Xavier Altafaj

After obtaining his degree in Molecular Biology by the University of Barcelona and the Université Libre de Bruxelles in 1997, Xavier Altafaj started his PhD at the Centre of Medical and Molecular Genetics (headed by Dr. Estivill), where he developed a Functional Genomics approach to understand the contribution of a candidate gene in the etiopathology of Down syndrome. In 2002 he obtained his PhD in Genetics and moved to the “Calcium channels: Functions and Pathology” (CEA, France, headed by Dr. De Waard), where he studied the crosstalk between the plasma membrane DHPR and the ER-spanning Ryanodine receptor (RyR). In 2007 he joined the laboratory of Dr. Fillat, at the Center for Genomic Research (CRG, Barcelona, Spain), where he developed gene therapy strategies for the potential rescue of cognitive alterations associated to Down syndrome, while he started to study the glutamate receptors in the brain of animal models of Down syndrome. His research is currently focused to study the physiology of NMDA-type ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs) and to unveil the molecular and cellular mechanisms bridging the gap between glutamate receptor dysfunctions and neurological diseases, towards the development of targeted therapeutic approaches. His efforts are focused to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying synaptic plasticity processes in post-synaptic glutamatergic neurons. The molecular insights are finally used to design targeted therapeutic approaches and to evaluate their efficacy to attenuate iGluR-mediated neuronal dysfunctions. With the obtention of the "Miguel Servet" researcher position in 2011 (ISCIII), he started to lead the iGluRsNeuroTeam, which aims to understand the physiology of NMDA-type ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs) and to unveil the molecular and cellular mechanisms bridging the gap between glutamate receptor dysfunctions and neurological diseases, towards the development of targeted therapeutic approaches. His efforts are focused to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying synaptic plasticity processes in post-synaptic glutamatergic neurons. In particular, he aims to understand the post-translational mechanisms (mainly focusing on phosphorylation events) that regulate iGluRs trafficking and behaviour under physiological conditions and their alterations in neurological disorders. The molecular insights are finally used to design targeted therapeutic approaches and to evaluate their efficacy to attenuate iGluR-mediated neuronal dysfunctions.