Osteoclast Biology and Bone Disease

Photo of Sakamuri V. Reddy, PhDSakamuri 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 Darby Children'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, NASA EPSCoR and REAP grants from South Carolina Consortium. He is also the 2006 recipient of the Mitchell I Rubin Research Excellence Award in the department of pediatrics at MUSC. He is honored as a Fellow of ASBMR in 2018.

Dr. Reddy has been a member of San Antonio Cancer Research Institute, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, ASBMR and a FASEB visiting professor.  He served as an ad hoc member of the publications committee of ASBMR (2006-2009), Faculty Tenure Committee, MUSC (2006-2009); Faculty Senate, MUSC (2005-2007). He also 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 DOD study sections in the field of arthritis and musculoskeletal disorders. Dr. Reddy has been a mentor for about 40 students which includes several postdoctoral trainees and graduate students; summer research training of undergraduate and high school students.  He also taught the courses on Biomedical Foundation at the University of Pittsburgh and Bone Remodeling and bone loss for Biomedical Graduate students and residents at the MUSC.  He served as an ad hoc member in several NIH study sections which includes small business grants Review (SBIR/STTR); Tumor microenvironment (TME); Core centers for musculoskeletal diseases, Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards for Individual Fellowships and Veteran Administration (VA) merit grants.  Dr. Reddy also served National Cancer Institute P30 grant support panel to site visit National Comprehensive Care Cancer Center. He has also been a reviewer for research proposals from international organizations such as Welcome Trust Foundation, British Medical Council, UK. He served on the editorial board member of the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research (JBMR) and presently an Academic editor of Plos One online journal.   

Dr. Reddy has published over 100 articles in peer-reviewed journals in the field of bone biology and related diseases. He served as an editor on a recent book released on advances in pathobiology and management of Paget’s disease of bone. He has also been a reviewer for journals such as Nature reviews in endocrinology, Laboratory medicine, Cancer Cell, Developmental Cell, Biochemical Journal, Journal of Pathology (UK), J Cell Science, J Clinical endocrinology and metabolism and Endocrine Reviews. Dr. Reddy has received patents including the Osteoclast Inhibitory Peptide-1 (OIP-1/hSca) which has therapeutic potential for osteoporosis disease. His research interests include (i) Molecular and cellular aspects of osteoclast and osteoblast/stromal cells, NASA objective of microgravity induced bone loss, (ii) Paget's disease of bone, Osteopetrosis, congenital bone fractures in spinal muscular atrophy and (iii) Cancer metastasis to bone. For more information, contact Dr. Reddy at 843-792-6807 or reddysv@musc.edu.

Photo of Dr Chad NovinceChad Novince, DDS, PhD
Assistant Professor

Dr. Novince carried out his clinician-scientist training at University of Michigan, obtaining his DDS and PhD in 2011. His PhD work in osteoimmunology was focused on advancing the understanding of parathyroid hormone (PTH)/PTH-related protein (PTHrP) actions in hematopoiesis and bone modeling/remodeling in the developing and adult skeleton. NIH/NIDCR F30 Fellowship research investigations delineated that proteoglycan-4 (Prg4), a novel PTH response gene with known protective actions in articular joints, regulates normal osteoimmunological processes and exogenous intermittent-PTH (1-34) actions in hematopoiesis, skeletogenesis, and degenerating joints. 

Specialty periodontics clinical training, treating a pathogenic microbiota induced host immune response disease state having catabolic effects on bone, instilled scientific curiosity about the impact of the microbiome on skeletal metabolism. His postdoctoral research at University of Washington investigating commensal flora – host immune response effects revealed that the normal oral microbiota has immunomodulatory actions significantly impacting alveolar bone homeostasis in health, which challenges current empirical theory dictating that alveolar bone homeostasis is strictly regulated by pathogenic oral bacteria in periodontal disease states. 

Intrigued by the realization that the commensal microbiota critically regulates physiologic osteoimmunological processes, and appreciating that peak bone mass accrual during skeletal development has lifelong health implications, Dr. Novince was inspired to pursue an academic career conducting research defining the impact of the microbiome on osteoimmunology and skeletal development. Recruited as a postdoctoral fellow to pursue his original independent research interests, Dr. Novince quickly obtained NIH/NIDCR K08 Award funding and was appointed to MUSC faculty in 2016. Ongoing K08 studies have delineated that distinct microbiome communities (gut microbiota, oral microbiota) have unique immunomodulatory actions impacting osteoclast-osteoblast mediated skeletal development and remodeling.

Dr. Novince has been selected as a fellow for the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) Fellows Forum on Metabolic Bone Diseases and is a recipient of the 2017 ASBMR John Haddad Young Investigator Award. His research has been recognized by the American Association for Dental Research (AADR), placing 1st in the AADR Hatton Awards Competition. Dr. Novince has published manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals in the fields of mineralized tissue biology, oral biology, endocrinology and pathology, and has authored book chapters in Primer on the Metabolic Bone Diseases and Disorders of Mineral Metabolism and Carranza's Clinical Periodontology. He is a reviewer for journals such as PLOS ONE, Journal of Dental Research, and Journal of Cellular Biochemistry. His research interests include molecular/cellular aspects of (i) hematopoietic cell – bone cell interactions, (ii) osteoclast-osteoblast interactions, (iii) healthy bone development, (iv) minimizing bone loss in the adult skeleton. For more information, contact Dr. Novince at 843-792-4957 or novincec@musc.edu.