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“Combating osteoporosis and obesity with exercise: leveraging cell mechanosensitivity”

Center for Biotechnology Director Dr. Clinton Rubin has co-authored a recent article published in Nature Reviews Endocrinology ““Combating osteoporosis and obesity with exercise: leveraging cell mechanosensitivity”.  Abstract below, full article here.

Abstract: 

Osteoporosis, a condition of skeletal decline that undermines quality of life, is treated with pharmacological interventions that are associated with poor adherence and adverse effects. Complicating efforts to improve clinical outcomes, the incidence of obesity is increasing, predisposing the population to a range of musculoskeletal complications and metabolic disorders. Pharmacological management of obesity has yet to deliver notable reductions in weight and debilitating complications are rarely avoided. By contrast, exercise shows promise as a non-invasive and non-pharmacological method of regulating both osteoporosis and obesity. The principal components of exercise — mechanical signals — promote bone and muscle anabolism while limiting formation and expansion of fat mass. Mechanical regulation of bone and marrow fat might be achieved by regulating functions of differentiated cells in the skeletal tissue while biasing lineage selection of their common progenitors — mesenchymal stem cells. An inverse relationship between adipocyte versus osteoblast fate selection from stem cells is implicated in clinical conditions such as childhood obesity and increased marrow adiposity in type 2 diabetes mellitus, as well as contributing to skeletal frailty. Understanding how exercise-induced mechanical signals can be used to improve bone quality while decreasing fat mass and metabolic dysfunction should lead to new strategies to treat chronic diseases such as osteoporosis and obesity.

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Applications are now open for the 12th BioREACH Award Program from the Center for Biotechnology, which provides $50,000 in translational research funding for Stony Brook faculty and postdoctoral researchers to generate the evidence needed to advance promising innovations to the next stage of development.

BioREACH funds milestone-driven studies and welcomes biomedical innovations as well as platforms, tools, computational technologies, and other enabling technologies with the potential to contribute to solutions addressing unmet needs in health.

Application deadline: October 29, 2026, 5:00pm ET

For info sessions, eligibility and deadlines visit our REACH Website and FAQ.

The Center for Biotechnology (CfB) has helped advance some of Stony Brook University’s most impactful biomedical innovations, among them the yeast two-hybrid system, Xiaflex®, ReoPro®, Oracea®, and 3D virtual colonoscopy. The CfB has supported more than 475 faculty-led translational research projects and contributed to 306 license agreements generating $51 million in royalty returns to the University.

Questions? Reach out to our program contacts or sign up for office hours:

Dee Dao, PhD, Associate Director, dee.dao@stonybrook.edu
Office Hours: Monday–Friday, 2–3:30 PM | Sign up Here

Zelda Mendelowitz, PhD, Venture Associate, zelda.mendelowitz@stonybrook.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, 8–11 AM | Sign up Here

[post_title] => BioREACH: Translational Research Funding Opportunity [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => bioreach-translational-research-funding-opportunity [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2026-09-04 11:55:36 [post_modified_gmt] => 2026-09-04 15:55:36 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://centerforbiotechnology.org/?p=5065 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [1] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 3301 [post_author] => 3 [post_date] => 2019-07-22 13:14:41 [post_date_gmt] => 2019-07-22 13:14:41 [post_content] => The NIH and CDC have released the annual SBIR Contract Proposal Solicitation (PHS 2020-1), with a submission date of October 23, 2019, 5:00 PM EDT. Please follow the directions in the solicitation very carefully. You must respond exactly to a topic in the solicitation. A pre-proposal conference, via webinar, will take place on August 7 at 1:00 PM EDT. This informational webinar will discuss the PHS 2020-1 solicitation, electronic contract proposal submission (eCPS) website, clinical trials, and topics. Please register for HHS SBIR PHS 2020-1 Contract Webinar in advance, here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7505039171902241027 (After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.) The following Institutes/Centers have issued research topics in the PHS 2020-1 Solicitation: National Institutes of Health (NIH)
  • National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)
  • National Cancer Institute (NCI)
  • National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
  • National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
  • National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  • National Center for Chronic Disease and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP)
  • National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH)
  • National Center for Emerging Zoonotic and Infectious Diseases (NCEZID)
  • National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD)
Submission Process: There is an electronic submission process for all proposals. Applicants must use the Contract Proposal Submission (eCPS) website to submit their proposal. No other method of proposal submission is permitted. Instructions for electronic submission are provided in the solicitation. Please check NOT-OD-19-121 for topics, contracting officer contact information and other details. You can also find the SBIR contract solicitation link on theFunding page and FedBizOpps. Those interested in the PHS small business research GRANT programs, where investigator-initiated research ideas are encouraged, should use the Omnibus SBIR and STTR solicitations. You can find solicitation links on the Funding page. To understand better the differences between grants and contracts, view the Apply page. [post_title] => NIH/CDC SBIR Contract Solicitation Now Available [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => nihcdc-sbir-contract-solicitation-now-available [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2019-07-22 13:14:41 [post_modified_gmt] => 2019-07-22 13:14:41 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://centerforbiotechnology.org/?p=3301 [menu_order] => 92 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [2] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 4919 [post_author] => 4 [post_date] => 2025-09-02 09:51:29 [post_date_gmt] => 2025-09-02 13:51:29 [post_content] =>

