- Predoctoral researcher Manuela Hidalgo López, a member of Dr. María Monsalve’s group at the Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas Sols-Morreale, has received this prestigious international recognition for her promising research on mitochondrial dysfunction and hepatocellular carcinoma
The Society for Free Radical Research Europe (SFRR-E), together with the Oxygen Club of California (OCC), chaired by Enrique Cadenas, has awarded the Young Investigator Award to Manuela Hidalgo López during its annual international congress held in Mainz (Germany). This award aims to support the careers of early-stage scientists who stand out for their outstanding contributions to the field of cellular stress and biomedicine.
The award-winning research, carried out within the Mitochondrial Function in Health and Disease Group led by Dr. María Monsalve at the Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas Sols-Morreale (IIBM), focuses on identifying the molecular factors involved in the progression of a common condition such as metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) to a much more severe pathology: hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common type of liver cancer. MASLD has been linked to mitochondrial dysfunction, a process that the group has been investigating for years, with a particular focus on the coactivator PGC-1α.
The results obtained by Manuela Hidalgo and María Monsalve open new avenues for the development of therapeutic strategies against a disease that currently lacks effective treatments. Furthermore, this international award represents an important recognition of emerging talent at the IIBM and serves as both motivation and inspiration for the next generation of young scientists beginning their careers in biomedical research.
Cover image:
Manuela Hidalgo together with Enrique Cadenas during the presentation of the Young Investigator Award diploma at the SFRR-E congress.