BIO
María José Sánchez Barrena (Calamonte, Badajoz, 1977) is a researcher employed at the Department of Crystallography and Structural Biology in Instituto de Química Física Rocasolano (CSIC).
PROJECT
The complex formed by the Ca2+NCS-1 sensor and Ric8a regulates the number of synapses and the probability of freeing neurotransmitters. They are therefore potential therapeutic targets for synaptopathies.
The main aim of this project is the rational design of small molecules that improve interaction between the proteins NCS-1 and Ric8a, to test whether the use of these molecules is a good therapeutic strategy to establish synaptic contacts in neurodegenerative diseases.