Rethinking the human bone pore network and bone mineral homeostasis: Characterizing a newly discovered canal system.

Recently, we have systematically observed the presence of so far undescribed extensive number of canals in bone tissue that had previously been exposed to radiation therapy in the course of cancer treatment. While the existence of these canals is indisputable, their function or underlying mechanisms are fully unknown. Since bone remodeling was considered to be performed by osteoblasts and osteoclasts activities, and only recently the osteocyte network was included to actively and directly contribute in this process, it is surprising to now observe a new and to date undescribed canal system. The aim of this proposal is to study the potential junctions between the different pore networks (osteocyte-lacunar canalicular network vs. the newly found canal system) to proof if the different pore networks are independent from each other and to study the time of formation of these newly found canal pores.