The Cellular Neurobiology group investigates the biology of Central Nervous System (CNS)-resident cells, mainly neurons and glial cells, among the latter ones astrocytes and microglia. Current research objectives include the investigation of the modulation of cell death in the CNS by microglia and other factors, both during development and in neurodegenerative diseases.
We are, for example, interested in chronotopographic patterns of microglial entry into the CNS of birds and mammals during development and the mechanisms of migration and proliferation to colonize the nervous parenchyma. This process is closely related to neuronal death during CNS development. Other research lines include the role of microglial in different pathological situations, such as Alzheimer´s, Parkinson´s and neuromyelitis optica; Calcium-signalling in microglia; and the application of nanomaterials in neurobiological applications. The aim is to obtain attractive results for biotechnological or pharmaceutical applications that may consider microglia as an alternative therapeutic target for the prevention and treatment of different neuropathologies.