EASO is pleased to congratulate Dr Beatriz Cicuéndez, representing Spain, winner of the EASO Early Career Network (ECN) Best Thesis Award 2026.
Dr Cicuéndez was recognised for her PhD research exploring mitochondrial mechanisms involved in brown adipose tissue thermogenesis and metabolic dysfunction in obesity, which she presented during a dedicated EASO ECN Best Thesis Award session at ECO2026.
Dr Beatriz Cicuéndez is a postdoctoral investigator and professor at Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, Spain. She completed her PhD in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biomedicine at Universidad Complutense de Madrid in 2025.
Welcome, Beatriz! What first drew you to investigate this research area, and why is this an important area of obesity science?
What initially drew me to study these proteins was their well-established role in highly metabolic tissues. MCJ had already been extensively studied in the liver, while p38 is known to play important roles in brown adipose tissue. This inspired me to approach the question from a different perspective and investigate how these proteins act in other tissues, how these organs communicate with each other, and how these proteins influence that cross-talk.
Moreover, the body functions as an integrated system in which organs are constantly communicating through a variety of molecular signals, including adipokines produced by adipose tissue. Understanding these communication networks is essential if we want to obtain a more complete picture of complex diseases such as obesity. In fact, current obesity treatments are highly effective at reducing body weight, but they do not necessarily address the broader metabolic comorbidities and altered inter-organ communication associated with the disease. By understanding these mechanisms, we may be able to identify new strategies aimed at restoring metabolic balance and improving long-term health outcomes while maintaining a patient-centered approach to care.
What is the key takeaway message from your findings regarding p38 and MCJ, and how do you see this basic research eventually translating into therapeutic targets or practical solutions for obesity management?
I would particularly highlight our findings on MCJ. In our work, MCJ acts as a natural brake on mitochondrial activity. When this brake is removed, mitochondrial function becomes more active. In brown adipose tissue, this has important implications. Unlike white adipose tissue, whose primary role is to store energy, brown adipose tissue specializes in energy expenditure. When its mitochondria are activated, brown AT increases the oxidation of fatty acids and contributes to thermogenesis, the process of generating heat to control normal body temperature.
In the context of obesity, enhancing this process could help reduce lipid accumulation and improve metabolic health. Importantly, we are currently exploring translational approaches based on nanobody technology to selectively target and inhibit MCJ in brown adipose tissue. This strategy could represent a promising avenue for transforming our basic mechanistic findings into potential therapeutic interventions.
What are the next steps for your research, and how do you hope your work will contribute to the wider scientific conversation about metabolic dysfunction and brown adipose tissue thermogenesis?
Looking ahead, one of our main goals is to further dissect the molecular signals that mediate communication between metabolically active organs and to understand how these pathways become altered during obesity and related metabolic disorders. We are particularly interested in identifying mechanisms that can be targeted to restore healthy metabolic adaptation. For example, we want to investigate the adipokines produced by activated brown adipose tissue when MCJ is not present, and how they might improve the metabolic profile of patients living with obesity. I hope that our work contributes to a broader understanding of brown adipose tissue not only as a thermogenic organ, but also as an active regulator of whole-body metabolism. By integrating mitochondrial biology, tissue cross-talk, and translational approaches, I believe we can help advance the development of more precise and effective strategies for the treatment of obesity and metabolic dysfunction.
Thank you, Beatriz, for sharing your work – we look forward to following the next phases of your research.
Candidates and EASO ECN Board members at ECO2026
The EASO ECN Board also congratulates the 2026 Best Thesis Award finalists, Dr Elena Tsompanaki (Greece/UK) and Dr Leona Ryan (Ireland), and thanks all ECN members who submitted their thesis research for this year’s award. Applications for the ECN Best Thesis Award 2027 will open in late 2026.
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