معرفی
Dr. Petra C. Kienesberger is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Dalhousie University, located at Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick. She joined the faculty in 2013 and currently serves as the Associate Graduate Coordinator. Her research focuses on the interplay between bioactive lipid signaling and energy metabolism, particularly investigating the role of lysophospholipases such as autotaxin (ATX) and lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) in metabolic diseases, obesity, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular dysfunction. Key areas of study include nutritional regulation of lysophospholipases and their impact on cellular energy pathways, as well as the role of autotaxin-LPA signaling in cardiomyopathy and metabolic disorders.
Education: PhD in Biology (University of Graz, Austria), Postdoctoral Fellowship in Cardiovascular Pathophysiology (University of Alberta). She is a member of the IMPART team and DalCREW. Her lab employs molecular biology, cell biology, and in vivo models to explore therapeutic interventions targeting lipid signaling pathways.
Research highlights include elucidating how autotaxin-LPA signaling contributes to insulin resistance and cardiac dysfunction in obesity, and investigating TFEB’s role in autophagy and metabolic disease. Her work has been published in journals such as Cell Death & Disease, Journal of Biological Chemistry, and Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine.
Lab members include PhD and MSc students, research technicians, and summer students. Notable collaborations involve Dr. Thomas Pulinilkunnil and institutions like the University of Pittsburgh and Université de Moncton. Funding sources include the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Canadian Diabetes Association, and NSERC.
