Jose Lombardia Gutierrez

Name: Jose Lombardia Gutierrez

Nationality: Spanish

Academic Background: BSc in Biology (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid); MSc in Pharmacological Research (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid)

Project Title: Deciphering the function of CD1d in brain homeostasis and disease.

Project Background: The brain remains the most unknown organ in our body. Although a lot of new discoveries have been made in the last years, extensive research has yet to be done to fathom out the way we learn, think, make decisions, remember, coordinate movements, or age. Moreover, concerning the latter one, we are still far from understanding the way neurological diseases precisely emerge and develop, and even further from knowing how to effectively treat them. For instance, no new drug has been approved for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases affecting more than 30,000 people worldwide, since 2003. Therefore, new pathways need to be investigated to find new potential therapeutic targets for these conditions.

Cluster of Differentiation 1 (CD1) molecules are transmembrane proteins that have been classically described within the context of the immune system. They mediate a particular mechanism of lipidic antigen presentation to Natural Killer T cells. Humans have 5 different types of CD1 molecules, while mice have just one of them, CD1d. However, this molecule is also expressed in neurons, where its role remains unknown. Thus, the purpose of this project is to shed light on the function of CD1d in the central nervous system homeostasis.

Project Aim: This project aims to elucidate the role CD1d has inside the brain. We believe that because this protein binds and brings lipids to the cell surface, it could own an important function in the control of organelle homeostasis within neural cells. Specifically, we are interested in investigating how it is involved in cellular energy regulation and lipid degradation, and its relevance to brain diseases. By doing so, we can find new potential molecular targets that can build up the basis for the development of new therapies.

Expected Outcome: We expect to figure out how CD1d is connected to the maintenance of the endolysosomal pathway in the brain and its link with lysosomal function. Moreover, we aim to explain how CD1d is interacting with the mitochondrial network and what implications does this have. Finally, we also glimpse an important role of this molecule in the control of the lipidic profile of organellar and cellular membranes.

Contact:  jose.lombardia@bric.ku.dk; shohreh.issazadeh@bric.ku.dk; jlomg309012@gmail.com