Redox bioenergetics, mechanisms and physiology

he Metabolic Syndrome is associated with an increased risk of developing an important number of prevalent diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and cancer. Due to the pandemic nature of the metabolic syndrome and its huge sanitary and social costs, it is fundamental to understand the mechanisms involved and develop targeted therapies and early diagnostic tools that facilitate the implementation of personalized medicine approaches. Our laboratory focuses on the study of the transcriptional coactivator PGC-1α, a master regulator of oxidative metabolism that controls the capacity of our organism to respond adequately to different types of stress. Our work is based on the hypothesis that the reduced oxidative capacity generally associated with the metabolic syndrome impairs our stress resistance and hence facilitates disease development. Our aim is to understand the molecular circuits involved, develop correcting targeted t