Barbara Ukropcová

Barbara Ukropcová, MD, PhD, is a senior medical doctor and research scientist who has dedicated her career to unravelling the molecular and physiological underpinnings of human energy metabolism and its modulation by physical activity. She is a permanent researcher at the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS), Institute of Experimental Endocrinology in Bratislava, and simultaneously holds a lecturer appointment at Comenius University Bratislava Faculty of Medicine and Department of Physical Education and Sports. As guarantor of the SAS Centre for Physical Activity and the Centre for Obesity Management she coordinates multi-disciplinary translational projects that combine whole-body human studies, advanced magnetic-resonance spectroscopy, and primary cell-culture models.

Education

• 1992 – 1998: Doctor of General Medicine (MUDr.), Comenius University Bratislava, Faculty of Medicine
• PhD in Biomedical Sciences (field experimental endocrinology & metabolism)

Research focus

Prof. Ukropcová’s work centres on integrative physiology and exercise metabolism. Using non-invasive ³¹P- and ¹H-MRS at 7 T, metabolomics, and cell-culture systems she investigates:

• Mitochondrial energetics and metabolic flexibility of skeletal muscle & adipose tissue
• Exercise-induced myokines and adipokines as mediators of inter-organ crosstalk
• Pathophysiology of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and insulin resistance
• Neuroprotective effects of exercise in Parkinson’s disease, mild cognitive impairment and chemotherapy-induced cognitive decline
• Therapeutic potential of nutritional interventions (e.g., carnosine, vitamin D) in metabolic and inflammatory disorders

Key publication trends

Across 139 publications (2015–2025) her group has progressively integrated clinical intervention trials with state-of-the-art imaging and molecular biology. Early work established exercise-responsive metabolomic signatures in skeletal muscle and plasma; subsequent studies translated these findings into long-term supervised aerobic-strength programmes for patients with obesity, Parkinson’s disease, cancer survivors and inflammatory myopathies. More recent papers reveal novel roles for microRNAs, adipokines and exerkines in mediating systemic adaptations, and demonstrate measurable improvements in cognitive performance, postural stability and cardiometabolic risk profiles.

Scientific awards & recognition

• Principal investigator on >10 national and EU grants (SAS-ERC, Horizon 2020, Slovak Research and Development Agency)
• EASO (European Association for the Study of Obesity) Centre guarantor – one of only a few accredited centres in Central Europe
• Invited speaker at >30 international conferences and policy forums on obesity and exercise medicine

Advising & grants

She mentors PhD students and post-docs within the SAS Doctoral Training Programme and the EU Mobility schemes (Euraxess, MSCA COFUND). Active grants include longitudinal trials on exercise in Parkinson’s disease, carnosine supplementation for metabolic and cognitive health, and biomarker discovery in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies.

Laboratories & teams

Her team operates out of the Institute of Experimental Endocrinology core facility (Bratislava) housing clinical exercise laboratories, primary human muscle cell culture unit, and access to 7 T MR scanners. Close collaboration links exist with Jozef Ukropec’s Laboratory of Diabetes and Metabolic Derangements and with clinical departments at Comenius University University Hospital.