Department: Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology

Faculty: Faculty of Pharmacy

Singular centre: Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases Research Center (CIMUS)

Area: Pharmacology

Research group: Applied pharmacology to membrane biology and signal transduction mechanisms.

Email: marian.castro@usc.es

Personal web: https://www.usc.es/cimus/en/research/research-groups/mole...

Doctor by the Universidad Complutense de Madrid with the thesis Receptores opioides mu y delta formas moleculares y posibles subtipos. Acoplamiento específico de agonista con proteínas transductoras gi2 y gx/z 1998. Supervised by Dr. Javier Garzón Niño.

Marián (María de los Ángeles) Castro studied Pharmacy at the University of Santiago de Compostela. She obtained her Ph.D. at Instituto Cajal, CSIC, Madrid, in 1997, in the field of Neuropharmacology of Opioid Receptors under the supervision of prof. Javier Garzón. She carried out post-doctoral stays in Madrid (CNB), Germany (Würzburg University, supervisor Prof. Martin Lohse) and USA (Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, laboratory of prof. Jean-Pierre Vilardaga). Since 2012 she is Associate Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Santiago de Compostela, and head of the Research Group Molecular Pharmacology of G protein-coupled Receptors at the Center for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases (CIMUS) (University of Santiago de Compostela) and Research Staff at the Health Research Institute of Santiago de Compostela (IDIS). Her main research interest is the molecular, in vitro pharmacology of G protein-coupled receptors relevant in complex psychiatric illnesses. She studies the mechanisms of action of novel molecules active on these therapeutic targets and emerging aspects of GPCR intracellular signalling, by in vitro, cell-based studies. Her ultimate aim is to identify novel mechanisms of action for the pharmacological modulation of GPCR signalling and function in pathophysiological relevant cellular models.