E35: Dagmar Kratky

So what first drew you to studying lipid metabolism and this field of research? Was there a particular moment or a discovery in your career that really shaped your scientific direction?

Yeah, well, as I said, I did my master thesis in Hermann Esterbauer's group.

And Hermann Esterbauer, he was a pioneer working on oxidative stress, free radicals and LDL.

So this was the first time that I got exposed to lipid metabolism.

Let's call it like this.

And then when I moved on to do my doctoral thesis in Rudi Zechner's lab, I was working on the role of endothelial lipase and I deciphered the role of this enzyme.

in an alternative fatty acid uptake mechanism in LPL deficient adipose tissue.

And in that time, so I got very much involved in lipid metabolism.

I got the passion for lipid metabolism and lipases.

I learned about mouse models working with mice.

And this is where I then stayed and where I then tried to go on and have my own ideas.

And maybe the moment, so there was more a moment that shaped my scientific direction was when I got offered this assistant professorship at that time by Gerd Kostner as the head of the Institute of Medical Biochemistry.

So where I applied and I got this position and this was just starting my own group and trying to find a niche in lipid metabolism not everyone else was doing in grads so people were more interested in lipases in adipose tissue and liver and so I tried to find my niche in the role of lipases in macrophages and atherosclerosis.

So what first drew you to studying lipid metabolism and this field of research? Was there a particular moment or a discovery in your career that really shaped your scientific direction?

Yeah, well, as I said, I did my master thesis in Hermann Esterbauer's group.

And Hermann Esterbauer, he was a pioneer working on oxidative stress, free radicals and LDL.

So this was the first time that I got exposed to lipid metabolism.

Let's call it like this.

And then when I moved on to do my doctoral thesis in Rudi Zechner's lab, I was working on the role of endothelial lipase and I deciphered the role of this enzyme.

in an alternative fatty acid uptake mechanism in LPL deficient adipose tissue.

And in that time, so I got very much involved in lipid metabolism.

I got the passion for lipid metabolism and lipases.

I learned about mouse models working with mice.

And this is where I then stayed and where I then tried to go on and have my own ideas.

And maybe the moment, so there was more a moment that shaped my scientific direction was when I got offered this assistant professorship at that time by Gerd Kostner as the head of the Institute of Medical Biochemistry.

So where I applied and I got this position and this was just starting my own group and trying to find a niche in lipid metabolism not everyone else was doing in grads so people were more interested in lipases in adipose tissue and liver and so I tried to find my niche in the role of lipases in macrophages and atherosclerosis.