Katalin Modis is interested in understanding the fundamental mechanisms of cell injury in critical illness, either in conjunction to hypoxia/ischemia or in the context of pro-inflammatory responses. She obtained her Pharm.D. and her Ph.D. from the Semmelweis University in Budapest, Hungary, worked in the area of oxidative/nitrosative stress, cellular hypoxia, and is currently specializing in the area of cellular bioenergetics. Her current research focuses on understanding the mechanisms of cellular bioenergetic alterations in response to the pro-inflammatory mediator high-mobility group protein B1 (HMGB1) during critical illness and systemic inflammation.

Katalin's mentor, Dr. Csaba Szabo, has leading expertise in inflammatory/immune cellular responses, cell death and cellular energetics. His laboratory provides an ideal combination of scientific expertise and experimental methodologies for the current project. Using a novel technique (Extracellular Flux Analysis) that enables the in-depth study of oxidative phosphorylation and glycolysis in intact cells, Dr. Modis will be studying the significance of cellular bioenergetic alterations in the HMGB1-induced cellular response in macrophages. The knowledge gained from the current project is expected to contribute to the rational design of therapeutic strategies interrupting the deleterious positive feedback in inflammatory and immune diseases.

Research Project: Role of mitochondrial function in HMGB1-mediated macrophage responses.