Maria Jimenez-Sanchez

In neurodegenerative diseases, proteins do not fold correctly and accumulate. This is the case of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), characterized by the accumulation of amyloid plaques and tau tangles. We are interested in understanding the mechanisms that cells use to prevent these accumulations, such as molecular chaperones and autophagy. In particular, we investigate how these mechanisms work in astrocytes and their implications in neurodegeneration. Astrocytes are a type of glial cells that are necessary to maintain the health of neurons and help neuronal function. However, in AD, astrocytes can become dysfunctional and damage nerve cells. We aim to understand how chaperones and autophagy in astrocytes may protect from neurodegeneration.