Brittle Bone Disorders Consortium (BBC)

Brittle bone disorders (BBDs), also known as osteogenesis imperfecta, include 13 inherited conditions involving bones that break easily. Brittle bone disorders can cause deformity and chronic pain and lead to premature death. The Brittle Bone Disorders Consortium (BBDC) includes 14 medical research sites working to better understand and treat these disorders. The consortium aims to explore the genetics of BBDs, observe the natural history of bone fractures in several types of BBDs, test new treatments focused on the skeletal and dental complications, develop new techniques for studying BBD causes and evaluating severity, and optimize a symptom-reporting tool for adults with BBDs. The Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation will coordinate junior scientist research training within the consortium.

The Brittle Bone Disorders Consortium (BBDC) is part of the Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network (RDCRN), which is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and led by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) through its Division of Rare Diseases Research Innovation (DRDRI). BBDC is funded under grant number U54AR068069 as a collaboration between NCATS, the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the National Institute of Mental Health, and the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR).  All RDCRN consortia are supported by the network’s Data Management and Coordinating Center (DMCC) (U2CTR002818). Funding support for the DMCC is provided by NCATS and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).