Camilo-de la Fuente

Dr. Camilo de la Fuente-Sandoval, honored with the Schizophrenia International Research Society’s prestigious 2024 Global Schizophrenia Award, has transformed early psychosis research through groundbreaking neuroimaging studies at Mexico’s Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía (INNN). His pioneering MRI spectroscopy investigations in antipsychotic-naïve individuals experiencing their first episode of psychosis have profoundly influenced our current understanding of the neurochemical alterations linked to psychosis onset and subsequent antipsychotic treatment. His Laboratory of Experimental Psychiatry has become a beacon for innovative schizophrenia research in Latin America, supported by prestigious funding from the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the Secretariat of Science, Humanities, Technology, and Innovation, UC MEXUS-CONACyT, and multiple Mexican scientific agencies. The Genomic Press Interview reveals how this distinguished scientist channeled personal experiences into scientific excellence, establishing comprehensive clinical programs that provide free care while advancing personalized medicine approaches. His seminal discoveries demonstrating elevated glutamate levels in the associative striatum of first-episode psychosis patients, which normalize after effective treatment, have opened new avenues for biomarker development and targeted interventions. Leading international collaborations including the ENIGMA Clinical High Risk for Psychosis Working Group, Dr. de la Fuente-Sandoval bridges translational neuroscience and global mental health, offering unprecedented insights into schizophrenia within resource-limited contexts. His visionary work combining neuroimaging, electrophysiology, cognition, and inflammation markers represents a paradigm shift toward precision psychiatry, inspiring a new generation of researchers across the Global South while fundamentally advancing our understanding of psychosis mechanisms and treatment response prediction.