Conservation and Use of Plant Genetic Resources.

Our research line is mainly focused on the study and characterisation of macroscopic and histopathological lesions, pathogenic mechanisms, inflammatory and immune response in animal infectious diseases, with special attention to emerging and re-emerging diseases that may affect production and free-living animals such as African swine fever or bluetongue, and zoonoses with public health implications such as Rift Valley fever or SARS-CoV-2.

The Atmosphere, Aerosols and Climate Group (GAAC) (9 persons), studies the composition of the atmosphere, climate change and air quality. Goals: O1. Composition of the atmosphere, aerosols and climate. The study of the influence of man and natural processes on the composition of the atmosphere, especially the composition and properties of atmospheric aerosols that influence biogeochemical processes and climate. O2.

Modifications of the chromatin fibre, such as the methylation of DNA or the acetylation of histones, are commonly referred to as epigenetic marks. These marks are understood as a way of storing information – of ‘bookmarking’ the genome so the cell remembers which genes to read. However, these processes are intimately tied to metabolism, as they both consume and produce metabolites which tie in to the wider metabolic network of the cell.

The Nanomedicine@ICN2 group, established at the end of 2019, is dedicated to the development of nanomaterials and devices for therapeutic and diagnostics applications. It has strong links with the Nanomedicine Lab at the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health at the University of Manchester, with Prof. Kostas Kostarelos leading both teams. Graphene and 2D materials have a central role in a number of research lines carried out by the group in the context of the Graphene Flagship and beyond.

We examine the role of genetic and non-genetic inheritance, the role of the environment as a phenotypic inducer through epigenetic regulation, and the possibility that such epigenetic changes may evolve under selection towards accommodated genetic variation. We delve into the natural history of species, populations, and communities to study interactions between species, identify functional polymorphisms in candidate genes to explain ecologically and evolutionarily divergent life history traits, and evaluate the genomic basis of fitness reductions in endangered species.

We conduct multidisciplinary research aimed at providing the scientific knowledge necessary for the conservation of biological diversity in all its forms. It is primarily focused on threatened ecosystems, communities, species and populations. We have no taxonomic or area preferences, but for historical and practical reasons, a significant part of our work involves vertebrates.

The main goal in our group is to understand the molecular basis of plant adaptation to changing environmental conditions. In particular, we are focused on the study of the regulation of gene expression as the main regulatory step of gene activity. We are following a combination of experimental and computational approaches for characterization and prediction of the main factors determining the activation of gene expression.