Our group investigates membrane transport proteins in living organisms and their potential as new biomarkers and drug targets. We identify mechanisms of regulation and dysfunction leading to disease and discover chemical compounds as modulators, characterizing kinetics and pharmacological potential for therapeutics of metabolic disorders, inflammation and cancer.

Membrane transporters and channels mediate the traffic of water, ions, solutes and metabolites across biological membranes and are crucial to homeostasis, assuring cell survival upon intracellular or environmental stresses. These proteins also serve as drug targets and are key players in the phenomenon of drug resistance. Aquaporins are channels with broad importance in health and disease, maintaining the body’s fluid and energy homeostasis and with roles in kidney disease, obesity, diabetes, inflammation and cancer. Aquaporin drug discovery is now an emergent field where the search for physiological mechanisms of regulation and for chemical modulators, present new opportunities for drug development and new therapies.

The Membrane Transporters in Health & Disease group investigates the regulation of membrane transport proteins, with emphasis on aquaporins, exploring their potential as biomarkers and drug targets in metabolic diseases, inflammation and oncology. We study mechanisms of regulation and dysfunction implicated in disease, discover chemical and biological compounds as modulators and characterize their kinetics and pharmacology for novel therapeutic approaches.