The Dr. Gertrudis Perea says los investigadores biomédicos españoles son tan buenos como los mejores. Esto lo afirmó en una charla con el diario español ELMUNDO .es desde el Instituto Tecnológico de Massachusetts (MIT) , en EEUU , entidad que atesora un historial de 9 premios Nobel, sólo en Medicina y Fisiología .
"The problem is funding," says the researcher. And the scarcity of resources generated, how could it be otherwise, the following vicious circle: " groups without much personal budget to hire students, what they come cheaper. But you lose the ability to offer the postdoctoral, which has the experience and knowledge to bring the project more efficiently and quickly ... It is very hard to be competitive "he concludes.
Another difficulty is the low coverage given to the findings English, much less than you usually get American studies or, as another example, German. Still, Perea
is convinced that a English could be achieved with adequate funding and without major structural changes, the same results obtained in a center like MIT.
is convinced that a English could be achieved with adequate funding and without major structural changes, the same results obtained in a center like MIT.
But of course, the tradition also weighed. The center currently hosts Dr. Perea is also a pointer in technology such as its name suggests-and physics-with 27 laureates in this field, "something that has greatly benefited the work of this scientific Andalusian Born in Santisteban del Puerto ago 34 years. His research focuses on astrocytes, a type of brain glial cells ("glia" means glue in Greek) for decades ignored when considering that they had a significant role , apart from acting as a filler (or 'glue') of the brain mass.
However, this old idea is now questioned. The truth is that although these cells do not transmit electrical signals (unlike neurons), they "have vital roles for the proper functioning of the nervous system," says Perea. In fact, relate to most neurological diseases, as Alzheimer, Parkinson the the sclerosis and some types of autism . Revolution
cell
This research investigates the role of astrocytes in the brain and the mechanisms by which neurons communicate with. Specifically, studies how glial cells act to sensory stimuli, namely visual-that the brain receives, and how involved in the processing of information. The experiments were performed in vivo, transgenic mice, and this requires tools to enable or disable certain cells . "It is what is called optogenetics , a revolution," she explains.
This technology uses 'flash' of light to alter the cell groups that want to study, and was created largely at MIT, so you buy a custom-made instrument was amazingly simple. "It was as easy as crossing the street and talk to one of those who developed this technique, (...) Ed Boyden is not always easy, but when something like this happens, do not believe it," says Perea , who notes that in the U.S., unlike in Spain , "Do not get stuck at a point because you know who has not completed do not know what document you need. "
The researcher came to MIT last year with the idea just to catch up on the latest technologies applied to their field of study. Currently enjoying a European grant Marie Curie. "I financed to be out and then come back a year, with the idea of \u200b\u200bimplementing what they learned " he says. His intention is to spend another year in this Cajal Institute, the same where he has worked in recent years In the group of Dr. Alfonso Araque . "It was an incredible stage, I learned to enjoy science and suffer ...", recalls Perea. "When things are not going as you expect, the experiments do not go well, we must continue to find the solution," he said.
(source: ELMUNDO.es )
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