An active area of research in the laboratory focuses on the role of inherited genetics in bone formation and fracture healing. These projects makes use of inbred strains of mice that have definable variations in bone quality as defined by variation in geometric characteristics and material property intrinsic to mineral and extracellular matrix of the bone. These projects examine how genetic variation effect fracture healing. The identification of specific types of structural and biomechanical traits that are both relatable to rates of fracture healing and specific biological processes that occur during fracture healing have the potential to be developed into clinically usable assays that are prognostic of slow or fast fracture healing and of at risk to fracture bone quality A primary goal of these studies is to develop an open assess data base of both quantitative trait characteristics and transcriptional profiles that define bone healing. We use a combination of state of the art assessments tools to examine fracture healing including micro-computer assisted tomography (CT) biomechanical testing for strength and material property and novel tools of three dimensional tissue reconstruction of sequential histological specimens. We use all forms of state of the art molecular analysis of mRNA expression with a primary focus on large scale transcriptional profiling.