MUSC Children's Hospital - Research

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Osteoclast Team

Osteopetrosis Bone Phenotype

Osteoclast

Sakamuri V. Reddy, PhD
Professor & Director, Osteoclast Center

In 1988, Dr. Reddy obtained his PhD in Biochemistry from S.V. University, India. He then joined the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA) as a postdoctoral fellow and advanced to the rank of associate professor in the department of medicine/hematology, UTHSCSA. He continued his career as an associate professor in the department of medicine/hematology-Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Reddy joined the Chidlren's Research Institute at MUSC in July 2004. Dr. Reddy is a recipient Young Investigator Award and Paget's Foundation Award from the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR); NIH R01 Research Awards and Department of Defense (DOD) Medical Research Award. He is also the 2006 recipient of the Mitchell I Rubin Research Excellence Award in the department of pediatrics. Dr. Reddy has been a member of several scientific organizations including San Antonio Cancer Research Institute, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, ASBMR and a FASEB visiting professor. He has been a member of the Federation of the American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) since 2004; Ad hoc member, publications committee, ASBMR (2006-2009). Dr. Reddy is also on the Faculty Tenure Committee, MUSC (2006-2009); Faculty Senate, MUSC (2005-2007). He has served on the International Relations Committee and Medical School Admission Committee for several years at the UTHSCSA, San Antonio. He has also served as a peer reviewer for several national and international scientific journals and funding agencies including the NIH and Department of Defense study sections in the field of arthritis and musculoskeletal disorders. Dr. Reddy has been a mentor for several postdoctoral trainees and taught the courses on Biomedical Foundation at the University of Pittsburgh and Bone Remodeling for Biomedical Graduate students at the MUSC. He served as ad hoc member in several NIH study sections which includes small business grants Review (SBIR/STTR); Tumor microenvironment (TME); Core centers for musculoskeletal diseases and Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards for Individual Fellowships. He has also been reviewer for research proposals from international organizations such as Welcome Trust Foundation, British Medical Council, UK. Dr. Reddy has published over 85 articles in peer reviewed journals in the field of bone biology and associated disorders. He has also been a reviewer for journals such as Cancer Cell; Developmental Cell, Biochemical Journal; Journal of Pathology (UK); and Endocrine Reviews. Dr. Reddy has received several patents including the Osteoclast Inhibitory Peptide-1 (OIP-1/hSca) which has therapeutic potential for osteoporosis disease. His research interests includes (i) Molecular aspects of osteoclast and osteoblast/stromal cell biology and gene regulation (ii) Osteopetrosis animal models, congenital bone fractures in spinal muscular atrophy; Paget's disease of bone and (iii) Cancer metastasis to bone. For more information, please call (843) 792-6807 or e-mail reddysv@musc.edu.

L. Lyndon Key, Jr., MD
Professor & Chair, Department of Pediatrics

Following graduation from UNC-CH (1973), Dr. Key received his medical degree from UNC-Chapel Hill(1977). His residency in pediatrics was at Duke University where he did studies in the ability of vitamin D to ameliorate osteoporosis resulting from glucocorticoid exposure under the tutelage of Drs. Mark Drezner and Dr. Steven Osofsky. As a fellow at Harvard University, Dr. Key continued his interest in bone disease, establishing the first vitamin D Assay at the Children's Hospital in Boston and examining the impact of vitamin D on osteoclast function. As a fellow, he was awarded an NRSA and as a junior faculty member, he was the project director of two projects on osteopetrosis (PI Dr. C. Anast). Dr. Key continued his work in treating patients with osteopetrosis with high dose calcitriol (NEJM, 1985) and with interferon gamma (J. Pediatr. 1992 and NEJM, 1995). This work led to an FDA indication for interferon gamma as the only drug approved for use in this condition. Dr. Key further pioneered the concept that superxoide was produced by osteoclasts and secreted into the ruffled border space. This work led to the discovery of NOX4 with Dr. Su Yang (J Cellular Biochem. 92:238-248, 2004). In 1999, Dr. Key began a program to study multiple sclerosis (MS) as a model for immune-mediated inflammatory disease. This program, based upon the work of the discoverer of the basic biology of immune modulation, Dr. Inderjit Singh; used statins (HMG Co-A Reductase Inhibitors) to block the CNS inflammation in patients with MS by about 50%. This therapeutic process provides a paradigm for treating other inflammatory diseases. Dr. Key is also currently studying the efficacy of bisphosphonates in treating juvenile osteopetrosis. This group has published about the screening in children with osteoporosis (Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology & Metabolism. 16:683-686(Suppl. 3), 2003). Dr. Key is now professor and chair of the department of pediatrics and the physician-in-chief of MUSC Children's Hospital. Dr. Key has also done research in growth hormone for short stature, Turner Syndrome, Renal Disease, and growth hormone deficiency. He was also the first holder of the IND that eventually led to the approval of Lupron in the treatment of precocious puberty. For more information, call (843) 876-1417 or e-mail: keyl@musc.edu.

William L. Ries DDS, PhD
Professor

Following his graduation from Alfred University in New York State with a BA degree in Biology, Dr. Ries obtained his DDS and PhD from the State University of NY at Buffalo. His PhD work investigated the cytochemistry and kinetics of cells isolated from periosteal bone surfaces in the adult rat. He further characterized enzymatic activity and nuclear incorporation kinetics in rat osteoclasts on periosteal bone surfaces at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. While at Wake Forest University Medical Center, Winston-Salem, NC his studies moved on to the role of superoxide production in the resorption of bone by osteoclasts and how interference in oxygen radical formation could impair osteoclastic function. At MUSC, in addition to osteoclast biological studies, his expertise in bone histochemistry has been resourceful to clinical trials for the treatment of osteopetrosis and juvenile osteoporosis. For more information, call (843) 792-0805 or e-mail riesw@musc.edu.

Prema Madyastha, PhD
PhD, Cancer Research Institute, Bombay, India

Dr. Madyastha earned her PhD at the University of Kansas Medical Center and did her residency in the Associate-Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University. Initially, she joined as a faculty in the department of pathology and laboratory medicine at MUSC but is currently working in the faculty of pediatric endocrinology. Dr. Madyastha has worked in white cell immunobiology, particularly, granulocytes and leukemias early. Her current interests are osteoclast biology (mouse and human) focusing on culturing pure osteoclasts from the stem cells, investigating the dual role of cytokines and other biological modifiers on the function of normal and osteopetrotic/osteoporotic osteoclasts. She also serves as co-principal investigator in the clinical study of juvenile osteoporosis funded by FDA. She has authored and coauthored: 38 articles; 57 abstracts/presentations; principal investigator or co-investigator of several grants. For more information, call (843) 792-1346 or e-mail madyaspr@musc.edu.

Srinivasan Shanmugarajan, PhD
Instructor, Department of Pediatrics

Dr. Shanmugarajan obtained his PhD in 2004 from India and continues to pursue his career as a postdoctoral fellow studying bone related disorders at the Darby Children's Research Institute at MUSC. His work involves characterization of osteoclast inhibitory peptide (OIP-1) and gene regulation. In pursuit of bone complications, his studies are focused on spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) disease, a second most common fatal childhood disorder. Dr. Shanmugarajan received Fight SMA Young Investigator travel award and Sigma research award in 2006.