UMCUniversity of Massachusetts Chan Medical School · Biology
Beige Adipocyte Research Lab
Michael P Czech · Worcester, Massachusetts
Research Focus
Dr. Michael Czech's lab focuses on understanding how certain fat cells, called beige adipocytes, can improve metabolic health in conditions like obesity and diabetes. They use advanced CRISPR technology to convert regular fat cells into beige adipocytes, which can help in weight loss and improve body metabolism. The lab's research aims to discover the underlying mechanisms that allow these fat cells to help the body utilize energy better and combat fat accumulation in the liver.
CRISPRbeige adipocytesobesitymetabolic healthdiabetesgene modificationcell therapyfatty liverinsulin sensitivitymolecular mechanisms
Research Aims
3AIM 01Investigate whether thermogenesis in beige adipocytes is necessary for their metabolic benefits.
AIM 02Identify how beige adipocytes reduce free fatty acid entry into the liver.
AIM 03Discover signaling molecules secreted by beige adipocytes that influence liver metabolism.
Skills the Lab Values
CRISPR gene editingcell culturemouse modelsRNA sequencingmolecular biology techniquesfunctional genomicsdata analysisprotein purificationpeptide signaling studiesmetabolic assays
Output against the department
Publications419top 11% of dept.111th of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations36ktop 8% of dept.86th of 1,033
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.