Natalia Sánchez Groot

Natalia Sánchez Groot is a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, leading the Biomolecular Microbiology Group. Her research bridges microbiology, protein biochemistry, and neurodegenerative diseases, with significant contributions to understanding protein aggregation mechanisms.

Education:

• Màster en Biotecnologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (2006)
• Biotecnologia Degree, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (2003)
• Batxillerat Científic, IES Jaume Mimó (1999)

Dr. Sánchez Groot's research focuses on protein aggregation phenomena across biological systems, particularly the connections between bacterial protein behavior and human neurodegenerative disorders. Her work explores how bacterial prion-like proteins, RNA-mediated regulation, and gut microbiome components influence neurodegenerative processes like Alzheimer's disease. She has pioneered approaches to predict liquid-liquid phase separation in proteins and investigate the gut-brain axis in protein aggregation disorders.

Her publication record shows consistent high-impact contributions, with recent work appearing in Genome Biology, Molecular Systems Biology, and Chemical Reviews. Current research trends emphasize the intersection of microbiome science with neurodegeneration, RNA's role in macromolecular organization, and computational prediction of protein behavior.

Dr. Sánchez Groot actively secures competitive research funding, currently leading multiple projects including PrevGut: Preventing Toxic Protein Aggregates in the Gut (2024-2025) and Consolidació i Projecte: Proteinas de Tipo Prion Bacterianas y Neurodegeneración (2024-2026). Her collaborative network spans international institutions focused on neurodegenerative diseases.

She supervises doctoral students and maintains active collaborations with researchers across Europe, particularly through projects like NEUROMED which addressed Parkinson's, phenylketonuria, and TTR amyloidosis. Her laboratory, the Biomolecular Microbiology Group, specializes in connecting microbial protein behavior with human disease mechanisms.