Dr. Yusuf Hannun and his team at Stony Brook Medicine Cancer Center have been awarded a competitive $11 million NIH Program Project Grant to advance groundbreaking research on sphingolipids in cancer biology and therapy.

This is a major milestone for the institution and a testament to the team’s innovative work in understanding how lipids drive cancer development and how that knowledge can lead to new treatments, especially for breast and liver cancer—the two leading causes of death both locally and nationwide.

Dr. Hannun’s legacy continues to shape the future of cancer research at SBCC, and this award reflects the growing global impact of our work with promising life science companies.

[post_title] => SBU Cancer Center Team Receives $11M NIH Grant [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => 4919-2 [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2026-03-10 14:20:09 [post_modified_gmt] => 2026-03-10 18:20:09 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://centerforbiotechnology.org/?p=4919 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [3] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 3555 [post_author] => 3 [post_date] => 2020-06-02 10:59:05 [post_date_gmt] => 2020-06-02 10:59:05 [post_content] => The Center for Biotechnology is offering one-on-one SBIR/STTR proposal development counseling and iterative grant writing services to companies – application for next cohort is June 5th! Companies that have completed our intensive 2-day workshop (or similar program) and/or have previously submitted an unsuccessful SBIR/STTR proposal in the past are eligible to apply. Services provided under this program are awarded through a competitive application process and include a weekly "best practices" proposal development webinar followed by iterative review of section drafts to guide stepwise development of the proposal from start to finish. Companies selected for this follow-on counseling will be required to contribute $250 and will receive up to 10 hours of iterative proposal development services valued at $2000. These services will be subsidized by the Center for Biotechnology through the Downstate New York SBIR Assistance Program. Interested companies should apply online no later than June 5, 2020. The application can be found here: https://forms.gle/5m9kAN8nUnzEyXyi9. Contact Kate Hutchinson kate.hutchinson@stonybrook.edu with questions. [post_title] => Proposal Development Support - SBIR/STTR [post_excerpt] => The Center for Biotechnology is offering one-on-one SBIR/STTR proposal development counseling and iterative grant writing services to companies – application for next cohort is June 5th! [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => proposal-support-sbirsttr920 [to_ping] => [pinged] => https://centerforbiotechnology.org/resources/programs/#sbircounseling [post_modified] => 2024-12-03 15:01:10 [post_modified_gmt] => 2024-12-03 20:01:10 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://centerforbiotechnology.org/?p=3555 [menu_order] => 66 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) ) [post_count] => 4 [current_post] => -1 [before_loop] => 1 [in_the_loop] => [post] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 5065 [post_author] => 4 [post_date] => 2026-09-01 14:03:32 [post_date_gmt] => 2026-09-01 18:03:32 [post_content] =>

Applications are now open for the 12th BioREACH Award Program from the Center for Biotechnology, which provides $50,000 in translational research funding for Stony Brook faculty and postdoctoral researchers to generate the evidence needed to advance promising innovations to the next stage of development.

BioREACH funds milestone-driven studies and welcomes biomedical innovations as well as platforms, tools, computational technologies, and other enabling technologies with the potential to contribute to solutions addressing unmet needs in health.

Application deadline: October 29, 2026, 5:00pm ET

For info sessions, eligibility and deadlines visit our REACH Website and FAQ.

The Center for Biotechnology (CfB) has helped advance some of Stony Brook University’s most impactful biomedical innovations, among them the yeast two-hybrid system, Xiaflex®, ReoPro®, Oracea®, and 3D virtual colonoscopy. The CfB has supported more than 475 faculty-led translational research projects and contributed to 306 license agreements generating $51 million in royalty returns to the University.

Questions? Reach out to our program contacts or sign up for office hours:

Dee Dao, PhD, Associate Director, dee.dao@stonybrook.edu
Office Hours: Monday–Friday, 2–3:30 PM | Sign up Here

Zelda Mendelowitz, PhD, Venture Associate, zelda.mendelowitz@stonybrook.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, 8–11 AM | Sign up Here

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