Prof. Maria Grano

Professor Maria Grano has been studying bone metabolism since the beginning of her career. Her early research focused on osteoclasts and osteoblasts. In the 1990s, her research pioneered the discovery of soluble molecules produced by osteoblasts to stimulate osteoclastic activity. Prof. Maria Grano's research findings were in agreement with one of the most important discoveries of the last decade, which led to the identification of the RANKL/OPG system and enabled the development of a new Her subsequent studies allowed the development of a human cell model, which is used by many other groups around the world, to study osteoclasts. Since 2000, she has coordinated research projects conducted as part of a Space Biomedicine program aiming to study osteoporosis and bone function in microgravity. As part of these projects, Prof. Maria Grano collaborates with the Italian (ASI), European (ESA) and American (NASA) space agencies. For the past decade, she has studied the interaction between bone, muscle, and adipose tissue. Her research led to the discovery of the preventative and therapeutic effects of a molecule called irisin, which is produced by muscle during exercise, on osteoporosis and muscle atrophy. These findings have been the subject of national and international patents.