Communication between the endoplasmic reticulum and mitocondria in the regulation of energy metabolism during cell senescence

PhD thesis director

2018 – present
Student: Lautaro Rigoberto Nabi Briones Suárez.
Thesis: “Pro-senescence communication between adipose and hepatic cells: role of the Calcium-sensing receptor”.
PhD in Nutrition and Food.
Co-director with Dr. Mariana Cifuentes Koster.
Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (INTA), University of Chile.

Master's degree thesis director

2019 – present
Student: Pamela Romané Pino Seguel.
Tesis: “Effect of sucralose intake on mitochondrial function in a high-fat diet-induced liver steatosis model”.
Master's degree in Nutrition and Food, major in Human Nutrition.
Co-director with Dr. Rodrigo Troncoso Cotal.
Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (INTA), University of Chile.

2019 – present
Student: Omara Ghislaine Moya Galaz.
Tesis: “Sucralose as a disruptor of liver insulin sensitivity”.
Master's degree in Nutrition and Food, major in Human Nutrition.
Co-director with Dr. Rodrigo Troncoso Cotal.
Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (INTA), University of Chile.

2018 – 2020
Student: Luisa Amanda Ramírez Acuña.
Thesis: “Effect of calafate (Berberis microphylla) extract administration on energy expenditure, and mitochondrial function and dynamics of brown adipose tissue of obese mice”.
Master's degree in Nutrition and Food, major in Human Nutrition.
Co-director with Dr. Diego García Díaz.
Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (INTA), University of Chile.

2018 – 2019
Student: Juan Carlos Bórquez Pérez.
Thesis: “Sucralose effect on mitochondrial oxidative function in the human enterocyte cell line Caco-2”.
Master's degree in Nutrition and Food, major in Human Nutrition.
Co-director with Dr. Rodrigo Troncoso Cotal.
Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (INTA), University of Chile.

2017 – 2019
Student: Sofía Amaranta Sanhueza Gatica.
Thesis: “Effect of Calcium-sensing receptor activation on insulin signaling and mitochondrial morphology and function in human adipose cells”.
Master's degree in Nutrition and Food, major in Human Nutrition.
Co-director with Dr. Mariana Cifuentes Koster.
Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (INTA), University of Chile.

Talks in research centers

2018
Endoplasmic reticulum-mitochondria communication: from the molecules to the pathology.
Seminar of the Department of Cellular & Molecular Biology. June 20.
Faculty of Biological Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.

2018
Endoplasmic reticulum-mitochondria communication: from the molecules to the pathology.
Seminar of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. April 26.
Faculty of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Chile.

2017
Mitochondrial metabolism in the adipose tissue: a new pathway of the Calcium-sensing receptor?
Scientific meeting. July 26.
Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (INTA), University of Chile.

2017
Metabolic regulation through the endoplasmic reticulum-mitochondria axis: from the cell to the pathology.
Seminar. April 6.
Advanced Center for Chronic Diseases (ACCDiS), University of Chile & Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.

2016
Calcium-sensing receptor and its effect on inflammation and adipogenesis in visceral preadipocytes: role of mitochondria.
Scientific meeting. January 20.
Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (INTA), University of Chile.

2015
Caveolin-1 and Protein kinase A regulate ER-mitochondria communication during ER stress.
2nd ACCDiS Meeting. March 5.
Advanced Center for Chronic Diseases (ACCDiS), University of Chile & Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.

2014
Caveolin-1 impairs PKA signaling required for ER-mitochondria contact formation during the early stage of ER stress.
Nemesis Ring Annual Meeting. December 19.
Advanced Center for Chronic Diseases (ACCDiS) & Center of Molecular Studies of the Cell (CEMC), Faculty of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences & Faculty de Medicine, University of Chile.

2011
ER-mitochondria coupling during early ER stress.
CEMC Annual Meeting. March 21.
Center of Molecular Studies of the Cell (CEMC), Faculty of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences & Faculty de Medicine, University of Chile.

Outreach articles

2019
The fable of the ant and the grasshopper: The road to a healthy aging.
Magazine: Nutrición y vida.
Date: January 14.
Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (INTA), University of Chile.

Activities for high school students

2018
Journeys of scientific initiation on chronic diseases for high school students from public schools.
Participation: Jury of student's projects and speaker in the closing ceremony, talk "Factors that determine a healthy aging".
Date: November 9.
Advanced Center for Chronic Diseases (ACCDiS), Faculty of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universidad de Chile y Ministry of Environment, Chile.

2016
Scientific initiation for high school students from public schools from Independencia Municipality focused on cardiovascular diseases and cancer.
Participation: research project supervisor.
Duration: 4 sessions (2 h each).
Advanced Center for Chronic Diseases (ACCDiS), Faculty of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Chile.

2014
Portable laboratories of Biochemistry and molecular biology.
Participation: laboratory instructor.
Duration: 3 sessions (3 h each).
Allende-Connelly Foundation, University of Chile.

2011
Open Laboratories.
Participation: presenter.
Date: October 3.
Center of Molecular Studies of the Cell (CEMC), Faculty of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Chile.
National Week of Sciences and Technology.
National Commission for Scientific and Technological Research (CONICYT), Chile.

Activities for the general community

2020
Talks Explore at Home.
Participation: speaker, talk "How and why do we age?".
Duration: 1 h.
Audience: 6.147 viewers.
Date: May 8.
PAR Explora RM Norte, EXPLORA Program, CONICYT.

2018
Workshops on healthy eating.
Participation: speaker, talk "Junk food and health: how does fat affect aging and quality of life?"
Duration: 1 h.
Audience: 10 people.
Date: November 20.
Becarius (network of former US fellows) & Instituto Chileno Norteamericano.

Press releases

2019
“Planetary diet: the healthy and sustainable formula to feed the entire population”.
Interview on nutrition.
Date: December.
Diario Financiero.

2018
"Awards for the University Scientific Research".
Press note for the ceremony of the Santander - El Mercurio University Scientific Research Award.
Date: December22.
Page A18, Social life, El Mercurio.

2018
"Researching for a better quality of life during aging drives local investigators".
Press note for the Santander - El Mercurio University Scientific Research Award.
Date: December19.
Page A11, Life Science Technology, El Mercurio.

TV appearances
2019
“El país bajo en azúcar” / “The low-sugar country”.
TV show, reportage/documentary.
Date: November 26.
Executive producer: Atresmedia.
Channel: La Sexta, Spain.