Photo of Joseph Lorenzo, MD

Joseph Lorenzo, MD

Professor of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, UConn Health
Director of Bone Biology Research, UConn Health
UConn Musculoskeletal Institute
NPI Number:
1881690030
Academic Office Location:
Medicine
UConn Health
263 Farmington Avenue
Farmington, CT 06030-5456
Phone: 800-535-6232
860-679-7692

Dr. Lorenzo is a professor of medicine in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism at UConn Health. He is a nationally renowned expert in endocrinology and metabolic bone diseases. Dr. Lorenzo's clinical interests center on the management of patients with osteoporosis and other metabolic bone disorders. He has been named a "Top Doctor in Endocrinology" by U.S. News and World Report since 2011.

Dr. Lorenzo’s research interests center on the regulation of bone remodeling by hormones and cytokines and the interaction of the immune and skeletal systems. He is a founding member of the organizing committee for a series of international conference on "Osteoimmunology: Interactions of the Immune and Skeletal Systems," which have occurred every two years since 2006 and an editor of a textbook on Osteoimmunology (editions 1 and 2). He is also an author of the chapter "Metabolic Bone Disease" in Williams Textbook of Endocrinology (editions 10, 11 and 12). Dr. Lorenzo is a former councilor of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, a former deputy editor of the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research and former member of the editorial board of the Journal of Clinical Investigation. He is currently the Scientific Web Page Editor for the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research and a member of the editorial board for the journal Bone.

Education
DegreeInstitutionMajor
BSRensselaer Polytechnic InstitutePhysics
MDState University of New York, Downstate Medical CenterMedicine

Post-Graduate Training
TrainingInstitutionSpecialty
InternshipUniversity of Illinois Hospital & ClinicMedicine
ResidencyUniversity of Illinois Hospital & ClinicInternal Medicine
FellowshipUniversity of Connecticut School of MedicineEndocrinology/Metabolism

Awards
Name of Award/HonorAwarding Organization
Fellow of the American Society for Bone and Mineral ResearchAmerican Society for Bone and Mineral Research
Career Development Award, 1983-1988 VA Research Associate
New Investigator Research Award, 1982-1985 NIH

Diabetes and metabolism, endocrinology, osteoporosis, and metabolic bone disease

Lectures in the 2nd year medical and dental school course "Mechanisms of Disease" entitled "Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Diseases"

Name & DescriptionCategoryRoleTypeScopeStart YearEnd Year
NIH Study Section "Skeletal Biology Development and Disease Study Section – SBDD" permanent memberStudy SectionPermanent MemberExternalNational20212025
Scientific Web Page Editor, American Society for Bone and Mineral ResearchEditorial BoardEditorExternalNational2014
Science Education Advisory Committee of the American Society for Bone and Mineral ResearchProfessional/Scientific OrganizationChairExternalNational2013
journal "Bone"Editorial BoardEditorial BoardExternalInternational2012
Program Committee Endocrine SocietyEducation CommitteememberExternalInternational20112012
Permanent member, Oral Biology and Medicine 2 NIH Study Section Study SectionMemberExternalNational20002003
Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)Advisory CommitteeChairUConn HealthUniversity1998
Oral Biology and Medicine 2 NIH Study Section Study SectionAd Hoc MemberExternalNational19962000
Deputy Editor Journal of Bone and Mineral Research Editorial BoardEditorExternalNational19911995

Basic Science Research Interests


The influence of hormones and cytokines on both bone resorption, which is mediated by osteoclasts, and bone formation, which is mediated by osteoblasts.


The nature and regulation of osteoclast precursor cells in health and disease.


The influence of the immune system on bone remodeling.


Dr. Lorenzo’s laboratory is actively involved in research that is designed to identify the surface markers of cells that differentiate into osteoclasts in vitro and in vivo. The goal of these studies is to characterize the cells that form osteoclasts and determine if there are different between them in normal and pathologic conditions. It is hoped that this research will lead to the development of targeted therapies that selectively inhibit pathologic osteoclast formation without affecting normal bone turnover.


Clinical Research Interests


The role of hormones in the regulation of serum sclerostin.


The role of hormones in the regulation of osteoclast precursor cells.

