Scientific Background - Klaus Klaushofer

Klaus Klaushofer started his scientific career with enzyme histochemistry and electron microscopy at the Institute of Micromorphology and Electronmicroscopy, University of Vienna, Medical School, received his Degree in Medicine in 1974 and passed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Department of Anatomy of the Medical School Hannover, Germany, in 1975. Coming back to Vienna he turned to clinical training at the Hanusch Hospital, where he received his Degree in Internal Medicine with special Degrees in Rheumatology as well as Endocrinology and Metabolism. His scientific work at this time was focused on clinical investigations of disturbances of bone and calcium metabolism and the establishment of bone culture systems for in vitro studies of bone resorption. By these activities he acquired his acknowledgement as an Associate Professor in 1989, and finally Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Vienna, Medical School, in 1995.

In 1991 he was appointed Scientific and Administrative Director of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Osteology (at the Hanusch Hospital and Unfallkrankenhaus Meidling), which had been founded with special emphasis to organize and perform multidisciplinary basic and clinical research in bone and mineral metabolism. Together with his coworkers and in close cooperation with Peter Fratzl, Professor of Solid State Physics at the Erich Schmid Institute of Materials Science in Leoben, he developed three major research directions: “Clinical Osteology“, “Molecular Biology and Biochemistry of Bone“ as well as “Morphology and Materials Science of Mineralized Tissues“. In this respects the research activities were focused on hormonal and cytokine regulation of bone metabolism and bone cell differentiation as well as regulation of mineralization and the effects of mechanical factors thereon. The major breakthrough of the group ocurred in the development and modification of methods for the investigation of the mineral density distribution in the micrometer range by quantitative backscattered electron imaging (qBEI) as well as the nanostructure of mineral crystals by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). This allowed them to investigate material properties of bone in relation to diseases and treatments and to clarify basic aspects of structure/function relationship in mineralized tissues. Examples for important contributions to the field are the publications of this group in relation to Osteogenesis Imperfecta or fluoride and bisphosphonate treatment of Osteoporosis.

The scientific and clinical reputation of K. Klaushofer resulted in the appointment as a Consultant Physician of the Federation of Austrian Social Insurances in 2000 and finally Head of 4 th Medical Department and Medical Director of the Hanusch Hospital, which positions he helds since 2001. One of the major tools of this recent management activities is the development of a multidisciplinary scientific and clinical Competence Center for Bone and Joint Diseases at the Hanusch Hospital, the Unfallkrankenhaus Meidling and the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Osteology, and the organization of national and international scientific cooperations in the field.

Klaushofer was President of the Austrian Society for Bone and Mineral Research 2000 - 2004 and is Council Member of the European Calcified Tissue Society since 1997. He is organizer of several international scientific meetings, reviewer of many journals and scientific institutions and Chair of the International Jury for the International Research Prize of the Austrian Society for Bone and Mineral Research. The scientific work of his group was acknowledged by a number of national and international awards as well as invitations to scientific lectures.

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