Researching to find answers... and new questions

When she left Logroño in 2004 to study for a double Degree Pharmacy and Nutrition at the University of Navarra, Sonia García Calzón could not have imagined that her future would be linked to research teaching in the same city that, at that time, represented a big change staff, taking her away from her home, her routine, and her immediate environment. She liked biology and Chemistry, which is why she decided to pursue this specialization program. Furthermore, her family had no background in science, but rather in numbers, so she was actually blazing her own trail. She has followed this path, slowly but surely, making decisions that, although they may have seemed trivial to her at the time, have turned out to be very significant over time.

At that time, he saw himself working in hospital pharmacy or even setting up his own pharmacy business in Logroño. Although research was research sparking his interest, what he could not foresee then was that his career would end up leaning toward academia and teaching.

After the double Degree the Master's Degree development research development (MIDI) and, upon completing his Master's Degree work , he chose to immerse himself fully in research such. " research appealed to me, but that was a core topic moment core topic I confirmed that it was the path I wanted to follow and began to consider the degree program as a professional option," he recalls.

His thesis , "Telomere length in different Spanish age groups associated with diet, genetics, and adiposity traits," published in 2015, was supervised by Dr. Amelia Martí del Moral and focused on telomere length, "which can be explained as a marker of biological age. Telomeres shorten as we age, and both lifestyle and per diem expenses influence this shortening," she explains. work earned her recognition from the European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO) for the best thesis in the field of obesity.

When everything changed

When this stage ended, professional uncertainty returned. "Obviously, the maturity of an eighteen-year-old was not the same as when I finished my thesis the age thesis twenty-eight, and that helped me see things more clearly. At that time, I agreement my dream was to continue at the university, as a professor and researcher, so I spoke with Adela López de Cerain, who was the dean of the School , and she was the one who opened my eyes: if you don't go abroad to do a postdoc, you have no future. And I listened to her."

That is how Sweden and Lund University came into his life, where he traveled thanks to a scholarship Marie Curiescholarship , which allowed him to grow staff professionally, and where he spent four intense years of research, despite having believed he would only be there for twelve months. In Sweden, he began researching subject diabetes (T2D) and epigenetic biomarkers, which is the line of research is pursuing today. " research was research part of my project, but this experience was decisive in consolidating my vocation and finding the field in which I wanted to specialize."

The Return: research Find the Truth

In 2020, he had the opportunity to return to the University of Navarra, which marked a turning point in his current career as part of group research group . research NUPERMET Personalized Nutrition and Metabolic Syndrome.

"What I like most about research is that you ask yourself new questions every day and find answers to help society and, above all, patients. The results may not be what you expect, but what you are looking for is the truth, which is not easy to find because the body is very complex," says García Calzón.

Regarding advances in personalized medicine for metabolic diseases (diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, etc.), García Calzón is convinced that, within ten years, patients with T2D will not be treated in the same way. "What we are researching now will have a different impact on clinical application, and precision medicine will have a positive influence in the medium/long term on the quality of life of patients with subject diseases. That is our goal. And we are fortunate to be part of it," says the researcher, who currently works at the research center , part of the Institute of Nutrition and Health (INS) at the University of Navarra, and is also part of the research center in network Physiopathology network Obesity and Nutrition network (CIBEROBN).

He has recently been awarded a scholarship ,000 scholarship participate in a three-year project focused on personalizing drug treatment for T2D. The EPIPREDIA initiative EPIPREDIA will develop a diagnostic kit based on epigenetic biomarkers ( core topic indicators core topic the development metabolic diseases), which will enable the prediction of response and tolerance to treatment in these patients with T2D based on blood DNA analysis.

The thing is, right now, the response of patients diagnosed with T2D to drug treatment is really mixed. About 10 to 30% of people don't respond well or can't handle first-line drugs, like metformin or GLP-1 analogs. However, if they received the right treatment from the outset, not only would they achieve better metabolic control—including blood glucose and body weight—but they would also have a lower risk of complications, both renal and cardiovascular. "That's why personalization is crucial. Rather than model test model , we are looking for a more effective, evidence-based treatment, which makes this study unique," he explains.

At the same time, García Calzón is co-leading theARTI-UP project as principal investigator, funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation, which evaluates the potential of a supplement rich in polyphenols to improve insulin resistance and promote weight loss, with the goal preventing the onset of T2D. The study is part of the advance toward precision nutrition and forms part of a line of research on both treatment and personalized prevention, with the same goal: to improve the quality of life of people at risk of or diagnosed with metabolic diseases.

Between the classroom the laboratory: a doubly satisfying vocation

Passionate about her work, Sonia also really enjoys teaching. "The first time I stood in front of a class very nervous, but then you realize how rewarding it is. First in the short term, because you see the students' progress up close and the impact of what you are teaching them, because they thank you at the end of a class, at the end of the course, or when they tell you what they are working on after leaving the classroom," reveals the professor from department of Food Science and Physiology at the University's School Pharmacy and Nutrition.

If she had to choose, she would not choose either vocation separately because they complement each other. "In fact, I tell my two- and five-year-old daughters that I am a teacher and a researcher. I don't know exactly what they understand because they are still young, but I like to always point it out," she confesses. She adds: "I feel fortunate because I haven't really had to give up anything. There are peaks of work, but this profession is also quite flexible. It's about knowing how to organize yourself, like everything else, and learning to say no to other things. The important thing is to think carefully about your priorities, your projects, and the burdens you can take on."

Professor García Calzón is aware that her work exciting, although from the outside it may be perceived as demanding or even exhausting. In research, she explains, one question inevitably leads to the next, and it is precisely this constant chain of challenges that allows science to advance. Along the way, the awarding of project has been a turning point in her career: "It's a milestone, because a lot of effort has gone into it and because it can have a big impact. It also allows me to continue doing what I love most," she acknowledges.

But, like everything else, research has its downside. Lack of funding is one of the main obstacles and, in his opinion, there is another added challenge: "We don't always know how to convey how attractive and necessary degree program are. I didn't think so either at the time," he admits, emphasizing the importance of raising awareness of this vocation to ensure the next generation of researchers.

Despite the difficulties, García Calzón looks to the future with optimism, especially in the field of T2D. "Being diabetic does not define you," she says with conviction. It is a disease that can be controlled increasingly well thanks to the emergence of new drugs and, above all, advances in personalized medicine. "I would convey a message of total hope to someone who has just been diagnosed: if you are aware of what the disease entails and work hand in hand with healthcare professionals, the outlook is encouraging," she concludes.