The annual Young Investigator award is sponsored by Novartis Pharmaceuticals to recognize a licensed physician under the age of 45 for innovative, patient-oriented research in the fields of physiology, pathophysiology or epidemiology of diabetes mellitus and its complications.
An Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Mantzoros is a leader in the field of leptin research whose work has advanced the understanding of leptin as a hormonal mediator of the adaptation to starvation.
In clinical studies published in 2003, Mantzoros demonstrated that low leptin levels are responsible for key starvation-induced changes in neuroendocrine axes in humans, findings that have important implications for women with eating disorders and reproductive abnormalities. His subsequent research published in The New England Journal of Medicine provides valuable insights into the pathophysiology of hypothalamic amenorrhea, suggesting new therapeutic options for this prevalent condition.
"Chris's work is a perfect example of translational research," says BIDMC Chief Academic Officer Jeffrey S. Flier. "By applying the novel discoveries made in his lab to clinical studies of women suffering from amenorrhea, Chris has demonstrated that low leptin levels are indeed responsible for reproductive and neuroendocrine abnormalities. These findings are now leading to improved treatments for conditions affecting millions of women worldwide."
Mantzoros has additionally focused attention on the study of low-leptin states among HIV-positive patients, demonstrating that leptin replacement can ameliorate the metabolic abnormalities found in these individuals, who have experienced a generalized loss of adipose tissue. His other research interests extend to other molecules important in the regulation of energy homeostasis including resistin, ghrelin, and GLP-1.
A graduate of Athens (Greece) University Medical School with both M.D. and D.Sc. degrees, Mantzoros holds an M.Sc. degree in Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health and an M.M.Sc. degree in Clinical Investigation from Harvard Medical School. After completing clinical and research fellowships in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism through the Longwood Medical Area/Harvard Medical School training program, Mantzoros joined the staff of BIDMC. He is an Overseer of Clinical Research in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at BIDMC and Joslin Diabetes Center.
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a patient care, teaching and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School, and ranks third in National Institutes of Health funding among independent hospitals nationwide. BIDMC is clinically affiliated with the Joslin Diabetes Cener and is a research partner of Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center.