Zofia Zukowska
Zofia Zukowska (born 1948 or 1949 in Poland ; † April 15, 2012 in Stillwater , Minnesota ) was a doctor and researcher in the field of lipid metabolism .
Vita
In 1978 she became an assistant professor at the Warsaw Medical University before going to the United States as a visiting researcher in 1980. Since 1986 she has been researching at the Medical School of Georgetown University , in 1995 she was appointed full professor and heads the Department of Physiology & Biophysics there .
research
At Georgetown University in Washington, DC , she studied relationships between stress and weight gain. Here she recognized that neuropeptide Y (NPY) plays a special role in fat deposits.
She also examined a substance that blocks the neuropeptide Y2 receptor (Y2R) to which NPY docks. The substance is manufactured by Boehringer Ingelheim , but has not yet been tested on humans.
In her experiments with mice, she simulated stress and unfavorable eating habits that are common in American society. The mice then gained weight. With the NPY antagonist, however, she was able to achieve up to 40 percent less fat storage than in the comparison group.
Conversely, through NPY depots, she achieved fat deposits in other parts of the body.
Results
Zukowska does not assume that the drugs can be used against obesity per se, but can be used therapeutically for diseases associated with obesity such as diabetes mellitus , high blood pressure and arteriosclerosis , by transforming high-risk fat deposits into less risky ones.
Plastic surgery is another promising area of application . For example, NPY could be used against wrinkles or as an alternative to breast implants .
Others
Zofia Zukowska had a son and a daughter.
Web links
- Literature by and about Zofia Zukowska in the catalog of the German National Library
- Presentation Zukowskas on the website of Georgetown University ( Memento of 2 August 2008 at the Internet Archive ) ( English )
- Page with a detailed list of Zukowska's publications ( English )
Individual evidence
- ↑ Getting to Know ... Zofia Zukowska ( Memento of the original from March 15, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . GUMC Update (Georgetown University online newsletter) November 17, 2008. Retrieved March 11, 2010.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Zukowska, Zofia |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Polish-American physiologist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1948 or 1949 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Poland |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 15, 2012 |
| Place of death | Stillwater, Minnesota |