Destruction of bone is common in cancers like multiple myeloma and breast- and prostate cancer metastasizing to bone, in inflammatory diseases such as inflammatory bowel disorder and in certain autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The main aim of this theme is to reveal underlying mechanisms for bone loss associated with cancer and inflammation.

Major achievements

• Established a humanized mouse model for multiple myeloma in Trondheim.
• Performed the first pre-clinical drug testing in the human-mouse hybrid model.
• Demonstrated that caspase-8 downstream of TLR-TRIF may modulate bone marrow stromal cells into gaining a pro-inflammatory phenotype.
• Demonstrated that GDF15 might play a role in myeloma bone disease.
• Identified IL-32 on extracellular vesicles obtained from myeloma cells and that the vesicles potently stimulate osteoclast differentiation in an IL-32-dependent manner.