Advances in Musculoskeletal & Neuronal Interactions

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The public health burden of age-related diseases is increasing rapidly as the number of older adults continues to rise. Osteoporotic fractures are now responsible for more hospitalizations in the United States than heart attack, stroke, and breast cancer combined. Muscle weakness and postural instability are major contributors to the incidence of falls among the elderly, and falling is the primary etiological factor in 90% of hip fractures. Loss of muscle and bone mass with age is therefore a major limiting factor on health span, as the morbidity that accompanies fractures in the elderly is costly both in terms of financial burden and quality of life. A major gap in the advancement of new prevention and treatment strategies for age-related musculoskeletal diseases is a lack of integration from various areas of musculoskeletal research. Our goal is to bring together leaders from these various disciplines to facilitate communication, identify future research directions, and attract young scientists to this emerging, interdisciplinary area of research. The proposed 2021 meeting “Advances in Musculoskeletal & Neuronal Interactions” in Atlanta will include i) a focus on stem biology in muscle and bone, and the role(s) of these cell populations in musculoskeletal crosstalk, ii) new advances in neuromuscular junction structure, function and degradation in aging, iii) tissue engineering approaches for musculoskeletal repair and regeneration, and iv) novel approaches for cellular imaging of muscle and bone tissue. Aim 1 is to bring together research leaders to stimulate new collaborative studies in the area of musculoskeletal and neuronal interactions with an emphasis on age-related impairment. Aim 2 is to inspire new ideas through brainstorming sessions, group discussions, panel discussions, and one-on-one interactions. Aim 3 is to identify means to promote, inform, and support the emerging field of musculoskeletal & neuronal interactions. Aim 4 is to disseminate information regarding such interactions and age-relatedness including latest ideas, state-of-the-art technologies, potential for collaboration, and new opportunities for funding and support. We believe this program reflects the most exciting advances relevant to the fields of aging biology, muscle, bone and neuronal interactions and will serve as the platform to identify promising opportunities and future research directions.