MITO-MAP
Mitochondria
Mapping Altitude Physiology
MITO-MAP
Mitochondria
Mapping Altitude Physiology
His team combines in vivo models, ex vivo brainstem preparations, and multi-omics approaches—including transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics—to dissect how mitochondrial signaling contributes to disorders such as neonatal apnea, sleep-disordered breathing, and chronic high-altitude hypoxia.
To expand the scope of this research and enable high-altitude field investigations, he created MITO-MAP, a satellite of his Quebec-based laboratory headquartered in La Paz, Bolivia, which unites researchers in neuroscience, mitochondrial biology, and cardiorespiratory physiology to map the molecular architecture of hypoxia resilience in Andean populations. Through MITO-MAP, he has positioned Bolivia as a global hub for high-altitude physiology and precision medicine, while also establishing training programs such as the Canada–Bolivia Student Exchange and leading clinical translation efforts to optimize sex-specific EPO therapies for neonatal care.
Among his key accomplishments, he has pioneered the concept of mitochondrial sex-dimorphism in brain development, demonstrated hyperactive mitochondria as a novel mechanism of neurodevelopmental vulnerability, and launched the first clinical trial of sex-optimized EPO therapy for apnea of prematurity in Latin America.
His leadership and scientific contributions have been recognized by major funding agencies such as CIHR, NSERC, and FRQS, and honored with multiple awards, including Bolivia’s First Prize in Science and Technology, the Plurinational Award in Science, recognition from the Embassy of Bolivia in Canada, and election to the Bolivian Academy of Sciences.
Professor Jorge Soliz is a globally recognized expert in respiratory neurophysiology and mitochondrial biology, currently Full Professor at Université Laval and Co-Director of the Altitude Baby Association (ABA).
With academic training spanning Bolivia, Switzerland, and France, he has developed a pioneering research program focused on how erythropoietin (EPO) and mitochondria regulate the development and function of respiratory neural circuits under hypoxic stress.
His work was among the first to demonstrate that brain-derived EPO modulates mitochondrial redox signaling, inflammation, and energy metabolism to promote neuroprotection, particularly in sex-specific contexts.
