Lizbeth García Velázquez molecular neurobiology aging research, Digi Mart USA News (Mexico): On October 20, Dr. Lizbeth García Velázquez, a researcher at Universidad La Salle, was one of eight Mexican women scientists recognized with the national “For Women in Science” award, granted by L’Oréal, UNESCO and the Mexican Academy of Sciences (AMC).
In an interview with Mente Mujer, García Velázquez said the award is highly competitive because women at this stage need to begin building their own independent lines of research, which is not always easy.
The recognized project, titled “Genomic Damage in the Aged Cerebellum: Characterization and Search for Therapeutic Strategies to Preserve Motor Capacity,” examines how DNA damage accumulated over the years begins to affect the brain. She explained that genomic instability is one of the roughly nine recognized hallmarks of aging, and that because neurons are generated largely from birth and are not replaced, accumulated damage becomes functionally significant, particularly in structures that coordinate memory and movement.
The cerebellum coordinates fine movements such as writing, sewing and embroidering, as well as gross movements such as running. The researcher said the project also has a social dimension: according to the 2026–2030 National Population Program published in Mexico’s Official Gazette (DOF), by 2034 there will be more people over 60 than children under 12.
She said this demographic shift requires attention now, with international cooperation and some private companies beginning to invest in the area, particularly in neurological diseases, which she described as among the most concerning because of the loss of independence they cause patients.
García Velázquez said the prize funding will be used to purchase reagents and materials, especially for the molecular component of the work, which tends to be the most expensive. She plans to study how telomeres, the DNA sequences that shorten with age, behave during brain aging.
On the broader question of gender in science, she said a complete and diverse science requires that all voices be heard, and she noted that the World Economic Forum reports women receive misdiagnoses for at least 700 conditions worldwide.
García Velázquez is a graduate of the Pharmaceutical Biology Chemistry program at UNAM, her research area is molecular neurobiology, and she has been part of the La Salle community for one year.
