The research, in which Elia Escasany Martinez and that the teacher directs Gemma Medina Gomez, works with heterozygous animal model for a gene called TGFbeta3 in order to identify its function in the kidney and the role it plays in the development of kidney diseases.
TGFbeta3 belongs to a family of proteins that, according to the literature, are involved in fibrosis. The researchers have observed that, apart from behaving differently from the rest of the isoforms of the family, it has other important functions, especially in the regulation of lipid metabolism and mitochondrial function.
The relevance of these findings lies in the fact that kidney diseases, at present, still have no cure and the treatments available to palliate them are very ineffective. Therefore, any advance that manages to understand the processes that lead to the development of these diseases are potential therapeutic targets. In addition, fibrosis processes are very similar in all fibrotic diseases, so the discoveries of the implication of TGFbeta3 in renal fibrosis can surely be transferred to other diseases and benefit a large number of patients.
Elia Escasany Martinez She is a visiting professor at the Dto. of Basic Health Sciences and researcher at the High performance research group in the study of the molecular mechanisms of glycolipotoxicity and insulin resistance: implications in obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome of the Rey Juan Carlos University
Gemma Medina Gomez she is a full professor of the Department of Basic Health Sciences and coordinator of the High performance research group in the study of the molecular mechanisms of glycolipotoxicity and insulin resistance: implications in obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome of the Rey Juan Carlos University