“My main motivation is helping people live with minimum distress” Could you explain what are you currently investigating?In our group we investigate the mechanisms of neuronal death. We want to know why the dopaminergic neurons die in the Parkinson’s disease, to be able to develop a strategy to stop the disease. I am specialized in animal models.Tell us what you usually do on a common day working in your lab.It depends. These days I am mostly focused on in vivo experimentation in animal models. I also work a lot in microscopy, I spend a lot of hours at the microscope counting neurons! And, obviously, I read a lot. It is essential to be up to date with what is being published or what other researchers are doing… It is a combination of both, the experimental work, and reading and designing experiments.What do you like the most about your job?What motivates me the most is the application in patients, that people can live with the minimum distress possible and that a disease doesn’t stop their happiness or their lives. Besides, I believe that the brain is the king of the organs, the one that really defines us as persons, and this is the reason why I like so much doing research in neurosciences. Our “self” is our brain, it is where the philosophical and biological aspects meet. This is reason why it is so important to preserve the intellectual activity of the individuals.And what do you like the least?What I like the least is working indoors because I like being outside. But we are lucky to have big windows in the animal facilities, from where you can see the sky.Your greatest satisfaction as a researcher was…Satisfaction is really simple, most of the times. I keep having moments… For instance, when you end with a series of experiments that can sometimes take a long time, and they generate solid results. This generates satisfaction! And I hope there are a lot more to come! Right now we are working on a project that will possibly bring an important change of paradigm.How do you feel about a major scientific discovery?I get really excited! Everything related to increasing knowledge makes me feel thrilled, and not just in the field of biomedical research. Even if it is the discovery of a new satellite… all the researchers are curious by nature.Is it true the proverb that says: patience is the mother of science?Absolutely, and I am really impatient. A lot of patience is required. If you don’t have it you have to train it, because if you want to obtain fast results, sometimes it can be a nightmare! The only way of getting results is being patient.In times of crisis, why is it necessary to maintain and encourage investment in biomedical research?If we want a country model based on knowledge, it is clear that we must invest in research, but we must find a sustainable system. In time of crisis we have to prioritize and focus our financial efforts on research that has a direct repercussion on society, such as biomedical research, and that it has excellence. In general, the research done in Catalunya, and particularly at VHIR, is excellent.Explain an example in your research group that shows that quality research has direct applications to the health of patients.Not a direct application yet, but I hope it will soon. We find ourselves in a promising point and most likely we will see soon a translation of our clinical research. We have contributed in the better understanding of Parkinson’s disease as, by now, there is no treatment to stop it.Why do you like working at VHIR?One of the reasons is that it has very competent equipments at service of the researchers: the animal facilities, the technical and scientific support… In addition, the quality of VHIR’s research groups is high and this benefits everyone. It is very important to interact with the different groups, because you can see further when you share points of view. It is also really important to be close to the hospital, to be able to be more translational and have samples for biomarkers.