Blanca Viguri Lamata

Centre: Dpto. Bioquímica y Biología Molecular y Celular/IUI BIFI
Institution: University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza (Spain)
Position: PhD Student
E-mail: bviguri@unizar.es
Phone: 976762989
Profile:   Click here

Personal statement
My research activity began while working my TFG of the Degree in Biotechnology during my Erasmus stay in a laboratory of the University KU Leuven (Leuven, Belgium) in a project of creation of artificial red blood cells. After finishing my degree, I returned to Zaragoza and completed the Master in Biophysics and Quantitative Biotechnology at the BIFI Institute, where I carried out the TFM on the study of proteins involved in autophagy, under the supervision of Beatriz Herguedas and Nunilo Cremades. I am currently a predoctoral researcher with a contract granted by the Diputación General de Aragón in the call 2023-2027 to carry out my PhD thesis with Nunilo Cremades at the BIFI Institute.

Researcher profile identity
Currently, I am an R1 researcher. My work focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms that regulate autophagy, a process essential for the degradation and recycling of cellular components. In particular, I work with the p62 receptor, a key protein that forms biomolecular condensates by phase separation and concentrates polyubiquitinated proteins to facilitate their removal. Using biophysical techniques, both in vitro and in cells, I study the molecular and structural factors that regulate the formation, organization and function of these condensates.

Why my research is important
Most neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by the formation of protein aggregates. The presence of components of the autophagy machinery, including the autophagy receptor p62 and polyubiquitin chains, in intracellular inclusions observed in samples from patients with neurodegenerative diseases, highlights the connection between autophagy and these pathologies. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration from basic science is fundamental to open doors to future therapeutic strategies directed towards these diseases.

Know more about me and my research
– https://bifi.es/biophysics/
– Research group project page: https://sites.google.com/view/neuromol/home?authuser=0
– LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/blanca-viguri-lamata-6b8610351