Dr Rubén Hervas Millan joined the School of Biomedical Sciences as Assistant Professor in March 2021. He graduated from the Autonomous University of Madrid with a bachelor of science degree in Biochemistry in 2006. From 2007 to 2013, he was trained in Biophysics at the Cajal Institute in Madrid as a graduate student. After his doctoral degree, he undertook postdoctoral training at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in the USA.

Dr Hervas’ lab integrates structural, biochemical and biophysical approaches, in combination with animal models, to provide structural and mechanistic information about functional amyloid assemblies linked with memory persistence and animal development.

I earned my B.S. in biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and my Ph.D. from the University of Washington, where I established computational tools to define the energetic and structural principles that underlie protein-protein interactions.

My lab studies protein folding and how cellular factors influence folding, both in vitro and in vivo, focusing on how proteins involved in neurodegenerative diseases change shape to drive disease pathology. (My name is pronounced Woo-kash Yo-ah-heem-e-yak.)

​Hyun Ok “Kate” Lee was born in South Korea and developed an interest in cell biology during her undergraduate research in Sean Morrison’s lab at the University of Michigan, where she studied stem cell–mediated tissue repair in mice. During her PhD with Bob Duronio at the University of North Carolina, she investigated the regulation of cell growth, DNA replication, and damage during development, identifying new targets of Cullin4 E3 ubiquitin ligases. She later moved to the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden for postdoctoral research in Tony Hyman’s lab, where she studied the formation of membraneless organelles and their role in protein aggregation linked to neurodegenerative diseases.

The Lee lab investigates how membraneless organelles are regulated in cells and how their dysfunction impacts cellular health. Their work combines quantitative cell biology in human stem cells and neurons, biochemical and biophysical studies with purified molecules, and computational and omics approaches through collaborations. 

Kausik Si, Ph.D., a developmental neuroscientist, is the Scientific Director for the Stowers Institute. Si joined the Institute in 2005, was appointed Associate Scientific Director in 2019 and Scientific Director in 2021.

Born in a rural village in India, Si received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Calcutta. He moved to the United States for his doctorate and earned a Ph.D. in molecular biology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1999. Si then went to Columbia University for his postdoctoral fellowship in the lab of Nobel Laureate Eric Kandel, M.D., where he focused on understanding how memories are created in the synapses of the brain.

In his lab, Si and his team combine genetics, molecular biology and biochemistry to analyze the structure of the brain, investigating how a transient experience produces a persistent change in behavior and how only some produce persistent changes in behavior. The lab’s research focuses on a group of proteins, prion-like proteins, and their association with Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. Si and his team have found that some prions may be essential for long-term memory, a theory that contradicts some long-held viewpoints about the potential cause for Alzheimer’s.

Si’s lab was the first to suggest that CPEB, a protein with prion-like properties, may be at the center of a series of biochemical changes at the connection points between neurons that form the basis for memory persistence.

María Ángeles García is a healthcare professional associated with the Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús in Madrid, one of Spain’s leading pediatric hospitals. The hospital is well known for its clinical care, research, and training in pediatric medicine.

Professionals working at Hospital Niño Jesús are typically involved in the diagnosis, treatment, and research of childhood diseases, as well as in advancing pediatric healthcare through collaboration with academic and clinical institutions. Within this environment, clinicians like María Ángeles García contribute to improving child health through patient care, medical expertise, and participation in multidisciplinary medical teams. 🏥👩‍⚕️

Jose Manuel Pérez Cañadillas is Bachelor in Organic Chemistry (U. Complutense Madrid , 1993) and PhD in Physical Chemistry (U. Autónoma Madrid, 1999). After his thesis, done in the CSIC (IEM) with visits to the Texas A&M University, he spent 5 years as postdoctoral fellow in the Laboratory of Molecular Biology and the Center for Protein Engineering from the MRC in Cambridge at the groups of Profs. Varani and Fersht. He came back to Spain (IQFR-CSIC) in 2005 as “Ramón y Cajal” researcher and become “Científico Titular” in 2008.

Currently he leads a structural biology group studying proteins involved in RNA cell cycle. We study RNA binding proteins (RBPs) and their interactions at structural detail using mainly NMR and other of biophysical (ITC, DLS, MALS, FA) and structural (X-ray, SAXS) techniques; some in close collaboration with expert groups. Together with the folded domains, RBPs often contain large intrinsically disordered domains (IDD) with important roles in their function. We study both types of protein domains in the group. Specifically, we are interested in RBPs involved in RNA life cycle; in particular those involved in last stages of transcription, in the cell nuclei, and in early phases of translation, in the cytoplasm. Many of the proteins we study play important roles in the maturation of mRNPs (Gbp2, Hrb1 Nrd1, Nab3, Hrp1 or CstF64), whereas others are essential for the regulation of translation and stress response (eIF4G, Pab1, Pub1).

Finally, some our RBPs are involved in human diseases (Gemin-5 and hnRNP A1), being their RNA binding activities and other biophysical properties (e.g. formation of protein condensates) key on the onset and development of the diseases.

The research carried out in the group employs a multidisciplinary approach with X-ray crystallography, Protein Engineering and Bioinformatics tools aiming to provide knowledge of the three-dimensional structure of proteins and analysis of their various interactions and ligand complexes as a prerequisite for an in-depth understanding of any biological process.

The research interests in our group encompass studies in the mechanisms of virulence and pathogenesis and the means of circumvent them. We focus on the structural biology of the pneumococcal surface proteins involved in key functions, such as binding of the pathogen to host cellular receptors or the remodeling of the peptidoglycan framework, which represent important mechanisms in the process of disease. The mechanisms of action of endolysins (phage-encoded enzymes that break down bacterial peptidoglycan) are also studied as potential pharmaceutical agents (enzybiotics). The group is also interested in the structural characterization of protein-lipids interactions (mechanisms of activation in lipases and pore formation in toxins), and the electron transfer in proteins.

Mario Cordero Morales is a researcher in the field of molecular and structural biology, known for his work on the structure and function of proteins and ion channels. His research focuses on understanding how biomolecules change conformation and interact with other molecules to regulate biological processes at the molecular level.

Using techniques from biophysics, structural biology, and biochemistry, his work aims to uncover the mechanisms that control protein activity, including how structural changes influence cellular signaling and physiological functions. This type of research contributes to a deeper understanding of fundamental biological processes and can provide insights relevant to human health and disease.

“We aim to advance stem cell models with designer proteins to decode evolution, unlock ageing, and reverse degeneration.”

The protein and cell engineering (PACE) lab combines stem cell and structural biology with data science to study the molecular switches that define and reprogram cell identity. We strive to understand how stem cells maintain and change their identity, and which molecules regulate this process. We study the natural evolution of stem cell factors and use protein design methods to tune and optimize the molecular toolkit that gives cells their identity. With newly discovered molecular switches, we will be able to reliably program cell states in a dish, enabling their use for biomedical research and clinical applications.  One of our aims is to make ‘old stem cells’ that help us to study aging and neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.  Another aim is to rejuvenate cells to combat age-linked cellular decline.