Manuela Martínez Regúlez
Clinical Medicine 2001Doctor of Medicine and Surgery. Centre for Research in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (CIBBIM) and Children’s Hospital, Vall d’Hebron Hospitals.
Head of the Research Unit on Lipids and Human Brain Development and Paediatrician specialising in peroxisomal disorders.
Jury rulingThe jury for the Rei Jaume I Prizes for Clinical Medicine, meeting in Valencia, has unanimously decided to award the 2001 prize to Ms Manuela Martínez Regúlez.
For having dedicated her life to the study of brain development and metabolic disorders in children. In recognition of her discoveries and extraordinary dedication to this field. After studying medicine, paediatrics and clinical analysis at the University of Barcelona, she was awarded a Doctor of Medicine and Surgery degree by the Autonomous University of Barcelona.
She had specialised in the study of lipid chemistry and its role in myelin formation, which is essential for the development of brain circuits. In 1987, he made the significant discovery that Zellweger syndrome, a lethal peroxisomal disorder affecting children, is associated with a deficiency of the lipid docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA. Since then, she has treated affected children with DHA supplementation, achieving clinical, biochemical and neuroradiological improvements. This discovery offers hope to families affected by this rare but fatal condition, whilst opening up new perspectives in the chemistry of myelin and in metabolic disorders affecting the brain. She is internationally recognised as an authority in this field, bringing prestige to Spanish medical science through her work.
