Our laboratory is interested in understanding the cellular and molecular immunological mechanisms of autoimmunity and cancer. Specifically, we focus on studying how microRNAs (miRNAs) and their target genes regulate immune tolerance, autoimmune diseases and antitumor immunity. In addition, we are developing innovative genome engineering strategies for therapeutic purposes.

The purpose of our laboratory in the study of RNA-guided gene regulation focused on the function of small and long non-coding RNAs guiding novel nuclear events. We are performing a detailed analysis of nuclear RNA processes by studying the identity, localization, and functions of specific nuclear RNA molecules, nuclear RNA/proteins complexes and nuclear shuttling processes in Arabidopsis thaliana and Caenorhabditis elegans. Through these analyses, we expect to characterize novel nuclear RNA pathways and to uncover their biological relevance.

The Aquatic Biotechnology (ACUABIOTEC) group focuses its activity on applied research in aquaculture, integrating knowledge in genetics, physiology, evolutionary ecology, biotechnology, and systems biology to understand and optimize the biological processes that regulate the health, development, and adaptation of aquatic organisms. Through a systemic approach, we develop innovative tools that improve the sustainable management and exploitation of marine resources, ensuring their conservation and maximizing aquaculture productivity.

The main scientific aim of the research group is the application of molecular and cellular methodologies to disease studies of mollusks, as well as the application of basic science to improve the animal welfare and sustainability of marine aquaculture.

Our scientific approach is to study microbial pathogens in the context of their host and disease. To do this, we focus, but not exclusively, on the study of obligate intracellular bacteria with a wide host range such as tuberculosis and brucellosis. We will try to understand the basis of virulence in a given host, for a better understanding of the virulence of the pathogen. We employ a range of different omics where genomics is our main approach to study the evolution and molecular molecular epidemiology of the pathogen.

Our group is made up of students of different levels and backgrounds, with knowledge of bioinformatics, experimental molecular biology and in vitro culture of plants. Visit website to see Group members: http://tomsbiolab.com/team-members-collaborators José Tomás Matus: Principal Investigator Pablo Romero: Group Technician. Gastón Pizzio: Postdoc Chen Zhang: Postdoc Luis Orduña: Biotechnologist (UV) and Master in Bioinformatics (UV). PhD student in Biomedicine and Biotechnology (UV).

The activity of this group is focused, through an agroecological and multidisciplinary approach, to optimize the integrated management of crop pests and diseases, deepening the study of compatible and incompatible interactions of plants with pests and plant-parasitic organisms (with special interest in the different types of plant resistance and the biotic and abiotic factors that affect them) and contributing to conservation of beneficial insects.

We are a team of Biologists, Bioinformaticians, and Engineers using computational methods, aiming to understand the emergence and evolution of diverse biological processes.

In the PBE lab we are interested in the evolutionary forces that drive plasmid dynamics in bacterial populations. Plasmids play a crucial role in bacterial ecology and evolution because they can transfer genes horizontally between different bacteria. The most striking example of how plasmids drive bacterial evolution is the global spread of plasmid-mediated antibiotic resistance over the last few decades.

The main interest of our group is to uncover the role of distal enhancers in the deployment of developmental gene expression programs as well as in the etiology of human congenital disorders.