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Dr Gabor Czibik

Gabor

Senior Lecturer in Metabolism

Centre: Endocrinology

Email: g.czibik@qmul.ac.uk

Profile

Dr Czibik graduated as a medical doctor at the Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary in 2001. After a brief stop at the Karolinska Institute, Sweden, as a clinical research fellow (2002-3) in cardiovascular surgery, he obtained his PhD under the supervision of Prof Guro Valen at the University of Oslo, Norway (2004-8) in experimental cardiology, exploring remote gene therapy to provide a lasting cardioprotection. Subsequently, he moved to Oxford as a postdoctoral research fellow under the supervision of Profs Hugh Watkins & Houman Ashrafian (2008-13). To exploit his novel understanding and skills in cellular, cardiac, and systemic metabolism acquired in Oxford, he moved to Paris to work on cardiac ageing with Prof Genevieve Derumeaux (2014-2023). In February 2023, Dr Czibik was appointed as a senior lecturer in metabolism at Lifelong Health, Dept. of Endocrinology, William Harvey Research Institute. 

Throughout his career Dr Czibik has received numerous commendations and awards, supervised students, technicians and postdocs, organized knowledge-sharing activities, published paradigm-shifting papers and been invited to deliver lectures at international conferences. 

Research

The Czibik group studies a variety of unsolved medical problems affecting masses of people, independent of whether a certain condition or abnormality is widely recognized or not. In line with demographic trends, a major focus of our investigation is to explore mechanisms of natural ageing and age-related diseases, investigated from a metabolic perspective. We use a combination of approaches, including but not limited to bioinformatic screening, in vitro and in vivo modelling of key abnormalities, methods of OMICS, functional genetics, molecular biology, and human cohorts/samples. In addition to the techniques directly available in our laboratory, we have an extensive scientific network, with cutting-edge expertise and learning opportunity for our junior staff. Regardless of the path we take, we aim to identify dysfunctional disease nodes, and functionally test them to ultimately develop cure for human conditions of a major unmet need. 

One illustrative example of our work is our recent discovery of a causal link between increased circulating phenylalanine (Phe) levels and cardiac ageing. Specifically, elderly humans reportedly manifest modestly elevated plasma Phe levels with an unknown functional consequence. First, we found that this observation was not only recapitulated in rodents, but it also associated with an age-dependent decline in myocardial structure and function. Interestingly, experimental modification of circulating Phe levels closely impacted on the myocardial functional integrity, such that Phe overload in young mice induced a premature cardiac ageing phenotype, whilst dietary or pharmacological mitigation of Phe levels structurally and functionally rejuvenated hearts of old mice. We have also identified a decline in natural hepatic Phe catabolism as the source of age-related increases in circulating Phe levels (Czibik et al Circulation 2021; PMID: 34162223). These studies open new conceptual avenues to achieve increased healthspan in place of a disease-ridden old age.

We are always interested in the application of enthusiastic researchers of any seniority and attempt to offer an excellent career development opportunity. If you think about joining, you may enquire about available projects/funding opportunities directly from Dr Czibik. 

