Luis Martínez Durán joined the research team led by the academic Dasiel Borroto Escuela to investigate the cognitive phenomena related to molecular biology techniques and behavioural experiments.

The doctoral student Luis Martínez Durán of the Doctorate in Science with specialization in Applied Cellular and Molecular Biology at Universidad de La Frontera (UFRO) went to Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, for an international internship.

He joined the Department of Neuroscience of the Institute, under the supervision of the academic Dr. Dasiel Borroto Escuela, a leading researcher in the field of neuroscience and neuropsychopharmacology, to focus on the understanding of alterations in heteroreceptor complexes located in the cell membranes of neurons and glial cells.

“The objective of my internship is to elucidate molecular events related to learning and memory mechanisms through techniques such as in situ PLA and RNA-Flow Fish, as well as to determine the role of interactions between neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) and dopamine transporters (DAT) in cognitive phenomena,” explained Luis Martínez Durán.

The student’s objectives are also part of the development of his line of research carried out at the Laboratory for Molecular Pharmacology and Medicinal Chemistry of UFRO, where the focus lies on cognitive phenomena related to molecular biology techniques and behavioural experiments.

“This internship is a milestone for me, since the work is directly related to the objectives of my thesis; besides, it allows me to build a professional network for future collaborations and the development of new projects,” the student explained.

According to Luis Martínez Durán, this experience is a great opportunity to broaden his horizons, to access new technologies, to get to know the work of colleagues from other parts of the world, and to grow professionally and personally.

It is also worth mentioning that this internship is financed by the LANCE call “Complementary fund for the internationalisation of high impact pre-projects” of the project Ci2030.