The Consortium Unit Brain

Yaiza Potes is currently Associate Professor in the Morphology and Cell Biology Department at the University of Oviedo, Spain. She received her Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry in 2012 and completed her Master’s degree in Biotechnology in 2013 at the University of Oviedo. In 2019, she completed her Ph.D. in Health Sciences at the same University under the supervision of Dr. Ana Coto-Montes and Dr. Ignacio Vega-Naredo. During this period, her research focused on elucidating the mechanisms associated with sarcopenia in muscle samples from elderly patients and identifying which cellular pathways are critical for the myogenic commitment and differentiation of C2C12 progenitor cells. In 2019, after completing her doctorate, Yaiza Potes joined Dr. Mariusz Wieckowski at the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology (Polish Academy of Sciences), Poland, where as a postdoc she deepened into the evaluation of mitochondrial biology and metabolism. Particularly, she investigated hepatic redox alterations and key indicators of mitochondrial dysfunction that drive the progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. In 2021, she rejoined the University of Oviedo as an Assistant Professor, and since 2023, she has held the position of Associate Professor. She is a member of the cellular Response to Oxidative Stress (cROS) research group. Yaiza Potes’ current research focuses on autophagy and mitochondrial metabolism, specifically on alterations resulting from aging and lifestyle-related diseases such as sarcopenia and mental disorders. Her work also investigates strategies to preserve autophagy and mitochondrial function throughout the lifespan to promote healthy aging.