Jurga Laurencikiene

Jurga Laurencikiene

Researcher | Docent
Visiting address: Blickagången 16 (byggnad NEO), 14183 Huddinge
Postal address: H7 Medicin, Huddinge, H7 GUT Laurencikiene, 171 77 Stockholm
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About me

  • The group focuses on the function of adipose tissue immune cells and their role in obesity-related complications such as insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. In addition, we are interested in how signals coming from immune cells are influencing healthy vs unhealthy adipose tissue expansion and how sex differences influence these processes.
    The transferability of research results between sexes has been questioned with great differences found both in human and murine metabolic and immune system research. Sex dimorphism is a well-known phenomena in development of obesity-related insulin resistance (IR) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) as well as in general immune response. Men have a higher risk of insulin resistance and metabolic complications compared to pre-menopausal
    women even though obesity is more prevalent in women. Several sex-related differences in white adipose tissue (WAT) function have been defined, for example leptin secretion and adipocyte lipolysis. Therefore, it is apparent that WAT function contributes to metabolic differences observed between sexes. However, most of such studies focused on adipocyte phenotype, while also immune cells have a central role in regulation of metabolism and inflammation in WAT. Furthermore, immune cells also respond to insulin and can develop insulin resistance. Our hypothesis is that WAT immune cells possess sex differences in composition of populations and their functions, which affects WAT expansion and its phenotype.

Research

  • Adipocytes, adipose tissue immune cells, obesity, type 2 diabetes, inflammation, sex differences.

Teaching

  • - Director of studies for the Master’s programme in Biomedicine,
    - Course director of the elective course in "Circulation, Metabolism and Endocrinology" in a Master's programme in Biomedicine,
    - Co-ordinator of a doctoral program in Metabolism and Endocrinology (MetEndo),
    - Board member of the graduate program in Metabolism and Endocrinology (MetEndo) at KI,
    - Teacher in courses under Master's programme in Biomedicine and doctoral courses at KI.
    - Teacher's representative in the Programme committee for Biomedicine programmes and Programme committee for undergraduate education at MedH.

Articles

All other publications

Grants

Employments

  • Researcher, Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, 2024-

Degrees and Education

  • Docent, Karolinska Institutet, 2011
  • Doctor Of Philosophy, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institutet, 2004

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