Claudio Hetz

This laboratory focuses on understanding the relationship between proteostasis alterations and pathological conditions affecting the nervous system and its relation to aging, in addition to develop prototypic therapies to prevent this damage. Our group is committed to the study of cellular strategies involved in adaptation to chronic endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. The ER operates as a sophisticated machinery for protein folding and secretion, where the an integrated signaling pathway known as the Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) orchestrates the maintenance of proteostasis or the induction of apoptosis programs of damaged cells. Nevertheless, the mechanisms that control the transition from an adaptive state to cell death processes remain unknown and is a central subject of our research. We are currently developing a systematic strategy to define the consequences of targeting specific UPR components in neurodegenerative diseases using mouse models, in addition to address the physiological significance of the pathway to brain function and aging. One of our major areas of biotechnological development is gene therapy. Our group is one of the most productive laboratories in Chile and Latin America and is currently supported by various national and international organizations.