Characterization of the biosynthetic pathways of the components that determine the organoleptic and nutritional quality of plant foods, the assessment of changes going on during processing and conservation, and the development of technologies to improve the quality of the food.

The research group "Re-use of By-products and Treatment of Wastes and Wastewaters" of the "Instituto de la Grasa" (CSIC) of Seville develops since 1986 various lines of research related to the reuse and treatments of wastewaters and solid wastes from food processing industries.

Currently, the bakery sector faces important challenges within a scenario of continued loss of turnover and modification of distribution channels. This requires an important scientific-technical effort to implement the use of new raw materials, ingredients and microbial initiators that naturally provide unique properties and obtain maximum use in the design of innovative products.

Industrial yeasts responsible for biotechnological processes are highly specialized organisms that have evolved under restrictive conditions in different environments manipulated by man, a subject on which the group works.

Relevance of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory defense in neurodegenerative diseases

The fundamental objective of our group is to deepen our understanding of the molecular machinery of the hypoxia response. Specifically, we seek to identify, using a combination of bioinformatic and molecular biology techniques, the complement of genes induced by hypoxia through HIF and to characterise its function in the response to hypoxia.

Bioinformatics and computational biology: development and implementation of methods for the analysis of high-throughput data, mainly in evolutionary biology of cancer

We are interested in the development of diagnostic strategies and neuroprotective drugs applicable to pathologies associated to the overactivation of receptors for the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate and the consequent induction of neuronal death by excitotoxicity. We are mainly using animal models and necropsies from patients suffering from stroke, Alzheimer or autism. However, our results are potentially valuable for other pathologies similarly associated to excitotoxicity, including acute (hypoglycemia, trauma, epilepsy) or chronic conditions (other neurodegenerative diseases).

Study of autophagy and its regulation at the molecular and cellular levels. Roles of autophagy in rare diseases.