Working in collaboration with others, his research group has identified the mechanistic basis of bone fragility associated with posttranslational modifications (non-enzymatic glycation and phosphorylation) of bone matrix, new structural roles for noncollagenous bone proteins, and developed new strategies to functionalize bone matrix and to produce tissue engineering scaffolds through biomimicry. His breakthrough and translational research, based in biomedical engineering, is redefining how bone fractures associated with osteoporosis, diabetes and cancer will be diagnosed, managed and treated.