Scientific Contribution Award 2025 decerned to Carla Lopes

Carla Lopes Wins Scientific Contribution Award 2025 for Pioneering Insights into Mitochondria and Extracellular Vesicles

Carla Lopes, from the Multidisciplinary Institute of Ageing (MIA), University of Coimbra, Portugal, has been awarded the Scientific Contribution Award 2025 at the 2nd World Congress on Targeting Extracellular Vesicles, held in Valencia, Spain.

The award recognizes her outstanding study titled “Mitochondrial Stress Drives Nucleophagy and the Release of Extracellular Vesicles Carrying DAMPs,” which brings new clarity to the role of mitochondria-derived extracellular vesicles (mEVs) in neurodegenerative disease.

Lopes’ research reveals that mEVs are not passive byproducts of cellular stress but active mediators of intercellular communication. Her findings show a striking contrast between health and disease: mEVs from healthy plasma protect neurons against ferroptosis, a destructive iron-dependent form of cell death, while mEVs originating from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease models actively transmit pathological signals that may accelerate neurodegeneration.

By uncovering this dual role of mitochondrial protein containing extracellular vesicles, the study highlights a critical mitochondria EV crosstalk that had remained largely unexplored. These discoveries position mEVs as promising biomarkers for disease progression and as potential therapeutic targets in neurodegenerative disorders.

The Scientific Contribution Award 2025 honors research that significantly advances the field of extracellular vesicles. Carla Lopes’ work stands out for its conceptual impact and translational relevance, opening new avenues for understanding how mitochondrial dysfunction influences brain health and disease.