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Monitoring protein dynamics in living cells in the context of neurodegenerative disorders

By: Federico Herrera
From: Cell Structure and Dynamics Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon
At: C1, 1.4.14
[2021-11-11] 11:00

My research focuses on the molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration and repair. We are especially interested in how pathological proteins self-organize and interact with other proteins, and how small covalent modifications such as phosphorylation or acetylation can influence the behavior of these proteins. We use a combination of genetic, biochemical and bioimaging approaches to study these phenomena in living cells. After obtaining my PhD degree with highest honours (Cum Laude and Award to the Best Thesis at the University of Oviedo) in 2005, I did postdoctoral stays at The Salk Institute (CA, USA) and the Instituto de Medicina Molecular (Lisbon, Portugal), and eventually established my own laboratory at the Instituto de Tecnologia Quimica e Biologica (Univ. NOVA, Oeiras, Portugal) in 2014. Since 2019, I am an auxiliary professor at the Faculty of Sciences (Univ. of Lisbon), where I develop cellular models of rare neurodegenerative disoders to study their principles in living cells.