Donors Make a Difference: María Delgado Martín

María Delgado Martín is the newest recipient of the Charlotte and Leo Karassik Foundation Oncology Studentship, awarded through the Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute (GCI) internal studentship competition this year. The Karassik Studentship is designed to support outstanding trainees at McGill University pursuing research at the GCI.

A third year PhD student in the Kazak lab, María is working to deepen our knowledge of energy expenditure mechanisms and how adipose tissue regulates the body’s metabolism. While the field primarily focuses on the β-adrenergic receptor and the Gαs signaling pathway as the main activators of thermogenic processes, in her new mouse model she observes enhancement of energy expenditure through adipose tissue thermogenesis by synergistic activation of both the Gαs and Gαq signaling pathways, resulting in significant weight loss.

Understanding energy-dissipating pathways is essential for developing effective treatments for obesity, which increases the risk for diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer. And with over half the world’s population expected to be overweight or obese by 2035, María’s research is more relevant today than ever before.

María aims to conduct research at the highest level using cutting-edge techniques and scientific tools, which very often requires large investments. This is where the Karassik Studentship comes in—financing through this award ensures she has the resources to elevate her work, and ultimately to achieve her aspirations to become an excellent scientist and an expert in adipocyte biology. She expresses her appreciation for such supports: “I felt incredibly grateful when I got the news, and I was congratulated by everyone in my lab. This award is very meaningful to me, as a recognition of my efforts during my first year of PhD studies, and as an opportunity to continue performing high quality research.” Indeed, María currently has two publications under revision, one at Nature and the other at Nature Communications, the latter for which she is second author.

Despite the competitive nature of the academic career path, María is more than willing to work hard to make her dreams a reality, having moved herself to Canada from Spain to join the Kazak lab and the Biochemistry department. The Karassik Studentship will aid her on her journey, positioning her as a more competitive candidate for future opportunities. “This award will help me to fund my studies at this stage of my career, but will also provide opportunities in the future, since such an award will be highly valued by other funding agencies and researchers who I will be interested in working with,” she shares.

At the GCI, we believe that excellence in research must be cultivated. With support from donors such as the Charlotte and Leo Karassik Foundation, this belief can take on its full meaning in the commitment we make to train the next generation of cancer research leaders in Quebec.

Connect with María on LinkedIn

Publications under review

• The Futile Creatine Cycle is the predominant UCP1-independent thermogenic pathway in classical BAT. Bunk J, Delgado-Martin M, Hussain MF, Samborska B, Shaw A, Rahbani JF, Kazak L. Nature Communications, submission date: 2024 July 23. Manuscript under consideration, second revisions.
• Allosteric regulation of TNAP activity by a lipolytic metabolite. Hussain MF, Krishnan S, Carroll BL, Samborska B, Mousa A, Williamson A, Bunk J, Rahbani JF, Roesler A, Kaiser Z, Shaw A, Delgado-Martin M, Ersin M, Cheng J, Klemets H, Lehar J, Kocsis-Illes K, DeMambro VE, Rosen CJ, Millán JL, Langenberg C, McKee MD, Guarné A, Kazak L. Nature, submission date: 2023 October 27. Manuscript under consideration, first revisions.