Ernestina Schipani

Dr. Ernestina Schipani is the William Wikoff Smith Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine, where she leads a productive research laboratory focused on skeletal development and disease mechanisms. Her groundbreaking work has established fundamental principles in hypoxia biology and G-protein coupled receptor signaling as they relate to skeletal formation and disease processes.

Dr. Schipani's educational journey includes:

• M.D. and Ph.D. from St. Anna School of Advanced Studies-University of Pisa, Italy

Her research has transformed our understanding of skeletal development, beginning with her seminal discovery that gain-of-function mutations of PTHR1 cause Jansen disease. She pioneered the concept that hypoxia-driven pathways control skeletal development, revealing how oxygen gradients serve as regulatory signals in tissue morphogenesis. Her laboratory employs genetically modified mouse models and cutting-edge techniques including single-cell RNA sequencing and metabolomics to investigate how hypoxia, mitochondrial metabolism, and metabolic reprogramming influence skeletal development and disease.

Analysis of her recent publications shows a dominant focus on hypoxia-inducible factors (particularly HIF-1 and HIF-2) in bone development, metabolism, and disease. Her work spans molecular mechanisms of skeletal formation, therapeutic approaches for bone disorders, and the intersection of mitochondrial function with skeletal health, demonstrating sustained research excellence with continuous NIH funding since 1997.

Dr. Schipani's significant contributions to bone research have been recognized through:

• ASBMR Paula Stern Achievement Award (2019)
• Continuous ASBMR membership since 1992
• ASCI membership since 2005

She actively mentors the next generation of bone researchers, with her laboratory members regularly presenting at major scientific conferences including the Gordon Bone & Teeth Conference and ASBMR meetings. Her NIH-funded research program includes four major focus areas: HIF-1 in endochondral bone development and somitogenesis, HIF-2 in bone mass regulation, and HIFs in soft tissue tumors and cartilage regeneration. The laboratory recently secured an NIH R01 grant to study mitochondrial respiration and growth plate biology.

The Schipani Laboratory at McKay Laboratories-University of Pennsylvania maintains an active research program investigating the fundamental biological processes of skeletal development, with particular emphasis on hypoxia signaling and metabolic regulation. Current projects examine how hypoxia-inducible factors regulate bone formation and disease processes, with significant translational potential for developing new therapies for skeletal disorders including osteoporosis and skeletal dysplasias.