'Bone Up'

Researching and developing new medicines for osteoporosis

'Bone Up'

Show Notes

Have you ever wondered where osteoporosis medicines come from? The lads went on a journey to find out by talking to Dr Cesar Libanati and Dr Alistair Henry about discovering new medicines and getting them to you the listener. The interview is a fascinating insight into how to change the world and make it a better place for us all to live. Cesar Libanati is the head of external affairs and medical strategy for bone at UCB. Alistair Henry is the Head of discovery science and UK Site head at UCB.

More from 'Bone Up'

Oct 19, 2026

For the first time, BoneUP crosses the Atlantic. David Armstrong and Richie Abel recorded brand new interviews at ASBMR 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. In this first episode the lads chatted to three guests. Christopher Hernandez is Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Bioengineering at the University of California, San Francisco. He explains how the gut microbiome influences the material properties of bone matrix in mice. Dr Marie-Eva Pickering is a consultant in rheumatology at the University Hospital Clermont-Ferrand. She discusses how pain is phenotyped in fibrous dysplasia. Melissa Cuevas is a PhD student at CU Anschutz. She presents her work on the genetics of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Join us for more interviews from the conference in the next part.

Oct 2, 2026

The lads sit down together and Richie interviews David about a career in osteoporosis care. David describes his move from lupus research to setting up the Fracture Liaison Service at the Western Trust in 2008. He explains how the service works and why advice to GPs, pharmacists and other specialists takes up much of a bone specialist's week. He also discusses the very high risk category in the National Osteoporosis Guideline Group guidance. David explains why romosozumab would be his first choice for these patients and why teriparatide is less convincing at the hip. Prof David Armstrong is a Consultant Rheumatologist at the Western Trust in Londonderry and Visiting Professor at the Nutrition Innovation Centre for Food and Health at Ulster University. He built the Trust's Fracture Liaison Service in 2008 and still runs it. He is also a member of the National Osteoporosis Guideline Group.

Jul 3, 2026

The lads jetted off to sunny Girona for the European Calcified Tissue Society Congress, where they caught up with some brilliant boneheads about the latest in bone research. In Part 2, we chat to Stuart Ralston about the TOPAZ trial for Brittle Bone Disease, Emma Duncan about the ASBMR and ECTS Societies and Kass Javaid about his conference highlights.

Jul 3, 2026

The lads jetted off to sunny Girona for the European Calcified Tissue Society Congress, where they caught up with some brilliant boneheads about the latest in bone research. In Part 3, we chat to Friederike Schulte about combining physical loading with bone drugs, Mathilde Palmier about steroids weakening bone-building cells, and Melina Guillon about repurposing drugs for osteoporosis.

Jul 2, 2026

The lads jetted off to sunny Girona for the European Calcified Tissue Society Congress, where they caught up with some brilliant boneheads about the latest in bone research. In Part 2, we chat to Marc McKee about biomineralization, Lidia Zhtynk and Laura Vintura about brittle bone disease (osteogenesis imperfecta), Ken Poole about the ECTS debate on the AI tools for osteoporosis and Judy Keen about the ASBMR and the Annual Meeting in Boston later this year.

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