Transmembrane Signaling Lab (Dr. Maria Florencia Sánchez)
Emmy Noether Junior Research Group
Cells sense their environment, receive, and process a diverse set of chemical and mechanical signals through transmembrane receptors. How receptors sense and integrate these signals to orchestrate a wide variety of physiological outcomes remains one of the biggest questions in biology. My group aims to develop novel approaches to understand how membrane organization and receptor clustering influence physiological responses. We use modern techniques ranging from nanolithography, 3D printing, DNA origami, cell and molecular biology and optogenetics to live-cell advanced microscopy. We have strong interest for guidance receptors such as plexins, which regulate the shape and motility of cells during the development of the nervous and cardiovascular systems, and play important roles in many pathophysiological processes, including cancer, immunological and neurological diseases.