Católica Medical School invites you to participate in the seminar on “Role of carotid body in energy homeostasis: the other face of an oxygen sensor”, which will take place on June 1, at 12 pm at Católica Medical School Multicare auditorium.

Role of carotid body in energy homeostasis: the other face of an oxygen sensor

Keynote speaker: Sílvia Conde, PhD 

hosted by Lucília Diogo

Silvia V. Conde is Professor of Pharmacology and Neuroscience at NOVA Medical School (NMS) from the NOVA University of Lisbon in Portugal, and Principal Investigator of the “Neuronal Control of Metabolic disturbances: therapeutic strategies group” in the same Institution. She graduated in Biochemistry in 2000, done a DEA in Physiology in 2005 and pursued a PhD in Pharmacology from the NOVA University of Lisbon (Portugal) and in Biotechnology from the University of Valladolid (Spain) in 2007, on the role of purines in hypoxic signaling in the carotid body (CB). Afterwards, she was dedicated to understand the pathophysiological alterations in the CB and autonomic nervous system that are in the genesis of cardiometabolic and respiratory Human diseases. As a PI, she developed a new line of research on CB and dysmetabolism, based on the pioneering idea that CB controls glucose homeostasis.

Currently, she is dedicated to characterization of pathophysiological biosignals, disease signatures and fingerprints that will allow the identification of targets for therapy, particularly bioelectronic targets, as her group described that high frequency electrical stimulation of carotid sinus nerve restores glucose homeostasis in type 2 diabetes models. Additionally, and always having in mind to innovate therapeutics to restore physiological weight and metabolic function and prevent dysmetabolic states, she is also interested in findings ways to promote adipose tissue browning and to increase insulin sensitivity and for that her lab is testing both the modulation of autonomic nervous system and investigating the modulation of adenosine signaling or metabolism in insulin-sensitive tissues.

Her research originated 70 manuscripts and 2 patents. In 2009, she was awarded with the L’Oreal Medals Honor for Women in Science Portugal and since then her group won several prizes from the Portuguese Society of Diabetes and from the Pulido Valente Foundation.