CNIC researcher Guadalupe Sabio receives the IV AstraZeneca Foundation Jóvenes Investigadores prize
The Fundación AstraZeneca young researcher awards were created to give scientists the opportunities they deserve
Dr Guadalupe Sabio has been awarded the Jóvenes Investigadores prize in the Type 2 Diabetes and Obesity category for her research on “The role of p38MAPK in the development of obesity and associated diseases”. Her research focuses on the control of the p38MAPK signaling pathway. This pathway induces the transformation of white adipose tissue into brown adipose tissue (BAT), and this research is revealing the divergent potential of the distinct p38MAPK isoforms for the treatment of obesity.
The prize supports Dr Sabio’s research with an award of €20000 from the Fundación AstraZeneca. Dr Sabio will also have the opportunity to visit AstraZenica research facilities and meet with executive team in charge of selecting the talented scientists receiving these awards.
In announcing the award, Fundación AstraZeneca president Eduardo Recoder outlined the foundation’s commitment to research and Dr Sabio’s project in particular. “The Fundación AstraZeneca young researcher awards were created to give scientists the opportunities they deserve. Dr Sabio has built an innovative line of research with a strong clinical potential that deserves support. She has the curiosity, talent, and passion that, with the support of public and private institutions, will make a real difference to the lives of patients.”
Prize-winning research
Working under the heading “The role of p38MAPK in the development of obesity and associated diseases”, Dr Guadalupe Sabio’s research group seeks to identify new treatment routes for obesity and ways to reduce the risk of the many associated diseases. This research project employs an innovative methodology based on genetically modified knockout mice. These mouse models allow the research team to investigate the effect of deleting each p38MAPK isoform in order to determine their specific roles and the contribution of the kinases involved in their activation.
Greater understanding of p38 signaling will help to define the roles of these kinases in obesity-associated diseases and in adipose tissue physiology. The results of these studies have the potential to identify therapeutic targets for these diseases, which affect increasing numbers of people worldwide.
