Where better than La Paz, Bolivia, to understand how people adapt to high-altitude living

Learners are often encouraged to reach as high as they can. An international group of students, including eight from the University of Calgary, took this advice literally this summer.

In July, a team of learners from the Cumming School of Medicine (CSM) led by Dr. Richard Wilson, PhD, a professor in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, travelled to La Paz, Bolivia. The initial goal of the journey was to test how the brain senses blood gases, but the expedition quickly morphed into a comprehensive assessment of how multiple systems in the human body adapt to low oxygen.

“Acute tissue exposure and adaptation to low oxygen are common features of prevalent and serious diseases such as asthma, COPD, heart failure, diabetes and stroke,” says Wilson. 

“Understanding how the body senses and adapts to low oxygen is therefore of significant clinical importance.”

The UCalgary team was among 45 participants, including 15 principal investigators (PIs) from eight universities and 30 trainees from Canada, the United States, Ireland, France and Bolivia. In the unique geography of La Paz, a city that was founded in 1548 and built in the mountains 3,640 metres above sea level, the team was able to get a feel for what people who travel to high altitudes or experience low oxygen during the onset of disease may experience.

“We were both researchers and participants in these experiments,” says Wilson. “Some experiments lasted all day and some of them lasted all night. 

“The experimental schedule was gruelling.”

An experiment by UCalgary postdoctoral fellow Dr. Marina Sartori, PhD, focused on how mitochondria is affected by high-altitude hypoxia, which is lack of oxygen. Mitochondria live within cells in the human body and are responsible for many functions, including energy production. Mitochondria have their own unique DNA that can be released into blood and be used as biomarkers for diseases. Sartori’s experiment aimed to find out if this DNA release increases in low oxygen inherent to high-altitude environments.

“We collected venous blood samples in Calgary before we travelled to high altitude and at two time points while there,” says Sartori. “So now we're going to investigate using molecular techniques if this mitochondrial DNA increased after exposure to high altitude.” 

This research was funded by the BRAIN CREATE Program, a UCalgary Transdisciplinary Connector Grant and the Hotchkiss Brain Institute’s Rebecca Hotchkiss International Scholar Exchange (RHISE) Program.

Undergraduate summer student and trip participant James Baker says the experience left a lasting impression. He took new technology on loan from Calgary biotechnology company, Kent Imaging, to Bolivia to determine how low oxygen levels affect the brain’s ability to regulate circulation.

“Seeing all the research that's happening around me has gotten me a lot more excited in pursuing research as a career,” says Baker. 

The students were also able to take some well-deserved breaks on the trip and explore the city of La Paz. They all raved about the beautiful scenery and wonderful culture of Bolivia.

“La Paz is a very beautiful place,” says PhD student Fejiro Erome-Utunedi. “I keep thinking about just how cool it was to see all the different buildings built on top of mountains. It’s worth a visit just to at least check out the cool Teleféricos (cable cars) that go by.” 

PhD student and researcher Natalia Zubieta, who is from Bolivia, was excited to have the chance to share her home country with her colleagues.

“It's beautiful to see your labmates work with you every day in your lab, but, when you have these trips, people get to know each other much better because you see each other inside and outside of the lab,” says Zubieta. “And many times you have challenges, but those are the things that actually strengthen your team. 

“So, in that sense, it was very beautiful to see everybody coming together and being closer after the trip.”