Researcher María Muñoz San Martín, from the Marqués de Valdecilla Research Institute (IDIVAL), has been awarded the Cajal Award in the Neurology category in the first edition of these recognitions, promoted by Merck and the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM) through its Chair of Innovation in Science and Health.
The award ceremony took place on June 13th at the headquarters of the Royal National Academy of Medicine. These awards, endowed with €25,000 for each category, aim to support disruptive projects in the fields of Oncology and Neurology and represent a strong commitment to young talent in biomedical research.
The project led by María Muñoz focuses on multiple sclerosis and builds on findings obtained during her doctoral and postdoctoral work, in which she identified an overexpressed microRNA in patients with this disease and in experimental models. The awarded initiative proposes to investigate the targeted manipulation of specific genes in microglial cells of the central nervous system, with the aim of limiting demyelination and promoting remyelination, thereby opening new therapeutic avenues for neurorepair.
“For me, this award represents not only financial support but also recognition of a line of research we have been pursuing for years. Thanks to this opportunity, I will be able to implement new experimental models in Cantabria and continue exploring therapeutic strategies for neurological diseases,” the researcher states.
María Muñoz holds a degree in Biotechnology from the University of León and a Master’s in Applied Microbiology from the Autonomous University of Barcelona. She completed her doctoral thesis at the Biomedical Research Institute of Girona and has been a recipient of a prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowship in Ireland. Since January 2024, she has been a member of the IDIVAL Research Group on Headaches and Other Non-Degenerative Neurological Diseases, where she is also involved in studying the role of astrocytes in migraines through a project funded by IDIVAL’s NEXT-VAL program.
Photo caption: María Muñoz, right, receiving the commemorative plaque.
