Researchers create new diabetes medication that won’t weaken your bones

Certain diabetic medications, though good for managing the chronic condition, are not so good for promoting healthy bones. They often weaken bones, making them more susceptible to fractures.

But new research has found a dual-targeting drug that could do both—effectively manage type 2 diabetes and promote bone health.

The study was published online in EBioMedicine and was led by Lance Stechschulte, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Toledo in Ohio.

The researchers created the medication from a family of drug candidates that target a receptor known as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors gamma (PPARy), which regulates stem cells controlling bone formation, bone resorption and fat production. The researchers reference to the drug as SR 10171 while it is still in experimental stages.

Other diabetes drugs target the PPARy protein, which leads to severe bone loss and increased fractures. But the new drug is designed to do the opposite.

"Using structural biology techniques and rational design synthetic chemistry, SR10171 was constructed to engage the PPARγ protein in a unique way possessing an optimal balance with the receptor's other family member, PPARa, to treat diabetes and, at the same time, improve bone health," said Patrick Griffin, another author on the study and a professor at The Scripps Research Institute, in a statement. "This targeted polypharmacological approach demonstrates that the target isn't the problem if you target it correctly."