The COST action GEMSTONE (Genomics of MusculoSkeletal traits Translational Network; CA18139) held its first kick-off meeting in Malta between 27 and 29 November 2019. The meeting brought together experts from different COST member states to discuss osteoporosis and -omics research, along with the future of this field.
A training school was also organised during the event which aimed to provide early career researchers with the latest news in the field of genomics, including new omics tools to handle big data, the zebrafish animal model for skeletal genetic research, improved methods for phenotyping in musculoskeletal disease, and machine learning.
The event was convened by Professor Fernando Rivadeneira from Erasmus Medical Centre University in Rotterdam, The Netherlands and Dr Melissa Formosa from the Department of Applied Biomedical Science (Faculty of Health Sciences) at the University of Malta.