Institute of Biomedical Technologies

Programs, groups and lines of research

Research groups are formed according to the lines of research they pursue. The definition of a group requires the effective collaboration of its members, through participation in joint projects and the existence of a record of joint publications of proven quality and sufficient number, in the opinion of the Executive Committee. Each research group also requires the existence of a sufficiently substantial funded project.

Additionally, although not strictly part of this structure, the institute includes research groups with complementary and potentially collaborative activities in areas under development, or that have the function of providing services to the members of the institute, such as laboratories and associated units in the Biosanitary Innovation Platform.

Each group description includes a list of its members who are formal members of the Institute, including Principal Investigators, Associate Investigators, and Research Fellows. Each group also includes external collaborating researchers and clinical researchers who are not formal members of the Institute.

Genetic and rare diseases

Chronic diseases related to aging

Neurobiology and diseases of the nervous system
  • This program integrates research groups studying the biology and pathology of the nervous system, with a particular emphasis on neurodegenerative diseases, the molecular and cellular bases of neuronal vulnerability, the development of animal models for studying the genetic basis of neurodegeneration, and the analysis of global brain function and the biological basis of cognition. At the cellular and molecular level, the role of specific membrane proteins (ion channels and transporters) and signaling molecules in different types of excitable cells is studied using electrophysiological, molecular, and morphological approaches. An emerging platform within this program is dedicated to the development of novel animal models of neurodegenerative diseases. Several lines of research focus on analyzing the human brain as a whole using electrophysiological and neuroimaging techniques. Together, this approach ensures a holistic view of the human nervous system that, once scaled up, will be useful in the search for new therapies for neurodegenerative diseases.

List of groups (click to expand information)

A. Cellular and molecular neurobiology

B. Clinical and Cognitive Neuroscience