Conservation and Use of Plant Genetic Resources.

The research group is focused on the synthesis of nanoparticulated materials to be applied in antimicrobial therapy, pain management and osteoarthritis. Primary research directions are also focused on designing on-demand drug delivery systems. The group is interested in the development of new antimicrobial nanomaterials and devices with no cytotoxic effects on human cells, and with demonstrated superior efficiency than conventional strategies.

The group investigates glycinergic neurotransmission in health and different pathological scenarios such as hyperekplexia and pain. Hyperekplexia or startle disease (OMIM: 149400) is a rare neurological disorder, without specific treatment, characterized by pathological startle response to trivial stimuli that can be fatal in newborns. It is caused by the blockade of glycinergic inhibition by mutations in crucial synaptic proteins, such as the neuronal glycine transporter GlyT2. The aim is the search for personalized therapies for human hyperekplexia.

Numerous proteins initially identified as regulators of cell death programs appear to support basic cellular functions without inducing cell death. Leveraging our lab's expertise and resources, we aim to uncover the molecular regulation and implementation of these newly emerging non-lethal functions in both physiological and pathological contexts, with a special focus on the evolutionarily conserved caspase protein family.

Marine Biomolecules: Synthesis, Function and Exchange in Marine Systems The goal of the Marine Biomolecules group (BioMol) is to establish the role of different organic molecules (e.g., vitamins, pigments, etc.) in sustaining microbial communities and their impact on the natural biorhythmic fluctuations of the major biogeochemical cycles in marine systems.

This group studies the cultural, political, social, and economic realities of the Americas from an interdisciplinary approach focused on history and cultural criticism, with special attention to Atlantic world connections. Within this field, priority is given to three lines of research: • Line 1: Literary production, cultural history, politics and ideology in the Americas and contemporary Europe. • Line 2: Imaginaries and transfers in the Atlantic world: utopianism and political cultures. • Line 3: Construction of national states and Latin American integration.