Ongoing research lines:

Revealing new roles of peroxisomal fatty acid oxidation in metabolic physiology.

Funded by:

• A-EXP-161-UGR23 funded by Consejería de Universidad, Investigación e Innovación and by ERDF Andalusia Program 2021-2027

• PID2023-148498OA-I00 funded by Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities (Spain) and Spanish Research Agency

We are very interested in the role of dicarboxylic acids in metabolism. These metabolites are formed by omega-oxidation in liver and kidney. The fatty acid that serves as the foundation of the dicarboxylic acid is primarily metabolized in mitochondria by beta-oxidation. However, the major site for dicarboxylic acid metabolism by beta-oxidation is the peroxisome. There are a lot of unknown regarding dicarboxylic acids, that we have only begun to understand. We work hard in the lab to understand what role these metabolites play and how modulation of their metabolism in peroxisome affects metabolic homeostasis.

Mitchell Syndrome is a newly described progressive childhood neurodegenerative disorder characterized by myeloneuropathy, hearing loss, and skin changes, progressing to encephalopathy, paralysis, and death before the third decade. It is caused by gain-of-function mutations in acyl-CoA oxidase 1 (ACOX1), the first enzyme in the peroxisomal beta-oxidation pathway. With the tremendous support of the SuperDani initiative here in Granada, we have initiated a research project to understand this devastating disease with the hope of finding therapeutic approaches for these patients.