The Membrane Trafficking Laboratory, led by Ikerbasque Research Professor Aitor Hierro at the Biofisika Institute (CSIC-UPV/EHU) in Leioa, Spain, studies intracellular receptor recycling, crucial for nutrient uptake, signal transduction, immune surveillance, and waste management. Disruptions in this process are linked to diseases like cancer, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative disorders. A key focus is endosomes, major sorting stations where biosynthetic and endocytic pathways intersect.

We work on the development of biosensors to study how the brain works at the molecular level, that can be applied for the diagnosis and characterization of neurological diseases. Brain function can be studied and manipulated by controlling brain chemistry. Neurons possess receptors that are sensitive to specific neurotransmitters, such as glutamate, which is the main neurotransmitter in the brain and is involved in important brain functions. Imbalances in glutamate levels have been associated with significant neurological disorders.

Dr. Pablo E. Jercog is an independent researcher at the CNC, Alcalá de Henares, Spain. His research focuses on systems and computational neuroscience, particularly in learning and memory, employing techniques such as calcium imaging, electrophysiology and Machine Learning algorithms. Dr. Jercog earned his degree in physics from the University of Buenos Aires (2002), under the supervision of Dr. Gabriel Mindlin. His Phd was earned from New York University (2008) under the supervision of Dan Sanes and John Rinzel.

Stem cells reside in a specialized home (microenvironment) which allows them to self-renew, proliferate, differentiate and migrate according to the organism's requirements. Using the blood system as an experimental model, the Microenvironmental physiopathology group investigates the regulation of the microenvironment in physiology and its deregulation in physiopathology.

Biology and control of parasitic plants of agricultural importance

The group is broadly interested in the fields of systems biology, evolutionary genetics, and microbial ecology. We use a combination of theory, mathematical/computational modeling, and experiments to study how populations and communities of (micro)organisms evolve, respond to perturbations, and carry out functions relevant to biotechnology or human health, among other contexts.

The Bioinformatics, Computational Biology and Data Science (BioCoDas) group comprises research staff dedicated to compiling, organising, exploring, and evaluating data generated from scientific investigations to look for patterns and generate new knowledge in agri-food research. Due to its multidisciplinary nature, the research carried out by the group stands out for its transversal capacity, being applicable to the multiple lines of research developed at the Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA-CSIC).