He works on the design of new strategies for possible vaccines against COVID or similar viruses and his thesis has received the Lilly Foundation AwardHe has just received the Lilly Foundation award for the best doctoral thesis in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, which focuses on the study of the three-dimensional structure of proteins.Jara Lascorz Lozano, 30 years old from Huesca, finished her thesis at the beginning of 2022 and joined the Institute of Biotechnology and Biomedicine of the Autonomous University of Barcelona, ​​in the Nanobiotechnology group, where she works on the design of new strategies for possible vaccines against covid or similar viruses, a technology applicable to many other diseases and treatments.What is the object of study and the conclusions that she has drawn in her doctoral thesis?—It focuses on the study of the three-dimensional structure of proteins, which gives us relevant information about their functioning and possible interaction with other proteins or molecules.Knowing the structure of proteins can make it easier for us to design drugs that act against them or that favor their functioning, because if we know what their shape is, we can delve deeper into how they perform their function.Together with my directors, we focused on the functioning of SUMO, a small regulation protein present in all living beings, and how it modified the functioning of a large complex called SMC (Structural Maintenance Complex of Chromosomes), responsible for repairing of possible errors in the DNA when it is condensed in the form of chromosomes.What novelties does it bring to her investigation?—There are two main novel conclusions.The first, that the DNA itself regulates the functioning of the aforementioned protein (SUMO) with respect to the SMC Complex, through the interaction of the DNA with the SMC complex.The second, the discovery -using X-ray crystallography- of the structure that is formed when SUMO and the SMC complex interact, which showed us important information about the functioning of these proteins.Why are these findings important?—It is not very common to find and be able to demonstrate that the functioning of proteins depends on their union with DNA, and because of the consequences that this entails for a protein directly involved in the repair of DNA errors.In addition, the structural details and implications for their function reveal an atomic-level structure of different proteins interacting with each other.All this entails an in-depth understanding of how the SMC complex and the SUMO protein, essential for life, are regulated.A small failure in one of these proteins can lead to the appearance of different diseases.What lines of research can open your work in the future?—The results obtained contribute to a deeper understanding of these proteins, which, being essential for all living beings, are extremely important for the proper development of life.However, we still do not have a complete understanding of the functioning of all this protein machinery, so while we investigated the role of the different molecules, we kept asking ourselves new questions and parallel hypotheses, which have ended up maturing into new lines of research. on the functioning and structure of other parts of the complex and, above all, the role it may have in the appearance of diseases related to defective DNA repair, such as dwarfism, insulin resistance or cancer.What are you most passionate about in biochemistry?—Biochemistry lays the foundation for the functioning of all life as we know it, from a molecular to a cellular level.Knowing the ins and outs of biochemistry means gradually deciphering how living beings work, but at a very, very small level, as if we could look through a microscope at what is happening at each point of our body at each moment.It is very beautiful and overwhelming at the same time.What about your work as a researcher?—In biochemical research at such a basic level, a lot of creativity is needed for the elaboration of theories and hypotheses, even if they are based on already existing knowledge.Freedom in the design of protocols and in the development of lines of research is one of the things that most fascinates me.After finishing the thesis, she has found a job as a researcher quite quickly.This is not usual.Has the situation of precariousness in research changed in any way?—I was lucky enough to finish my thesis at the beginning of 2022, when they were awarding quite a lot of research aid due to covid.However, the current situation is still very precarious, since, although there is more supply, the type of contract is still short-term and they are not usually very well paid, so it does not help stability;because it means having multiple possibilities from which to choose which one you want to demonstrate or different solutions to a problem, so the days are always different and with new challenges.For this, it helps a lot to have good supervisors, who like to debate and develop ideas about the results, and I have been lucky to have very good researchers, both thesis directors and laboratory colleagues who have helped a lot during the day a day.What are the main lines of work in which you are involved in your work as a researcher?—To this day, I continue to work on the design and production of proteins and on the structural analysis and their functioning, but from a more applied point of view for biomedicine and the design of possible drugs against diseases, such as the one I was telling you about Previously, the design of vaccines against covid, or the search for new treatments against cancer.What job aspirations do you have for the future?—For now, I will continue in the world of research linked to the university, because I really like the academic world and teaching, but stability in the university world is still difficult.For this reason, it is possible that in the future I will opt for secondary education.© PUBLICACIONES Y EDICIONES DEL ALTO 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