Affiliation: Cajal Institute, Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Neurobiology

Sergio Gascón carried out his PhD studies (Institute for Biomedical Research-Alberto Sols, Madrid) on the topic of glutamate NMDA receptors and other interacting postsynaptic proteins that are involved in cerebrovascular diseases. During this time, he carried out research stays at the previous laboratory of Peter Scheiffele (Columbia University, New York), to develop lentiviral vectors for the efficient gene expression in neurons. After completing his PhD (2007, Autónoma University of Madrid), Sergio moved to the laboratory of Magdalena Götz (Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich), where he focused on the neuronal reprogramming field. Sergio participated in several articles demonstrating that astroglia can be reprogrammed into neurons and identified metabolic constraints blocking the conversion process. Moreover, Sergio’s research also addressed fundamental questions regarding neurogenesis and neuronal connectivity. Currently, Sergio’s research team, at the Cajal Institute-CSIC (Madrid) focuses on new strategies to improve neuronal reprogramming and to develop human models of brain diseases invitro.