Role of Runx1 in osteoclast biology

Journal Articles

Book Chapters

  • Cytokines and the Pathogenesis of Osteoporosis
    Joseph A. Lorenzo Osteoporosis 2018 Dec;
  • B cells in the Regulation of Bone Metabolism
    Danka Grcevic Archana Sanjay Joseph Lorenzo Encyclopedia of Bone Biology 2018 Jun;
  • Local Regulators of Bone Interleukin-1, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Interferons, the IL-6 Family, and Additional Cytokines
    Natalie A. Sims Joseph A. Lorenzo Principles of Bone Biology 2018 Jun;
  • Local Regulators of Bone Interleukin-1, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Interferons, the IL-6 Family, and Additional Cytokines
    Natalie A. Sims Joseph A. Lorenzo Principals of Bone Biology
  • Local Regulators of Bone Interleukin-1, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Interferons, the IL-6 Family, and Additional Cytokines
    Natalie A. Sims Joseph A. Lorenzo Principals of Bone Biology
  • Local Regulators of Bone: Interleukin-1, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Interferons, the IL-6 Family, and Additional Cytokines
    Natalie A. Sims Joseph A. Lorenzo Principals of Bone Biology
  • Local Regulators of Bone: Interleukin-1, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Interferons, the IL-6 Family, and Additional Cytokines
    Natalie A. Sims Joseph A. Lorenzo Principals of Bone Biology

Abstracts

  • Effect of exogenous and endogenous prostaglandin E2 on osteoclastogenesis in the RAW 264.7 macrophage cell line.
    Kaneko H, Lee S, Lorenzo JA, Toyama Y, Pilbeam CC, and Raisz LG. J Bone Miner Res 2004 Jan;19(S1)S409
  • Prostaglandin E2 stimulation of osteoclast formation in hematopoietic cell cultures is mediated by a soluble T cell factor.
    Kaneko H, Ono K, Lee SK, Lorenzo JA, Toyama Y, Pilbeam CC, Raisz LG. J Bone Miner Res 2003 Jan;18(S2)S236
  • Effects of aging on the regulation of osteoclast formation in murine bone marrow cultures.
    Lee S, Tomita M, Pilbeam C, Lorenzo J. J Bone Miner Res 2000 Jan;15(S1)S237
  • IL-1 regulation of osteoblastic differentiation in murine bone marrow and primary osteoblastic cultures.
    Tomita M, Okada Y, Alander C, Lorenzo J, Raisz L, Pilbeam C. J Bone Miner Res 2000 Jan;15(S1)S508
  • Effects of prostaglandin G/H synthase-2 knockout on bone.
    Okada Y, Tomita M, Tsurukami H, Nakamura T, Alander C, Sohn J, Raisz L, Lorenzo J, Pilbeam C. J Bone Miner Res 1999 Jan;14(S1)S172
  • Osteoblasts from interleukin 1 receptor type 1 knockout mice have a markedly reduced capacity to support osteoclast function.
    Lorenzo JA, Kalinowski J, Voznesensky O, Pilbeam C. J Bone Miner Res 1999 Jan;14(S1)S164
  • Decreased osteoclastogenic responses in marrow cultures from mice with disruption of the PGHS-2 gene.
    Okada Y, Raisz LG, Lorenzo JA, Alander CB, Freeman A, Voznesensky OS, Hurley MM, Pilbeam CC. J Bone Miner Res 1998 Jan;13(S1)S330
  • Downregulation of mRNA expression for the "decoy" interleukin-1 receptor 2 by ovariectomy in mice.
    Pilbeam C, Rao Y, Alander C, Voznesensky O, Okada Y, Sims J, Raisz L, Lorenzo J. J Bone Min Res 1997 Jan;12(S1)S433
  • Increased production of inflammatory mediators immed-iately after surgery by marrow stromal cell cultures from sham operated and ovariectomized mice.
    Lee SK, Pilbeam CC, Lorenzo JA. J Bone Min Res 1995 Jan;10(S1)S346
  • Ovariectomy or estrogen treatment do not alter interleukin 6 mRNA expression in adult murine bone and bone marrow.
    Vargas SJ, Kawaguchi H, Kalinowski J, Naprta A, Pilbeam C, Raisz L, Lorenzo JA. J Bone Min Res 1994 Jan;9(S1)S389

Conference Papers

Editorials

  • Osteoimmunology.
    Lorenzo, Joseph; Choi, Yongwon Immunological reviews 2005 Dec;2085-6

Letters

Notes

Other

Reviews

Short Surveys

Title or AbstractTypeSponsor/EventDate/YearLocation
Studies of Osteoclast DevelopmentLecture*th International Conference on Osteoimmunology2022Crete, Greece
Vitamin DLectureDepartment of Medicine UConn Health2020UConn Health Low Lecture Hall
Origins of the Osteoclast and the Role of Protease Activated Receptor 1 in Regulating Inflammation in BoneLecturePharmacology and Toxicology Seminar Series, Jacobs School of Medicine2019Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Buffalo
Vitamin D: hope, hype and truthLectureUConn Health 23rd Annual Diabetes and Endocrinology Seminar2019Red Lion Hotel, Cromwell, CT