Mauricio Ramm joined the Institute of Biomedicine in 2018 to pursue his PhD under the supervision of Professor Eeva-Liisa Eskelinen.

He obtained his M.Sc. in Molecular Biology with a major in Neuroscience and B.Sc. in Biological Sciences (Biowissenschaften) from the University of Heidelberg, Germany.  

The Eskelinen group is investigating membrane dynamics in autophagy, a cellular pathway that disassembles cytoplasmic material and dysfunctional organelles. Autophagy maintains cellular homeostasis during stress by recycling potentially harmful components like aggregate-prone proteins and by supplying the cell with
nutrients through the degradation of non-essential components.

Mauricio investigates the role of the small GTPase RAB24. RAB GTPases orchestrate intracellular membrane trafficking events. RAB24 has been shown to be implicated in the autophagic pathway. However, the precise mechanism of action remains elusive. Mauricio is aiming to shed more light on these open questions and to elucidate the physiological role of RAB24 in neurons.