How bones weaken in different ways that lead to hip fractures
Official title: Heterogeneous pathways to bone strength decline and hip fracture
Funded at University of Michigan at Ann Arbor · NIH-11266228 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how differences in bone size, mineral content, and bone area relate to hip fracture risk in older men and women.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Michigan at Ann Arbor NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Ann Arbor, United States) |
| Project start | April 15, 2024 |
| Project end | January 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $649,778 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AR082325-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11266228 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Older adults (men and women) concerned about hip fracture risk who have or can obtain bone imaging and share health records are the best fit.
✕Less likely to help
Younger people, those whose fractures are due to major trauma, or people without available bone imaging or health records are unlikely to benefit directly.
What this research studies
This work focuses on how bones change with age in ways that standard bone density tests may miss. Researchers will group people by external bone size and track patterns of bone mineral content loss and increases in bone area to see which patterns link to hip fractures. The team will combine imaging and clinical data from living participants with strength measurements from cadaver samples to connect structural patterns to real fracture risk. The aim is to find measurable bone traits that explain fractures even when areal bone mineral density looks similar across people.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help identify people at higher hip fracture risk that standard bone density tests miss, enabling earlier or more targeted prevention.
How similar studies have gone: Prior cadaver and imaging work supports different strength declines by bone size, but applying these patterns to predict fractures in living populations is a relatively new approach.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Jepsen, Karl J — University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
- Study coordinator: Jepsen, Karl J
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Developing a new treatment to improve muscle recovery after hip fractures in older adults
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Understanding how different factors contribute to bone strength decline and hip fractures in older adults
This study is looking at how bone strength changes as we age and what factors might help predict the risk of hip fractures in older adults, so we can better understand and prevent these injuries.
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.