Age-related diseases (e.g. osteoporosis) are significant health problems, affecting more than 200 million people in the world, with 5 million in Italy alone, and represent an economic burden owing to an everageing population. In the EU the cost of osteoporotic fractures represents approximately the 3 % of the total healthcare costs (€37.4 billion in 2010), whereas in Italy this cost is much larger, i.e. approximately 5%. Hence, understanding the fundamental mechanisms involved in osteoporosis can advance the knowledge of the pathology, with a profound impact on the society, and may open new routes for targeted intervention and bottom-up therapies.