Postdoctoral researcher Dr Amparo Güemes González has been announced as a recipient of the 2023 Rising Talent Awards by the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women In Science programme.
This award not only motivates me to strive for great accomplishments that can positively impact society, but also represents an important step towards achieving my goal of becoming a professor and leading a dynamic and diverse research lab.
Dr Amparo Güemes González
Dr Güemes González is an 1851 Research Fellow at the Bioelectronics Laboratory, University of Cambridge. Her current interdisciplinary research aims to develop advanced algorithms and neurotechnology to be integrated into a closed-loop platform to help improve glucose control for people with type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is a serious, lifelong condition that prevents the pancreas from making insulin, resulting in high blood glucose (sugar) levels.
The Awards, which recognise exceptional early careers women scientists in the UK and Ireland, include flexible grants of £15,000 to promote, enhance and encourage the contribution of women pursuing research careers in Engineering, Life Sciences, Mathematics and Computer Science, Physical Sciences and Sustainable Development.
Dr Güemes González plans to use the grant to pursue research collaborations with other labs in Europe, where she will learn novel techniques and expertise to develop her closed-loop system that mimics the natural physiology of the body. Her research focuses on developing new bioelectronic devices and techniques to understand the neural encoding of glucose metabolism and leverage it through artificial stimulation to modulate glucose levels as desired.
Dr Güemes González's vision of future closed-loop pharmacological-neuromodulation systems for diabetes management. Credit: Dr Amparo Güemes González.
“This system will interact with the nerves through recording and stimulation to achieve better control of glucose, and it has the potential to be applied to other medical conditions,” she said. “Current technology for diabetes has limitations that challenge the optimal control of blood sugar levels. One of the reasons arises from disregarding the important contribution of the nervous system in healthy glucose regulation. I aim to change that.”
Dr Güemes González’s ultimate goal is to provide hybrid pharmacological-metabolic closed-loop technology for people with type 1 diabetes, where metabolic and neurophysiological biomarkers are recorded and analysed in real time to:
A. Adjust insulin delivery via an insulin pump
B. Modulate the activation of peripheral nerves via tailored electrical stimulation.
It is an approach that integrates knowledge and techniques from different fields such as neurotechnology, computational modelling, bioelectronics and signal processing, offering a more comprehensive understanding of metabolism control and its complex underlying mechanisms.
“Receiving this award is an incredible honour and I feel deeply grateful for the recognition it brings to my research and to science conducted by women,” she said. “This award not only motivates me to strive for great accomplishments that can positively impact society, but also represents an important step towards achieving my goal of becoming a professor and leading a dynamic and diverse research laboratory.”
Thierry Cheval, L'Oréal UK and Ireland, Managing Director, said: “Through our long-standing partnership with UNESCO, we seek to support more women to achieve scientific excellence and champion gender equality in STEM. Congratulations to the 2023 recipients who are at the forefront of scientific excellence, while inspiring future generations of women scientists.”
Anne Anderson, Chair of the Board of Directors of the UK National Commission for UNESCO, said: “Congratulations to the 2023 Rising Talents, it is a privilege to able to support these outstanding researchers on their journey. Women are vital to the future of science and whilst we still have progress to make to achieve true gender equality in STEM, these awards are just one way in which we can recognise and promote the achievement of women scientists and support them in pursuing long-term careers.”
We asked Dr Güemes González: Who or what inspires you?
I was fortunate enough to grow up in a family that values science and education. This inspired me to pursue a research career. Both of my parents are physicians, and it was their passion for improving people's lives that motivated me to contribute to medicine through new scientific approaches.
My second greatest source of inspiration are my mentors, especially Professor Francisco Navarro (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid), Professor Pantelis Georgiou (Imperial College London), Professor Ralph Etienne-Cummings (Johns Hopkins University) and Professor George Malliaras (University of Cambridge). Witnessing the impact that they have made through their research, and the positive influence they have had on the scientific community and society, has made me even more determined to follow in their footsteps.
Finally, I am inspired by the potential impact that my work could have on society. Knowing that the research I am involved in could lead to improvements in the life of people is incredibly motivating. I am excited about the opportunities that lie ahead and motivated to continue working hard to achieve my goals, while also inspiring and empowering the next generation of women in science.
Adapted from a L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science news article.
