Text written in Basque and translated automatically by Elia without any subsequent editing. SEE ORIGINAL

Nearby: Ugo Mayor

Ugo Mayor, 35 years old, San Sebastian

I am Ugo Mayor, researcher at Ikerbasque, and I work at CIC bioGUNE.
We are investigating how neuronal function is regulated. What we are looking at then is a process, basic for the function of the cell, called ubiquitination.
We are using the fruit fly as a model, because it is much easier and gives us many options genetically. Very similar neurons are actually the molecules that make up their neurons and ours, which is why we can work with flies to understand how the nervous system develops and works. In cases
of Alzheimer's or Parkinson's in neurodegenerative diseases, ubiquitin plays a very important role. What happens is that this casuistry is not yet exactly linked, we do not know what the molecular process is, because very little is known about the basic function of ubiquitin in neurons. So we are doing very basic research to understand what process it is involved in, and maybe someday we will be able to understand why these diseases are related and how they develop and whether it is possible to do something.
If I hadn't gone abroad, I wouldn't be here. That's very clear to me. Like any other young man, my life went on with different things, but I didn’t see myself as the head of the research team. I went abroad with an Erasmus, where I started to study the function of proteins, and I thought that maybe I would come back, but with my brother-in-law there was the opportunity to go to Cambrigg to do my doctorate, where I joined a group working with proteins. Very good results came out with the work done there, which gave me the opportunity to later develop my own project. Having worked in prestigious places and obtaining good results has given me many opportunities to return to the Basque Country.
In a sense, a scientist is another professional. He has to do his hours, he's related to other professionals... But, yes, it is true that our work is developing in our mind, so it is not only working hours, in this work we have our mind in action all day.
In other words, curiosity is needed. To find answers to the questions we ask, this curiosity is mandatory.
When I’ve been abroad, even if I’m not a local I’ve felt at home, and then that’s something I’d like to bring to the Basque Country.
We need to publish the work in order to move forward, we need to answer some questions before anyone else finds those questions. It has a bad side because it is very competitive at times, which brings out the worst things of people.