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.
Collaborators
Queen Mary University of London
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
