My research is focused on the biochemical, biomechanical and molecular effects of alcohol on the skeleton. Previous studies performed in my laboratory using a binge model of alcohol consumption, identified that bone resorptive activity increases after acute binge alcohol exposure, which is at least partially responsible for bone loss observed after binge alcohol treatment. Alcohol-induced bone loss can be effectively blocked with anti-resorptive drugs, suggesting a possible therapeutic response to alcoholic osteopenia. We have also shown that binge alcohol exposure has an additive effect on bone loss caused by other insults to the skeleton such as ovariectomy-induced estrogen depletion. My current research effort is focused on identifying biomarkers of early alcohol-mediated bone damage in adolescent and adult ovariecotomized subjects using gene expression array technology. Gene expression profiles of alcohol-induced bone damage will help in the identification of novel mechanisms behind bone damage caused by alcohol. Early markers of bone loss can be used to identify patients at risk for osteoporosis years prior to conventional diagnostics. Anti-resorptive drugs may modulate the expression of genes perturbed by alcohol-exposure; identification of biomarkers that demonstrate this effect will be useful in monitoring the efficacy of bone-sparing drugs, development of novel therapeutics for osteoporosis and for identifying the mechanisms responsible for alcohol-related osteopenia.