The Department's Endocrinology research is conducted by Professor Peter R. Ebeling MD FRACP, Professor of Medicine at Western Hospital.

Research Projects 2005

MOBILE study. A multi-centre, international study comparing daily oral ibandronate with two doses of monthly oral ibandronate in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.

FIRST study. Multicentre international study comparing six-monthly subcutaneous injections of AMG 162, a human ized antibody to RANK-ligand (an osteoclastogenic cytokine) with placebo in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.

VERTEBROPLASTY study. Multicentre Australian NH&MRC funded study to compare vertebroplasty with a sham procedure in safely reducing pain following acute vertebral compression fractures (with Department of Radiology).

SMOKING CESSATION study.   An NH&MRC funded study to examine the effect of smoking cessation on bone health in twins and a Quitline population.

RECRUIT bone health study. A Department of Defense funded project to determine the risk factors for stress fractures in new military recruits, including novel biochemical bone turnover markers and heel ultrasound.

Bone Marrow Transplant Study Studies. 1. Multi-centre Australian study of an intravenous bisphosphonate (pamidronate) in preventing bone loss following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (with Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at The Royal Melbourne Hospital). 2. Dose-finding study with zoledronate after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (with Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at The Royal Melbourne Hospital).  

Publications 2005

Hooper M, Ebeling PR, Roberts A, Nicholson G, D'Emden M, Ernst, TF & Wenderot, D. Risedronate prevents bone loss in perimenopausal women: A prospective randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Climacteric, 8:251–62.

King SJ, Topliss, D, Kotsimbos T, Nyulasi, IB, Bailey M, Ebeling PR & Wilson JW. F508 genotype is an independent predictor of reduced bone mineral density in cystic fibrosis. Thorax Eur Respir J., 25:54–61.

C icuttini FM, Teichtahl AJ, Wluka AE, Davis S, Strauss BJG. & Ebeling PR. The relationship between body composition and knee cartilage volume in healthy, middle-aged subjects. Arthritis Rheum., 52:461–7.

Wang Y, Ebeling PR, Hanna F, O'Sullivan R, Cicuttini, FM. Relationship between bone markers and knee cartilage volume in healthy men. J. Rheumatology, 32:2200–04.

Lee P, Chrysostomou A, Tress B & Ebeling PR. Lymphocytic hypophysitis: a rare cause of hypoglycaemia in a man with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Int.Med.J., 35:254–7.

Chatfield, S., Ebeling, P.R. Osteoporosis Prevention and Treatment: The Importance of Vitamin D. Modern Medicine, 6:16-32.

Hanna, F., Ebeling P.R., Wang Y., O'Sullivan, R., Davi s, S., Wluka, A., Cicuttini, F. Factors influencing longitudinal change in knee cartilage volume measured from magnetic resonance imaging in healthy men. Ann.Rheum.Dis., 64:1038–42.

Cicuttini, F., Ding, C., Wluka, A., Davis, S., Ebeling, P.R., J ones, G. Cartilage defects are associated with knee cartilage loss in healthy, middle-aged adults. A prospective study. Arthritis Rheum., 52:2033–39.

Wang, Y., Ding, C., Wluka, A.E., Davis, S., Ebeling, P.R., Jones, G., Cicuttini, F.M. Factors affecting progression of knee cartilage defects in normal subjects over 2 years: a cohort study. Rheumatology (Oxford) 27 September [Epub ahead of print].

O'Neil, S., MacClennan, A, Bass, S., Diamond, T., Ebeling, P., Ferris, L., Flicker, L., Findlay, D., Fiaterone-Singh, M., Lord, S, Markwell, A., Nowson, C., Pocock, N., Sambrook, P., Williamson, M. Guidelines for the management of postmenopausal osteoporosis for general practitioners. Aust. Family Physician, 33:910–17.

Ebeling P, Eisman, J.A., Flicker, L., Hearnden, N., Mason, R., Pasco, J., Reid, I., Sambrook, P., Stenmark, J., Wark, J. Recommendations from the vitamin D and calcium forum. Medicine Today, 6:43–50.

Invited Editorials

Ebeling PR (2005). Editorial: Is defective osteoblast function responsible for bone loss from the proximal femur despite pamidronate therapy? J Clin Endocrinol Metab. July, 90(7):4414–16.

Ebeling PR (2005). Editorial: Mega therapy for vitamin D deficiency. Treating the paradox of an important emerging public health problem. Med J Aust. 4 July, 183(1):4–5.

Ebeling PR (in press). Editorial: Is Inhibin an important regulator of skeletal health? J Clin Endocrinol Metab.

Book Chapter

Ebeling, PR (2005). 'Bone Disease after Bone Marrow Transplantation (Chapter 19)', Bone Disease of Organ Transplantation, J. Compston & E. Shane (eds), Elsevier, Academic Press, pp.339–52.

Grants and Other Funding

• NHMRC
• Amgen
• Novartis

Research Coordinators

• Ms Stella Yeung, Research Coordinator, Osteoporosis Trials
• Ms Erin Wijaya Ng, Research Coordinator, Osteoporosis Trials

Postgraduate Students

• Ms Vivienne Leung, BSc (Honours)
• Dr Danny Sullivan, Monash University (co-supervised Professor Paul Mullens, Monash University)

AMS Student

• Nicole Goh (with Department of Neurosurgery)