Key Publications

  1. Sawaki D, Zhang Y, Mohamadi A, Pini M, Mezdari Z, Lipskaia L, Naushad S, Lamendour L, Altintas DM, Breau M, Liang H, Halfaoui M, Delmont T, Surenaud M, Rousseau D, Yoshimitsu T, Louache F, Adnot S, Henegar C, Gual P, Czibik G*, Derumeaux G*. Osteopontin promotes age-related adipose tissue remodeling through senescence-associated macrophage dysfunction. JCI Insight. 2023 Apr 24;8(8):e145811. *These authors contributed equally.
  2. Sanpawithayakul K, Czibik G, Korbonits M. Live Fast, Die Young? J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2023 Jun 9:dgad349.
  3. Czibik G*, Mezdari Z*, Altintas DM*, et al. Dysregulated phenylalanine catabolism plays a key role in the trajectory of cardiac aging. Circulation. *These authors contributed equally. 2021 Aug 17;144(7):559-574.
  4. Czibik G, d’Humières T, Derumeaux D. When does too much energy become a danger to the heart? Invited editorial to Rayner et al. Obesity modifies the energetic phenotype of dilated cardiomyopathy. Eur Heart J 2021 Nov 25;ehab801.
  5. Pini M*, Czibik G*, Sawaki D*, et al. Adipose tissue senescence is mediated by increased ATP content after a short-term high fat diet exposure. Aging Cell. 2021 Aug;20(8):e13421. *These authors contributed equally.
  6. Mougenot N,* Mika D,* Czibik G, Marcos E, Abid S, Houssaini A, Vallin B, Guellich A, Mehel H, Sawaki D, Vandecasteele G, Fischmeister R, Hajjar RJ, Dubois-Randé JL, Limon I, Adnot S, Derumeaux G, Lipskaia L. Cardiac adenylyl cyclase overexpression precipitates and aggravates age-related myocardial dysfunction. Cardiovasc Res. 2019 Oct 1;115(12):1778-1790 *These authors contributed equally.
  7. Czibik G*, Sawaki D*, Pini M*, et al. Visceral adipose tissue drives age-related myocardial fibrosis and dysfunction through osteopontin production. Circulation. 2018 Aug 21;138(8):809-822. * these authors contributed equally
  8. Yavari A, Bellahcene M, Bucchi A, Sirenko S, Pinter K, Herring N, Jung J, Tarasov K, Sharpe E, Czibik G, et al.The γ2 subunit of AMP-activated protein kinase regulates mammalian heart rate. Nat Commun. 2017 Nov 2;8(1):1258.
  9. Ernande L, Audureau E, Jellis C, Bergerot C, Sawaki D, Czibik G, et al. Clinical implications of echocardiographic phenotypes in diabetes mellitus: a cluster analysis. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2017 Oct 3;70(14):1704-1716.
  10. Yavari A, Stocker CJ, Ghaffari S, Wargent ET, Steeples V, Czibik G, et al. Chronic Activation of γ2 AMPK Induces Obesity and Reduces β Cell Function. Cell Metab. 2016 May 10;23(5):821-36.
  11. Siggs OM, Stockenhuber A, Deobagkar-Lele M, Bull KR, Crockford TL, Kingston BL, Crawford G, Anzilotti C, Steeples V, Ghaffari S, Czibik G, et al. Mutation of Fnip1 is associated with B-cell deficiency, cardiomyopathy, and elevated AMPK activity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2016 Jun 28;113(26):E3706-15.
  12. Czibik G, Steeples V, Yavari A, Ashrafian H. Citric acid cycle intermediates in cardioprotection. Circ Cardiovasc Genet. 2014 Oct;7(5):711-9.
  13. Czibik G, Derumeaux G, Sawaki D, Valen G, Motterlini R. Heme oxygenase-1: an emerging therapeutic target to curb cardiac pathology. Basic Res Cardiol. 2014;109(6):450.
  14. Ashrafian H, Czibik G, et al. Fumarate is cardioprotective via activation of the Nrf2 antioxidant pathway. Cell Metab. 2012 Mar 7;15(3):361-71.
  15. Czibik G, Sagave J, Martinov V, Valen G. Cardioprotection by hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha transfection in skeletal muscle is dependent on haem oxygenase activity in mice. Cardiovasc Res. 2009 Apr 1;82(1):107-14.

Sponsors

Collaborators

Queen Mary University of London

Prof Li Chan; Prof Paul Chapple; Prof Leonardo Guasti; Prof Marta Korbonits; Prof Sian Henson; Prof Adrian Hobbs; Dr Faraz Mardakheh; Dr Katiuscia Bianchi; Dr Monica Imbernon

UK

Prof Keith Channon, Oxford; Prof Gillian Douglas, Oxford; Dr Arash Yavari, Oxford; Dr Rizwan Sarwar, Oxford; Prof Federico Roncaroli, Manchester

International

Prof Genevieve Derumeaux, Paris, France; Prof Peggy Lafuste, Paris; Dr Henrik Isaacson, Uppsala, Sweden; Dr Dogus Altintas, Milan, Italy; Dr Daigo Sawaki, Shimotsuke, Japan; Dr Peter Reismann, Budapest, Hungary; Dr Csaba Sumanszki, Budapest, Hungary

 

News

  • Memberships    Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology (FESC; 2015-)
  • Guest Editor Frontiers in Endocrinology: Endocrine insights into heart disease (2023)

Teaching

  • EUR-LIVE
  • PBL: BMD202
  • PhD supervisor: Laura Perna (2023-), Mohammed Dushti (2023-), Fantin Lowenstein (2023), Zaineb Mezdari (2021)
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