Dr. Natalia Rodríguez-Muela Appointed as TUD Young Investigator

Dr. Natalia Rodríguez-Muela, research group leader at the Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD) at the TUD Dresden University of Technology was appointed as a TUD Young Investigator. This recognition will support her academic career and strengthen her integration into the Medical Faculty of TU Dresden.

“I’m very happy with being recognized as a TUD Young Investigator. The status will allow me to increase my participation in the training of young scientists, be part of their journey, and also foster my growth as a group leader by establishing new connections within the academic community,” says Dr. Natalia Rodríguez-Muela.

TU Dresden awards the TUD Young Investigator status to exceptional junior research group leaders, strengthening their standing within the faculty and enabling them to grow as mentors and leaders. TUD Young Investigators are given the opportunity to evaluate doctoral theses, engage in teaching, and participate in various faculty initiatives. Additionally, they receive tailored training assistance aimed at advancing their academic career.

Since 2019, Dr. Natalia Rodríguez-Muela has been leading a research group at the CRTD as a fellow of the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) and Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG). Her group’s mission is to uncover the molecular mechanisms that control the selective death of neurons characteristic of all neurodegenerative diseases, with a focus on the motor neuron diseases such as spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and familial forms of Alzheimer’s disease. To accomplish this, her team is working with human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) as a model system. By understanding the molecular cause of this selective death of neurons, Rodríguez-Muela’s research team hopes to ultimately help develop effective therapeutics that could convert neurons susceptible to the disease into resistant ones.