Metabolomics:Open Access

Lecka-Czernik Beata

Lecka-Czernik Beata
Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
University of Toledo College of Medicine, USA

Biography

Dr. Beata Lecka Czernik did her MS Biology 1980 Warsaw University Warsaw Poland. She did her PhD in Genetics Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics Polish Academy of Sciences Warsaw Poland and her Postdoctoral Fellow in University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Little Rock Arkansas.

Research Interest

Diabetes, obesity, and osteoporosis are major public health concerns due to their prevalence in our increasingly sedentary and aging society. The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARg) transcription factor is a protein that regulates glucose metabolism and energy expenditure. This protein also regulates lineage commitment of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSC). PPARg protein is a target for a class of anti-diabetic drugs TZDs, which decrease glucose levels and increase insulin sensitivity. Although their beneficial anti-diabetic profile, prolonged treatment with these drugs leads to the bone loss and increased number of bone fractures in diabetic patients. Dr. Lecka-Czerniks research has demonstrated that TZDs affect bone mass by changing lineage commitment of MSC toward formation of fat cells (adipocytes) and away from formation of bone forming cells (osteoblast). As a result, TZD administration to animals, as well as to humans, leads to the bone loss and the gain of fat in the bone marrow. Her research also demonstrated that the similar mechanism involving PPARg protein is responsible for bone loss with aging.