Iron is am important trace element with vital functions for cells including gene regulation, metabolism, bioenergetics, and hormone synthesis. As such, dysregulations in iron metabolism cause disease, such as anemia in the case of iron-deficiency or organ damage in case of iron overload. Interestingly, iron deficiency and iron overload frequently co-exist with bone disease, suggesting common pathways that regulate both systems. In this presentation, I will highlight the interactions of iron and bone metabolism, and present our recent findings on the role of cell metabolism in mediating the negative effects of iron overload on osteoblasts, which are our bone forming cells.

Biography:

Martina Rauner studied biotechnology at the University of Applied Sciences in Vienna, Austria from 2002-2006. After completing her doctorate at the Department of Pathophysiology at the Medical University of Vienna in 2008, she received the ECTS/AMGEN bone research fellowship and joined the group of Professor Lorenz Hofbauer in Dresden, Germany to study mechanisms of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis. In 2011, Martina became Group leader for Osteoimmunology and expanded her research area to chronic inflammatory diseases. Due to her comprehensive knowledge on bone biology, its interactions with other organ systems, and her leadership skills, she was promoted to the Scientific Director of the Bone lab in 2015 and became Professor for Molecular Bone Biology in 2018. Currently, her group is particularly interested in the interactions of bone with hematopoiesis, hormones, and cancer cells, and studies the role of Wnt and BMP signalling therein.

IPHYS contact person: Michaela Tencerová, michaela.tencerova@fgu.cas.cz