Clinical & Translational Metabolism - Call for Papers: Metabolic regulation of musculoskeletal health and disease

The musculoskeletal system enables movement and is required for the protection of the inner organs. But moreover, specific parts of the musculoskeletal system like bones or muscles are also considered as endocrine organs which are important as drivers for the body’s response towards external stimuli. These diverse functions involve significant bioenergetic demands, necessitating precise regulation of cellular metabolic processes. Despite initial observations dating back almost a century, recent studies in the past decade have uncovered the molecular mechanisms governing the uptake and breakdown of nutrients in musculoskeletal cells and diverse metabolic switches which might be important for cellular plasticity. This intricate relationship involves various factors such as energy metabolism, hormonal regulation, and nutrient signaling, all of which play pivotal roles in maintaining the balance between health and disease. A more profound insight into the metabolic checkpoints governing these transitions could offer novel perspectives for manipulating musculoskeletal function in conditions such as injury, degeneration, or other disorders affecting the musculoskeletal system. This collection will include original research articles and reviews on the following topics: metabolic regulation of bone, cartilage, tendon and other musculoskeletal tissues, nutrient and hormonal control of cellular plasticity and differentiation in musculoskeletal tissue, and disregulation of cellular metabolism in musculoskeletal disease and trauma.

For more information about the submission process, please read the submission guidelines (this opens in a new tab). 

Guest Editor:

apl. Prof. Dr. Melanie Haffner-Luntzer

apl. Prof. Dr. Melanie Haffner-Luntzer is the head of the bone regeneration group at the Institute of Orthopaedic Research and Biomechanics at the University of Ulm, Germany. Dr. Haffner-Luntzer’s research focuses on molecular mechanisms involved in fracture healing, bone homeostasis and osteoporosis. In 2014, she received the prestigious Wilhelm-Roux award from the German Society of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery (DGOU). In 2016, she was awarded with the best basic research paper award from the German Society for Trauma Surgery (DGU). In 2018, she received the New Investigators Recognition Award from the Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS). She received funding from the German Research Foundation, the AOTrauma Germany Foundation, the American society for bone and mineral research and the Elsbeth-Bonhoff foundation.

Dr. Melanie Haffner-Luntzer received her PhD in Molecular Medicine from Ulm University (Germany) in 2015, where she studied the influence of the pro-inflammatory and anti-osteogenic molecule Midkine on bone and fracture healing. She conducted her postdoctoral research at the Institute of Orthopaedic Research at University Medical Center Ulm (Germany). In 2019, she conducted a study to establish a novel mouse model for metaphyseal fracture healing as a Visiting Scholar at the Orthopaedic Research Institute at the University of California, San Francisco (USA). In 2019, she was promoted to lecturer at Ulm University.