LABORATORY OF MOLECULAR MEDIATORS IN NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES

Research lines

Lipid mediators in retinal degenerative processes

Neurodegenerative diseases of the retina, such as age-related macular degeneration and proliferative retinopathies, including diabetic retinopathy, share common features, including photoreceptor cell death and reactive responses in other cell types, particularly Müller glial cells and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells. Our laboratory investigates whether sphingolipids—bioactive molecules that regulate key cellular processes—modulate alterations in cellular function and inflammatory responses in neuronal, glial, and epithelial cells under pathological conditions. We analyze degenerative, inflammatory, and fibrotic changes in these cells and the underlying molecular mechanisms, with the aim of generating knowledge that may contribute to the identification of novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of these diseases.

Interregulation between transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) and sphingolipids in retinodegenerative diseases

This research line focuses on the interplay between the sphingolipids sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) and ceramide-1-phosphate (C1P) and TGF-β in the development of retinal fibrosis, a hallmark of proliferative retinopathies. These disorders are characterized by dysregulation of inflammatory responses, as well as proliferation, migration, and dedifferentiation of glial and RPE cells. Given that TGF-β is a major profibrotic signaling molecule and that S1P can transactivate the TGF-β pathway in different tissues, we investigate whether TGF-β contributes to the fibrotic response and whether it engages in molecular crosstalk with S1P and/or C1P to promote migration, dedifferentiation, and inflammatory responses in glial and epithelial cells.