Bisphosphonate use has expanded beyond traditional applications, such as the prevention of osteoporosis, into non-traditional pediatric low bone mass diseases including osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) [1]. Despite enthusiasm, some questions remain on the overall effectiveness and implications of long-term treatment. In the Brtl/+ mouse model for OI, bisphosphonate treatment improves bone size, but bending strength fails to increase to proportionate levels and bones remain brittle [2]. Complications associated with long-term bisphosphonate treatment have been noted in other systems [3,4] leading to a need for critical information describing local drug-cell interactions responsible for these observations. The purpose of this study was to validate a fluorescent bisphosphonate analog, far-red fluorescent pamidronate (FRFP) [5] as a biomarker of bisphosphonate deposition and retention in vivo to monitor local drug concentration in a site-specific manner.

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