Malwina Czarny-Ratajczak, PhD, MS
Associate Professor
Education & Affiliations
Biography
Dr. Czarny received her MS degree in biotechnology and a PhD in clinical molecular genetics. Her master’s research project was focused on gene response to corticosteroid-induced apoptosis. During her PhD, she was a recipient of the Finnish CIMO scholarship to support her study of genetic changes affecting skeletal development in patients with bone dysplasias at the Department of Biochemistry, Collagen Research Unit, University of Oulu, Finland, in the laboratory of Dr. Leena Ala-Kokko. She completed her post-doctoral training in the laboratories of Dr. Leena Ala-Kokko and Dr. Darwin Prockop at the Center for Gene Therapy, Tulane University, New Orleans. At that time, the goal of her research was the identification of new genes for multiple epiphyseal dysplasia and osteoarthritis using genome-wide scan and linkage analysis. Before joining the faculty at Tulane SPHTM, she held faculty positions in the Department of Medical Genetics at Poznan University of Medical Sciences and then in the Center for Gene Therapy at Tulane Health Sciences Center, Center for Aging, and the Center for Biomedical Informatics & Genomics at the Department of Medicine, Tulane School of Medicine in New Orleans. Dr. Czarny is a member of the Tulane Center of Excellence in Sex-Based Biology & Medicine and the Tulane Cancer Center.
Research Areas
Dr. Czarny specializes in human genetics and molecular biology. Her research focuses on the identification of novel genetic and epigenetic factors involved in cartilage development and aging, the etiology of primary osteoarthritis (OA), and other skeletal disorders. Osteoarthritis affects 33 million people in the USA, with a much higher prevalence in women than in men. Dr. Czarny studies genetic factors contributing to sex-specific differences in OA. She employs various omics methods to identify changes in the genome and transcriptome that predispose populations in Louisiana and Europe to OA and other disorders. Another area of her interest encompasses extracellular vesicles, which are released into the synovial fluid and transport molecules critical for joint homeostasis and intercellular communication between tissues. Ongoing research projects in her laboratory include investigating the contribution of dysfunctional telomeres and components of exosomal cargo (proteins and miRNAs) to osteoarthritis and modification of intercellular communication in the OA mouse model as a potential therapeutic strategy for OA.
- Clinical molecular genetics
- Cartilage and bone genetics
- Musculoskeletal disorders
- Omics approach in joint disorders
- Extracellular vesicles
Publications
Please view Czarny-Ratajczak's publications on her NCBI link.
