Dr. Isabel Varela-Nieto graduated and earned her doctorate in Chemistry, Biochemistry Section, at the University Complutense of Madrid (Spain). She has been a visiting guest scientist at the Medical Schools of Uppsala (FEBS Fellow, Sweden) and San Diego (MEC Sabbatical, USA). She is Professor of Research at the CSIC and group leader at the CIBER of rare diseases (CIBERER, ISCIII) in Madrid. From the early 1990s she has been studying hearing neurobiology and IGF-1 actions. She was the first Chair of the SEBBM Science for Society working group with which she actively collaborates, and member of the FEBS Network working group. She is currently the president of the SEBBM, a member of the FEBS Science and Society Committee and of the ISC Finances Committee.
I lead the Laboratory of Neurometabolism and Functional Genomics at Sidra Medicine, Qatar. Our laboratory deploys and/or develops biological assays to unravel molecular mechanisms underlying specific neural and metabolic processes, aiming to understand how genetic variation can lead to their dysfunction and ultimately disease. In this context, we have a strong interest in the sense of smell, the role it plays in determining our food preferences, and how diets and internal homeostatic states affect olfactory perception.
In our research, we collaborate with clinicians and employ an integrative strategy combining a wide range of established techniques (e.g., molecular biology, genetics, and behavior) with omics technologies (e.g., genomics and transcriptomics), and resorting to the genetic manipulation of both cell and animal models. Ultimately, we aim to advance basic science and translate our findings into new diagnostic and personalized treatment options for patients affected by neurological, endocrine and metabolic diseases.
To learn more about us visit our twitter page or our website.
Marjolein Schaap
Research Programme Manager - Research Careers & Talent Team, Cancer Research UK