Verónica Hurtado Carneiro

Dra. Verónica Hurtado holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Leon (Spain) and earned her PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology with honors (Cum laude) in 2014 at Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), Spain. Supported by a FPI grant (Formación de Personal Investigador) her PhD research was conducted in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Faculty of Medicine (UCM), under the guidance of Dr. Elvira Álvarez García and Dr. Carmen Sanz Miguel. Dr. Hurtado’s research career has been dedicated to the study of metabolic and nutrient sensors (AMPK, mTOR, PASK) at both central (hypothalamic) and peripheral (liver) levels. Her investigations have delved into the intricacies of nutrient availability control and intake regulation, with a particular emphasis on the role of the anorexigenic peptide GLP-1 and these sensors in pathological conditions including obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance, and aging-related pathologies. Employing various in vivo animal models (rat, mice), organotypic cultures and established cell lines, Dr. Hurtado applied a range of biochemical, molecular, histological and dissection techniques. She also maintained a robust collaboration with Dr. Wegner’s group at the Institute of Physiology, University of Zurich (Switzerland), which facilitated her to perform the in vivo experimentation. Subsequently, Dr. Hurtado secured a contract with CIBERDEM (CIBER for diabetes and associated metabolic diseases), contributing to research lines exploring the role of the metabolic sensor PASK, in central and peripheral adaptation to fasting/feeding states, obesity resistance, oxidative stress control, and aging. Currently, her research interests center on studying thermogenesis processes in PASK-deficient mice. Recently, Dr. Hurtado has collaborated with Dr. Blázquez and Dr. Pozo (UCM), alongside various CSIC groups. Using 18F-deoxiglucose and microPET imaging, this project aims to investigate altered brain glucose metabolism kinetics and insuline resistance in various mouse models of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Amyotraophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

Dr. Hurtado has authored 20 publications in reputable peer-review journals (Mol. Neurobiol., Sci. Rep., J. Nutr. Biochem.), with 9 of them as the first or the second author, and 5 as a corresponding author. Her studies have been widely cited and downloaded (Front. Endocrinol, 2014; PMID: 25346723), gaining significant attention shortly after publication. Particularly, one of her published articles (PMID: 29649689) has had substantial impact at the social level, attracting media coverage and leading to collaboration projects with pharmaceutical companies and NDA (non-disclosure agreement) contracts. She has contributed 3 book chapters (2 as the first author), available online, with nearly 3000 downloads each. Additionally, she has presented her work at national and international scientific meetings and participated in 8 competitive projects funded by National Plans and private entities, including Ramon Aceres and Mutua Madrileña. From 2019 to 2022, she participated as a member of the UCM research group “Metabolic Sensors, Regulatory Peptides, Obesity, and Diabetes”. From 2020 to the present, she contributes to the group “Metabolic Sensors, Obesity, and Type 2 Diabetes at the Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria (Hospital Clínico San Carlos; IdISSC). Currently, she belongs to the UCM research group "Psychopharmacology, Genetics and Addiction Prevention".

In terms of training capacity, Dr. Hurtado has co-directed 2 doctoral theses, 4 master’s Thesis (TFM), one Final Degree and master’s project (TFGM) and 3 Final Degree Projects (TFG) at UCM. Additionally, she served as a guest editor for a special issue of the journal Metabolites and has contributed as Ad hoc reviewer for various international scientific journals.

Dr. Hurtado’s research activity:
- ORCID identifier: 0000-0003-2517-8895
- Scopus Author ID: 54941288300
- Number of JCR publications: 13
- Number of citations: 504 (Scopus), 801 (Google Scholar)
- H-index: 9 (Scopus), 10 (Google Scholar)
- Participation in 9 research projects
- Keywords: Hypothalamic Control of Food Intake, Obesity, Diabetes, Glucose Homeostasis, Hepatic Regulation, Biomolecular Techniques, Histology, Cell Culture, In vivo Experimentation