Our group is devoted to the structural determination of macromolecular complexes, among them molecular chaperones, proteins that assist the folding of other proteins. We use mainly electron microscopy and image processing techniques, but we combine them with biochemical and molecular biology techniques, to structural and functionaly characterise various molecular chaperones, among them CCT, Hsp90, Hsp70, Hs40 and PFD, and cochaperones like PhLP, Hop, Hip and CHIP. Our group is also interested in the use of single-molecule techniques, in particular optical tweezers, in collaboration with the gr

We work in the field of three-dimensional microscopy, both electron and Soft X-rays microscopy, focusing on the development of new image processing methods for Tomorgraphy. A substantial fraction of our work is devoted to Instruct, the European project in Structural Biology within the ESFRI initiative (European Strategic Forum for Research Infrastructures), being its Image Processing Center (I2PC, for Instruct Image Processing Center)

Our group study DNA-protein interactions involved in DNA break repair and maintenance using novel approaches based on Single Molecule (SM) techniques. SM manipulation and imaging techniques offer huge potential to investigate DNA break repair reactions in completely new ways, providing information that is inaccessible to conventional ensemble experiments.

Structural biology of virus fibres

We are interested in the structural and physical principles that govern assembly and stabilization of complex viruses. As a model system we use adenovirus, a challenging specimen of interest both in basic virology and nanobiomedicine, as well as other structurally related viruses. We approach the problem from an interdisciplinary point of view, combining Biophysics, Computational, Structural and Molecular Biology techniques. Sharing expertise and resources is a key pillar in our work.

Middle size Structural Biology group studying cell surface molecules that regulate the immune system and mediate virus entry into host cells. We investigate protein families linked to immune disorders such as allergic inflammation and asthma. We analyze receptor-ligand interactions related to immune processes, as well as virus binding to cells. In addition, we characterize virus neutralization by humoral immune responses and its correlation with virus entry into cells.

Open science is based on the openness of the research life cycle from its conception till its implementation, communication and preservation of its outputs, including research data

Trace Elements group performed since 1990 integrated assessments of risk/benefit associated with the presence of toxic trace elements and their chemical species in foods, being remarkable the research conducted for arsenic and mercury. The group works in various fields: development of analytical methods, characterization of trace elements in food consumed by the population, intake assessment, bioavailability studies using in vitro models, studies of uptake and intestinal transport, evaluation of the toxic effects on the gastrointestinal tract of toxic elements.

The group has extensive experience in food preservation processes (thermal and non-thermal) and development of new foods as well as in the detection, identification and rapid quantification of food pathogens (viruses and bacteria) based on PCR and next generation sequencing (NGS), all focused on the achievement of food safety through application of microbiological risk assessment.