Bart L. Clarke, M.D.

My research program focuses on clinical studies of steroid-induced osteoporosis, transplant-related osteoporosis, age-related osteoporosis, hypoparathyroidism, and metabolic bone disease. I have developed collaborative clinical research protocols in these and other areas.

Previous research projects in the area of steroid-induced osteoporosis include an industry-funded study to prevent bone loss in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis with once-weekly bisphosphonate, in collaboration with Dr. Keith Lindor and colleagues of the Division of Gastroenterology.

Several research projects have been completed in the area of transplant-associated osteoporosis. These include an analysis of bone histomorphometric changes before and after liver transplantation, in collaboration with Dr. Eileen Hay of the Division of Hepatology and Liver Transplantation; and an analysis of fracture risk in Olmsted County patients undergoing renal transplantation between 1965-1995, in collaboration with Dr. Joseph Melton of the Department of Health Sciences Research and Dr. Line Vautour of McGill University in Montreal, Canada.

A research project evaluating the risk of non-hip femoral fractures across the lifespan in Olmsted County from 1984-2008 has just been completed in collaboration with Dr. Joseph Melton of the Department of Health Sciences Research and others; showing an increasing risk of this type of less common femur fracture over time.

Phase III and phase I clinical trials of the new drug parathyroid hormone 1-84 in patients with hypoparathyroidism have just been completed, along with a low-dose parathyroid hormone 1-84 clinical trial, with an extension study from the phase III clinical trial still ongoing.

Epidemiological studies in Olmsted County of comorbidities associated with hypoparathyroidism before and after diagnosis, and the costs of caring for patients with hypoparathyroidism, are ongoing.

A research project assessing the ability of CT colonography to predict bone strength using finite element analysis is underway in an effort to demonstrate that CT data can be used to predict osteoporosis risk in collaboration with Dr. Jeff Fiedler in the Department of Radiology and Dr. Tony Keaveny at the University of California, Berkeley.

Other projects in metabolic bone disease with fellows in the Mayo endocrine training program include retrospective chart reviews of patients with Erdheim-Chester disease; Hajdu-Cheney syndrome; fibrous dysplasia and primary hyperparathyroidism; and Camurati-Engelmann syndrome.