Noemí de Luna (Barcelona, 1976) is a postdoctoral researcher at Neuromuscular Diseases Lab from Institut de Recerca Biomedica (IIB) Sant Pau, Barcelona.

In 2000, she joined Dr. Isabel Illa´s laboratory at the Research Institute of Hospital de Sant Pau working on autoimmune peripheral neuropathies.

To obtain her PhD, her predoctoral training was done in a new research line, the study of dysferlin myopathies, an heterogenous group of muscular dystrophies caused by mutations in the DYSF gene. She obtained the PhD in 2007 supervised by Dr. Eduard Gallardo and Dr. Isabel Illa. The PhD project consisted in: 1) to study the expression of dysferlin in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, to determine the correlation between the expression observed in blood cells and in skeletal muscle from controls and patients with different muscular dystrophies. The results obtained were very useful in clinical practice because the dysferlin expression study in monocytes allows the diagnosis of dysferlin myopathy without the need of a muscle biopsy and 2) The study of the functions of dysferlin. Her thesis obtained the maximum qualification (PhD with distinction) and the European Doctor Mention.

After the PhD, she obtained a “Sara Borrell” postdoctoral grant, to work in Dr. Marti’s Lab of Mitochondrial Pathology and neuromuscular disorders at the Research Institute of Hospital Vall d’Hebron. During this period her research project was focused on the study of the pathomechanisms and molecular basis of McArdle’s disease mostly based on a knock-in mouse model developed in the laboratory.

At present, I have returned to this group with a postdoctoral position from CIBERER. I am studying the molecular characterization of signalling pathways involved in immune response present in inflammatory myopathies.

Academic training:

• BsC in Biology, Universidad de Barcelona, 1999
• Post-grade master on Environmental, Industrial and Food Microbiology, Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia, Barcelona, 2000
• Doctor en Biologia Cel·lular, Universitat de Barcelona, 2007

Grants and prices:

• “Sara Borrell” postdoctoral grant, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 2012
• PhD with distinction, Universidad de Barcelona, 2007
• Best doctoral thesis in neurology, neurosurgery and psychiatry by the Romanillos Foundation at 2007