PROJECT
SUPERVISORS
Project Supervisor
Cristina Fernández
Background
Cristina Mª Fernández obtained her PhD in Biomedical Research from the University of Valladolid and the Institute of Biology and Molecular Genetics (IBGM) in 2019. She also holds a degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics and two master’s degrees in biomedical research and nutrition. Her thesis focused on the targeting of proteolytic enzymes in the course of diabetes mellitus and other metabolic diseases. In 2018 she was awarded with an European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) Short-Term Fellowship to learn new metabolic analysis techniques at the Oxford Center for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Oxford (UK
She has published several peer-review manuscripts in high impact international journals in the area of metabolism and nutrition. In June 2020 she joined the Molecular Oncology and Nutritional Genomics of Cancer Group at IMDEA Food Institute, where she collaborates with the Clinical Trials Unit of IMDEA Alimentación. In 2022 she also started as head of R&D&I of the Spin-Off Precision 4 Health S.L., focused on the development of nutrigenetic tests, and the consequent implementation of nutritional advice and personalised lifestyle guidelines.
Research
Our main research goal is the study of new tumour biomarkers and therapeutic targets in nutrition-related tumours and the identification of molecular and metabolic alterations in cancer patients, with special interest in the study of the metabolic peculiarities that occur in extreme situations such as cachexia. This is complemented by the analysis of the in vitro mechanisms of action of different nutritional strategies and/or bioactive products that can reverse these alterations, with the aim of applying personalised nutritional strategies.
In line with this research, P4H's efforts are focused on the study of gene-nutrient interactions applied to the prevention and classification of these pathologies, as a driver for the improvement of the patient's quality of life and the promotion of health. P4H holds extensive experience in the analysis of genetic polymorphisms involved in various health processes for the design of nutrigenetic tests, as well as their validation in different populations in order to provide the maximum scientific evidence to the product prior to its commercial launch.
Publications
Romero-Tapiador S, Lacruz-Pleguezuelos B, Tolosana R, et al. AI4FoodDB: a database for personalized e-Health nutrition and lifestyle through wearable devices and artificial intelligence. Database (Oxford). 2023;2023:baad049. doi:10.1093/database/baad049
Merino B, Casanueva-Álvarez E, Quesada I, et al. Insulin-degrading enzyme ablation in mouse pancreatic alpha cells triggers cell proliferation, hyperplasia and glucagon secretion dysregulation [published correction appears in Diabetologia. 2024 Jan;67(1):218-219. doi: 10.1007/s00125-023-06037-9]. Diabetologia. 2022;65(8):1375-1389. doi:10.1007/s00125-022-05729-y
Espinosa-Salinas I, Colmenarejo G, Fernández-Díaz CM, et al. Potential protective effect against SARS-CoV-2 infection by APOE rs7412 polymorphism. Sci Rep. 2022;12(1):7247. Published 2022 May 4. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-10923-4
Merino B, Fernández-Díaz CM, Parrado-Fernández C, et al. Hepatic insulin-degrading enzyme regulates glucose and insulin homeostasis in diet-induced obese mice. Metabolism. 2020;113:154352. doi:10.1016/j.metabol.2020.154352
Fernández-Díaz CM, Merino B, López-Acosta JF, et al. Pancreatic β-cell-specific deletion of insulin-degrading enzyme leads to dysregulated insulin secretion and β-cell functional immaturity. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2019;317(5):E805-E819. doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00040.2019