolic bone drugs would not be appropriate candidates.
What this research studies
If you have a broken bone, this project aims to understand how the bone-building drug abaloparatide might speed and strengthen healing by using lab and animal models that mimic conditions common in Veterans. Researchers will study the three different ways bone grows back inside the fracture callus and will use imaging and molecular tests to track new bone formation. They will examine signaling pathways such as IGF1 and ephrinB2/EphB4 that may be required for parathyroid-hormone–type drugs to work. The knowledge gained is intended to guide future patient treatments for fractures that heal slowly or not at all.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could lead to treatments that help fractures heal faster and reduce delayed or non-union complications.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work with parathyroid-hormone therapies has shown promise for speeding fracture repair, and abaloparatide is a newer, potentially stronger anabolic agent, though its actions in fracture healing are not yet well proven.
Where this research is happening
-
Veterans Affairs Med Ctr San Francisco
San Francisco, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bikle, Daniel David — Veterans Affairs Med Ctr San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Bikle, Daniel David
Related research
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Intermittent Fasting to Boost Fracture Healing in Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes
A study tests whether intermittent fasting can improve bone healing in people with obesity and type 2 diabetes by changing the gut microbiome.
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Next-Generation MRI to Predict Bone Healing Using Virtual Testing
A new MRI-based method uses advanced imaging and computer models to predict how well broken bones are healing, starting with shinbone (tibial) fractures.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.