After graduating in Biochemistry (2002) from the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), I joined the Laboratory of Neurobiology led by Dr. Carlos Matute, where I completed my PhD studying calcium homeostasis and neuroprotection in central nervous system (CNS) in vitro models. During this period (2005–2009), I investigated the role of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) calcium release in excitotoxicity, both in neurons (Ruiz et al., 2009, Cell Calcium) and oligodendrocytes (Ruiz et al., 2010, Cell Death & Disease).

As a postdoctoral researcher in the same laboratory, I explored calcium-dependent neuroprotective mechanisms of the benzodiazepine CGP37157 (Ruiz et al., 2014, Cell Death & Disease) and the quinazolinone mdivi-1 (Ruiz et al., 2018, Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience). During this time, I also acquired expertise in super-resolution microscopy, gene silencing, and Seahorse technology for metabolic profiling in vitro.

My current research focuses on two main lines: (i) understanding how the unfolded protein response (UPR) regulates mitochondrial function, metabolism, and Ca²⁺ signaling in glial cells and neurons under CNS injury conditions; and (ii) investigating the role of myelin-derived lipids in maintaining brain energy homeostasis in both physiological and pathological contexts.