Pre-Meeting Symposia

Explore the ASBMR 2026 Annual Meeting's Pre-Meeting Symposia

The 2026 ASBMR Symposium and the ASBMR/RBDA 2026 Symposium will be held on Thursday, October 8, 2026, one day prior the 2026 Annual Meeting, at the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Learn more about the goals of each meeting and view the full program.

2026 ASBMR Pre-Meeting Symposium on Biological Control of Bone Quality: Mechanisms and Therapies

2026 ASBMR/RBDA Pre-Meeting Symposium on Translating Mechanisms to Medicine: Advances in Rare Bone Diseases

The goal of the 2026 ASBMR Pre-Meeting Symposium on Biological Control of Bone Quality: Mechanisms and Therapies is to advance the scientific understanding of the biological, mechanical, and material mechanisms that determine bone quality. It will also aim to accelerate translation of bone quality research into improved diagnostic, predictive, and therapeutic strategies for skeletal fragility.

Session 1: Unmet Clinical Needs to Diagnose and Treat Bone Quality \| 9:00 am - 10:30 am
Thursday, October 8, 2026
Introduction	Mary Bouxsein, PhD Peter Ebeling, MD Christopher Hernandez, PhD
Diabetes	Eve Donnelly, PhD
Aging	Gustavo Duque, MD
Metabolic Bone Disease: From Rare to Common	Peter Ebeling, MD
Talk from Submitted Abstracts
Break \| 10:30 am - 10:45 am
Session 2: Mechanometabolic Control of Bone Quality \| 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
The Role of Osteocytes	Natalie Sims, PhD
Osteocytes and Material Properties	Tamara Alliston, PhD
Talk from submitted abstracts
Lunch and Poster Viewing
Session 3: Emerging Technologies in Bone Quality Assessment \| 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Ulnar Vibration	Bryan Clark, PhD
Osteoprobe	Simon Tang, PhD
Tibia Ultrasound	Kay Raum, PhD
Toward Serum Biomarkers for Bone Quality	Deepak Vashishth, PhD
Break \| 2:00 pm - 2:15 pm
Session 4: Bone Quality Diagnostics \| 2:15 pm - 3:45 pm
New Ways of Looking at Bone Matrix Quality in Osteocytes	Markus Hartmann, PhD
Genetic Architecture of Bone Quality	Charles Farber, PhD
Water Content in Bone	Jeffry Nyman, PhD
Talk from Submitted Abstracts
Break
Session 5: Novel Bone Quality Indicators & Therapeutics \| 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Regulation on Bone Quality with the Microbiome	Christopher Hernandez, PhD
Profiling the Ideal Drug to Improve Bone Quality	Serge Ferrari, MD
Biomarker Development	Arek V. Melkonian, MD PhD
Wrap Up & Next Steps	Mary Bouxsein, PhD Peter Ebeling, MD Christopher Hernandez, PhD
Session 6: Poster Session & Reception \| 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm

2026 ASBMR/RBDA Pre-Meeting Symposium on Translating Mechanisms to Medicine: Advances in Rare Bone Diseases | October 8 | John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center | Boston, Massachusetts, USA

The 2026 ASBMR/RBDA Pre-Meeting Symposium on Translating Mechanisms to Medicine: Advances in Rare Bone Diseases will feature a diverse group of speakers including patients, researchers from academia and industry, and government officials to discuss the effectiveness and design of rare bone disease therapeutics.

Session 1: From Discovery to Delivery: Advancing Rare Bone Disease Therapies Across the Entire Innovation Spectrum \| 9:00 am - 10:30 am
Thursday, October 8, 2026
9:00 am - 9:15 am	Introduction to Symposium/SIG Introduction	Suzanne Jan de Beur, MD Michael Econs, MD
9:15 am - 9:45 am	From Mechanism to Medicine: The Therapeutic Journey in Rare Bone Disease	Neil Kumar, PhD, CEO, BridgeBio
9:45 am - 10:00 am	Registries as Engines of Discovery	Natasha Appelman Dijkstra, MD, PhD, Leiden Center for Bone Quality
10:00 am - 10:30 am	Customizing Clinical Trial Design to Rare Disorders	Emil Kakkis, MD, PhD, CEO, Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical
10:30 am - 10:45 am	Break
Session 2: The Parathyroid Hormone Pathway: From Emerging Mechanisms to Evolving Therapeutics \| 10:45 am - 12:05 pm
10:45 am - 11:10 am	Engineering PTH Replacement: Molecular, Biologic, and Delivery Innovations in Hypoparathyroidism	Michael Mannstadt, MD, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital
11:10 am - 11:35 am	The Expanding Landscape of PTHR1‑Related Disorders: New Mechanisms and New Diagnoses	Jakob Hoeppner, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital
11:35 am - 11:50 pm	Beyond GNAS: Evolving Understanding of Epigenetic Disorders in PTH Resistance	Murat Bastepe, MD, PhD, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital
11:50 pm - 12:05 pm	Talk from Submitted Abstract	TBA
12:05 pm - 1:00 pm	Lunch and Poster Viewing
Session 3: Next‑Generation Tools Transforming Rare Bone Disease Research \| 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
1:00 pm - 1:25 pm	Changing Lives by Changing DNA: Interventions for Rare Skeletal Conditions	Jae-Hyuck Shim, PhD, UMASS Medical School
1:25 pm - 1:50 pm	AI-Driven Strategies for Discovering and Repurposing Therapies in Rare Diseases	Nick Fragola, PhD, Every Cure
1:50 pm - 2:15 pm	From Patient Cells to Precision Medicines: Harnessing Nodal Biology to Accelerate Therapies for Genetic Disorders	Anna Greka, MD, PhD, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital
2:15 pm - 2:30 pm	Talk from Submitted Abstracts
2:30 pm - 2:45 pm	Break
Session 4: It Takes an Ecosystem: The Strategic Partnerships to Unlock Rare Disease Innovation \| 2:45 pm - 5:00 pm
2:45 pm - 3:10 pm	Regulatory Pathways and Patient Voices: An FDA Perspective on Rare Bone Disease Innovation	Amy Rick, JD, FDA
3:10 pm - 3:35 pm	The Collaboration Imperative: Patients, Innovators, and Industry Working Together for Rare Diseases	Pamela Gavin, MBA, National Organization for Rare Disorders
3:35 pm - 4:00 pm	Uniting Voices, Aligning Missions: How Advocacy Leaders Build the Coalitions That Change Rare Disease Trajectories	Deb Fowler, Soft Bones, Inc.
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm	Patient Organization Panel	Amy Rick, JD Tracy Hart Deb Fowler Pamela Gavin, MBA Neil Kumar, PhD
5:00 pm - 5:15 pm	Wrap-Up
5:15 pm - 6:30 pm	Poster Session and Reception

The 2026 ASBMR/RBDA Pre-Meeting Symposium on Translating Mechanisms to Medicine: Advances in Rare Bone Diseases is made possible through the generous support of our sponsors. Their commitment to advancing research, innovation and collaboration in rare bone diseases helps make this educational program possible. We gratefully acknowledge the following organizations for their support:

Ascendis Pharma

BridgeBio

Kyowa Kirin

Read the ASBMR policy on investigator’s conflicts of interest for PHS‐funded projects.