Skip to main content
Scientific

CiMUS researcher Ismael González García awarded ERC Starting Grant to advance menopause research

  • The goal of the HypoPause project, funded with €1.5 million over five years, is to study the molecular and cellular changes that occur in the hypothalamus during menopause and to understand their role in the pathophysiological mechanisms driving metabolic alterations. 

     

Two projects to be carried out at USC, led respectively by Saray Busto Ulloa and Ismael González García, have just been awarded in the latest Starting Grant call of the European Research Council (ERC). This European Research Council program provides funding to support researchers with groundbreaking, cutting-edge projects, with scientific excellence as the sole criterion for evaluation. Specifically, the Starting Grant category recognizes researchers with a postdoctoral track record of between two and seven years, awarding up to €1.5 million per project over a period of five years. In this edition, a total of 3,928 proposals were submitted, of which 478 were selected.

Our CiMUS researcher Ismael González García will, through his HypoPause project, delve into the changes that occur in the hypothalamic region of the brain during menopause and that drive the metabolic alterations characteristic of this stage. To this end, the research plan will employ RNA sequencing techniques, histological analysis in preclinical models of menopause, and in vivo genetic editing to determine whether there is an alteration in the hypothalamic mechanisms that regulate metabolism, and whether these explain the changes in adiposity, glucose homeostasis, and bone metabolism that take place during menopause.

 

Searching for answers in the hypothalamus

Menopause, understood as the end of regular menstruation, is caused by the loss of ovarian follicular function—that is, the ovaries stop releasing eggs—and is associated with significant endocrine changes, namely a decrease in ovarian hormone levels in the blood. The typical age of onset of menopause ranges between 45 and 55 years in women worldwide. According to the WHO, in 2021 women aged 50 and older represented 26% of the total female population worldwide.

Given these demographic data, it is important to highlight that women’s health is significantly affected by menopause, particularly through an increased prevalence of metabolic alterations compared with the premenopausal stage. These include greater abdominal adiposity, a higher risk of metabolic syndrome, worsening of insulin resistance associated with type 2 diabetes, and reduced bone density, which contributes to osteoporosis.

The hypothalamus is a key brain region that controls multiple physiological systems, such as energy balance (for example, by regulating hunger, satiety, and energy expenditure), glucose homeostasis, and bone metabolism. Ovarian hormones act on the hypothalamus to regulate female physiology; however, after menopause, their production ceases, and both estradiol and progesterone levels decrease dramatically. From previous studies, we know that this lack of hormones affects hypothalamic function. In particular, decades of research have identified the hypothalamic mechanism responsible for the vasomotor symptoms (commonly known as “hot flashes”) associated with the menopausal transition. However, it remains to be explored whether menopause causes alterations in the hypothalamic mechanisms that regulate metabolism, and whether these possible alterations contribute to the metabolic changes associated with this stage of a woman’s life.

In conclusion, considering the current demographics of menopause and the gradual increase in life expectancy, the HypoPause project represents research that could impact a large number of women during a stage of life that increasingly spans many years.