Professor Tamas Bartfai
The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
Fever : from in vivo to molecular studies
12.00, Nov. 25, 2015
Institute of Technology of Tartu University, 1st floor, Nooruse 1, TARTU
Host : Ülo Langel, ulo@neurochem.su.se
Short summary
Fever is an orchestrated body-wide stress response to different immunological and
psychological stimuli. The fever response is also our first quantitative biomarker and an
important indicator of infection and inflammation. The endogenous pyrogens Interleukin1, TNFa and IL-6 induce the expression of the enzyme COX that converts arachidonic acid into
the endogenous pyrogens: prostaglandins. The molecular and the cellular mechanisms of the
fever response in the brain and periphery, respectively, have been elucidated by in vivo
radiotelemetry, by infrared imaging, by electrophysiology and by single cell transcriptomics - in
the past 20 years and these studies helped to define molecular targets for therapies for antiinflammatory drugs and vaccine adjuvants, many of which have entered clinical practice. The
fever response in the anterior hypothalamus involves spontaneously active, temperature sensitive
neurons, that are inhibitory interneurons expressing receptors for pyrogens like for IL-1
and PGE2. The binding of endogenous and exogenous (cf bacterial LPS) pyrogens reduces
the inhibitory activity mediated by these neurons -that normally acts as a brake on
the thermogenesis in brown fat - thus fever is a result of the disinhibition of thermogenesis by
uncoupling the numerous mitochondria of brown adipocytes. Fever thus connects innate
immunology, Toll receptors, cytokines, bioenergetics, and energy metabolism and thus remains at
the heart of mammalian physiology.
Tamas Bartfai, Ph D, professor
Department of Chemical Physiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA
Professor of Drug Discovery, Oxford University, (Vis)
Adjunct Professor, Department of Pharmacology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia , PA
Adjunct Professor Department of Neurochemistry, University of Stockholm
Research Focus
Professor Tamas Bartfai, Ph.D., focuses on two main research areas: 1) the roles of neuropeptide
galanin in depression, anxiety, and seizures; and 2) fever, cytokine action in the brain and
thermoregulation. The neuropeptide galanin has been found to influence several physiological
processes such as cognition and memory, and regulation of mood. This is achieved at three
galanin receptor subtypes that control the release of various neurotransmitters and hormones
(e.g., acetylcholine, noradrenaline, glutamate, dopamine, insulin, growth hormone, prolactin).
Despite being among the most common pathophysiological signs of disease, we know little about
fever. By studying the actions of fever producing substances, pyrogens in the brain, we are
learning about fever, an adaptive stress response to microbial infection and to psychological
stress. The center of the fever response is the warm sensitive and pyrogen sensitive neuron that is
being characterized in great molecular detail; providing insights into how temperature regulation,
metabolic rate and aging are correlated. There is a strong emphasis on the translational aspects of
the research. Dr Bartfai has been involved in industry and academia in the development of
several drugs that are in clinical use and he brings this angle of investigation to each experiment
in the laboratory and the department.
Education
Ph.D., Biochemistry, Stockholm University, 1973
B.S., Physics and Chemistry, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary, 1971
Professional Experience
1986-1995 Neurochemistry (Chair), University of Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden
1999-2003 Department of Biochemistry, The Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
2000-2012 Professor, Molecular and Integrative Neurosciences Department, The Scripps
Research
Institute
2006-2011 Chair, Molecular and Integrative Neurosciences Department, The Scripps Research
Institute
2011 Professor of Drug Discovery, Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, UK
2012 Professor, Department of Chemical Physiology, The Scripps Research Institute
Adjunct professorships: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; the Rockefeller
University, New York, NY
Industry:
1995-2000 Hoffmann-La Roche, Basel, Switzerland, Sr. VP, Head of Neurology and Psychiatry
Drug Discovery
2002-2008 Advisor Novartis, Neuroscience
2009 Advisor Pfizer Neuroscience, Metabolic Disease area
2008-2010 Head of SAB, Pfizer Incubator
Awards & Professional Activities
Eotvos Medal 1966, Budapest, Hungary; Swedberg Prize 1985, Royal Swedish Academy;
Ericsson Prize 1996 Royal Swedish Academy (shared);Ellison Medical Foundation Senior
Scholar Award 2002; Member, Hungarian Academy of Sciences; Member, Academia Europaea;
Member, Society for Neuroscience; Member, Cytokine Society; Member, Scientific Advisory
Board, The Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute
Editorial Boards: Nature, Molecular Pharmacology
Editor-in-chief: Drug Discovery Mechanisms