photo of Fraenkel, Paula

Paula Fraenkel, MD

Non Paid Employee_BIDMC
Research Operations
Contact Information
Phone:   617-667-2168
Fax:   866-345-0065
Address:    330 Brookline Ave Boston, MA 02215
Advanced Degree And Training
Year Institution Area or Rank
1995 Harvard Medical School MD
1995 Tufts/New England Medical Center Intern
1996 Tufts/New England Medical Center Resident
1998 Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Fellow
Areas of Interest
1 Cancer 2 Metabolic    
Major Research Theme
Anemia affects 10% of Americans over age 65 and is associated with cognitive impairment, increased morbidity, and mortality.  In 25% of these patients, anemia can be attributed to chronic inflammation, while in 33% the etiology has been unexplained.  Inappropriately elevated levels of hepcidin, a transcriptionally regulated peptide hormone, have been proposed as the cause of anemia of chronic inflammation (ACI), while the causes of unexplained anemia (UA) are unknown.  Due to their low cost and hematologic similarities to humans, we are utilizing the zebrafish as a model organism to identify small molecules and genes involved in the regulation of hepcidin expression and erythropoieisis.  The goal of our research is to develop new treatment and prevention strategies for chronic anemia.
External Recognition
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship; Amgen Fellowship; ASH Scholar Award; K08 grant: Genetic Analysis of Iron Homeostasis from NIDDK; oral presentations:  First International Bioiron Society Meeting, Prague, Czech Republic, May 23-27, 2005; National Meeting of the Red Cell Club, Boston, MA, October 28, 2007; Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology, Atlanta, GA, December 10, 2007.
Investigator's Lab Web Site
Research Lab URL     None listed
Harvard Catalyst Site:     Fraenkel Harvard Catalyst Web Site