ICMRS Scientific Frontier Webinar Series
Bioenergetics in bone: basic biology and clinical implications
Presented by Fanxin Long, PhD
Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pennsylvania
William Wikoff Smith Endowed Chair at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
When: May 23, 2020 (Saturday) 9:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
May 23, 2020 (Saturday) 8:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
May 24, 2020 (Sunday) 9:00 AM Beijing Time (China)
May 24, 2020 (Sunday) 9:00 AM Perth (Australia - Western Australia)
May 24, 2020 (Sunday) 11:00 AM Sydney (Australia - New South Wales)
Where: Please click here to view the recorded webinar
Biography: Dr. Long earned his doctorate in developmental biology from Tufts University and completed postdoctoral training at Harvard University. He received a master’s degree in biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a bachelor’s degree in cell biology from Peking University. Dr. Long began his independent research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and served there as Professor of Medicine, Developmental Biology and Orthopedic Surgery until 2018 when he was appointed William Wikoff Smith Endowed Chair in Pediatric Genomic Research at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He also serves as Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Long received Washington University Distinguished Investigator Award. He was program co-chair for American Society of Bone and Mineral Diseases, and chair for Gordon Conference on Bones and Teeth. He currently serves as consulting editor for Journal of Clinical Investigation, associate editor for PLoS Genetics, and deputy editor for Journal of Bone and Mineral Research Plus. In his research, Dr. Long seeks to understand the fundamental mechanisms underlying normal skeletal biology and the pathophysiology of bone disorders. Much of his work focuses on understanding the formation and function of bone and cartilage cells at the cellular and molecular level. His group is at the forefront of investigating the relationship between metabolism and bone health.
Abstract: Mounting evidence indicates that diabetes increases bone fragility and poor fracture healing. Understanding how systemic metabolic dysregulation affects skeletal health requires better knowledge about cellular metabolism in the skeletal cell types. Although the general metabolic pathways are shared among mammalian cells, each cell type likely utilizes the pathways differently to fulfill not only the energy requirement but also the need for intermediate metabolites essential for biosynthesis. The large variation in biosynthetic programs likely drives the diversity of metabolic profiles across different cell types. Despite the obvious importance, the bioenergetic programs in bone cells remain poorly understood. I will share some of our findings on osteoblast metabolism and its regulation by differentiation signals. In particular, we have discovered that bone anabolic signals directly stimulate glucose metabolism to promote bone formation. Conversely, signals suppressing bone formation reduce glycolysis. The results therefore reveal glucose metabolism as a nexus for controlling osteoblast differentiation and function. Work is ongoing to test the hypothesis that enhancing glycolysis may correct bone frailty associated with diabetes.
This webinar will be moderated by Dr. Chao Wan, Associate Professor of Biomedical Sciences, from The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
For more information, please contact:
Jean Jiang, PhD
Chair, Education Committee, ICMRS
Professor and Zachry Distinguished University Chair
Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Email: icmrs@icmrs.net
