Aida López-Ortiz

The University of Virginia (UVA) was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and is located in Charlottesville, Virginia. UVA is consistently ranked among the top public universities in the United States and is well-known for its commitment to academic excellence and research.

UVA's Neuroscience Program has a long history of producing graduates who go on to make significant contributions to the field of neuroscience, both in academia and industry. The program's faculty members are renowned experts in their respective areas of research, and are dedicated to providing students with a rigorous and engaging educational experience.

Universidad Central de Venezuela (UCV) was founded in 1721 and is one of the oldest universities in South America. It is located in Caracas, Venezuela and is a well-respected institution both nationally and internationally. The university has a diverse range of faculties, including the Faculty of Science

Throughout its history, the Faculty of Science at UCV has consistently maintained its position as one of the leading institutions in South America. The faculty has a strong commitment to both teaching and research, and provides students with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in their chosen careers.

Project Description: My doctoral research has evolved from an early focus on microglial P2RY12 signaling in homeostatic brain function to a deeper exploration of its transcriptional and metabolic roles in disease. Initially, I investigated how P2RY12 mediates microglia–astrocyte interactions important for vascular homeostasis and neurovascular coupling.

Building on that foundation, my dissertation now centers on the transcriptional regulation of microglial activation states and metabolism by P2RY12, highlighted in my recent first-author publication in Glia (2025). This work demonstrates that P2RY12 loss alters metabolic and antioxidant pathways, including glutathione-GPX4–related ferroptosis susceptibility, especially during inflammatory stress.

Currently, I am extending these findings into the disease context, to assess how P2RY12 deficiency shapes microglial responses to pathology and neurodegeneration.

Sponsor: Ukpong Eyo Laboratory, BIG Center, Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA. (Jul 2021 - Present)

Project Description: Investigating the role of the TAM pathway in Theiler virus infection, that produce a demyelinating disease used as an experimental model for the study of Multiple Sclerosis. I’ve been involved in other projects including the viral immune response of Macrophages to Junín Virus JUNV,etiological agent of Argentine Hemorrhagic Fever.

Additionally, I’ve studied the formation of Extracellular Traps ETs from human Neutrophils and Monocytes/Macrophages in inflammation and infection.

Sponsor: Laboratory of Animal Viruses, Institute of Biotechnology and Molecular Biology IBBM, La Plata University UNLP, Advisor: Dr. Ricardo Gómez / Laboratory of Experimental Thrombosis, Experimental Medicine Institute IMEX, National Academy of Medicine ANM, Co-Advisor: Dr. Eugenio Antonio Carrera Silva. Buenos Aires, Argentina (Jul 2018 - Jul 2021).

Project Description: Identification of point mutations in the voltage-dependent sodium channel’s gene related to pyrethroid resistance in Anopheles sp. from Venezuela.

Sponsor: Immunoparasitology Laboratory, Venezuelan Institute of Scientific Research (IVIC), Advisor: Dr. Mariana Hidalgo. (San Antonio de Los Altos, Venezuela. (Feb 2012 - May 2015).

° Lopez-Ortiz, A. O., Doceti, M., Thomas, J., Duffy, A., Coburn, M., K Okojie, A., Lee, A., Sou, E. A., Gaultier, A., & Eyo, U. B. (2025). Transcriptional Regulation of Microglial Metabolic and Activation States by P2RY12. Glia, 10.1002/glia.70078. Advance online publication.

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° Mills III, W. A., Savory, N. A., Lopez-Ortiz, A. O., Lentferink, D. H., González Ibáñez, F., Agochi, P., & Eyo, U. B. (2025). Microglial cyclooxygenase-1 modulates cerebral capillary basal tone in vivo in mice. Nature Communications, 16(1), 5704.

° Lopez-Ortiz, A. O., & Eyo, U. B. (2024). Astrocytes and microglia in the coordination of CNS development and homeostasis. Journal of Neurochemistry, 168(10), 3599–3614.

° Tomatis, C., León, A., Lopez-Ortiz, A. O., Oneto, P., Fuentes, F., Ferrer, M. F., Silva, E. A. C., et al. (2023). Theiler’s murine encephalomyelitis virus replicates in primary neuron cultures and impairs spine density formation. Neuroscience, 529, 162–171.

° Gómez, R. M., Lopez-Ortiz, A. O., & Schattner, M. (2021). Platelets and extracellular traps in infections. Platelets, 32(3), 305–313.

° Gómez, R. M., Lopez-Ortiz, A. O., & Schattner, M. (2021). New roles of platelets in inflammation. Current Opinion in Physiology, 19, 99–104.

° Ferrer, M. F., Thomas, P., Lopez-Ortiz, A. O., Errasti, A. E., Charo, N., et al. (2019). Junin virus triggers macrophage activation and modulates polarization according to viral strain pathogenicity. Frontiers in Immunology, 10, 2499.

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