Enrique Cadenas

Enrique Cadenas, MD, PhD, serves as the Charles Krown/Alumni Professor of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Southern California's School of Pharmacy. He holds joint appointments in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. His extensive research focuses on the molecular mechanisms inherent in brain aging and Alzheimer's disease, with particular emphasis on the coordinated regulation of signaling pathways, transcriptional regulation, and mitochondrial function.

Dr. Cadenas' research interests span multiple disciplines including brain aging, Alzheimer's disease, neurodegenerative disorders, mitochondrial function, free radical biology, redox signaling, and nitric oxide biology. His laboratory has ample expertise in mitochondrial bioenergetics, dynamics and biogenesis, redox signaling, and the modulation of transcriptional pathways. He collaborates extensively with international investigators, particularly with the University of Coimbra, Portugal, focusing on the neurovascular-metabolic coupling axis in brain aging and Alzheimer's disease.

His recent publications reveal a strong focus on the metabolic triad of mitochondria, insulin signaling, and JNT signaling in brain aging, with significant work on how nutritional approaches like lipoic acid can restore mitochondrial function and improve cognitive outcomes. His research consistently demonstrates the critical relationship between energy metabolism, redox signaling, and neurodegenerative processes.

Notable scientific achievements include:

• Knighted by France's National Order of Merit (2012)
• Promoted to Officer of France's National Order of Merit (2018)
• Past President of the International Society for Free Radical Research
• Editor of Free Radical Biology & Medicine

Dr. Cadenas has established significant international collaborations, particularly with French researchers including Josiane and Pierre Cillard, Bertrand Friguet, and Luc Montagnier. He has organized multiple international scientific conferences focused on aging and age-related neurodegenerative diseases. His laboratory continues to investigate the therapeutic potential of nutritional approaches to restore mitochondrial function and associated signaling pathways in neurodegenerative conditions.