Dr. Dasiel Oscar Borroto Escuela | Neuroscience | Research Excellence Award 

University of Malaga | Spain

Dr. Dasiel Oscar Borroto Escuela is an internationally recognized neuroscientist whose research has fundamentally advanced the understanding of G protein–coupled receptor (GPCR) heteroreceptor complexes and their role in brain function and disease. His work focuses on elucidating how alterations in GPCR heteroreceptor complexes and their allosteric receptor–receptor interactions contribute to the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders, including major depression, addiction, and Parkinson’s disease. Dr. Borroto Escuela is a pioneer in the discovery and characterization of GPCR–GPCR and GPCR–RTK interactions in the central nervous system, providing compelling molecular evidence that these complexes constitute critical integrative signaling units underlying learning, memory, and brain plasticity. His seminal publications in Biological Psychiatry, Molecular Psychiatry, Neuropsychopharmacology, and Trends in Pharmacological Sciences have reshaped prevailing neurotransmitter hypotheses by introducing receptor heterocomplex dynamics as key determinants of disease vulnerability and therapeutic response. A major contribution of his work is the proposal that changes in the density and allosteric interactions of GPCR heterocomplexes represent a shared molecular mechanism linking psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. He has notably extended the serotonin hypothesis of depression by integrating molecular dynamics within serotonin receptor heterocomplexes, identifying new targets for antidepressant intervention. Dr. Borroto Escuela has also developed and refined cutting-edge methodologies, including the establishment and optimization of in situ proximity ligation assay (PLA) techniques, enabling the in-brain visualization of GPCR heteroreceptor complexes—a methodological breakthrough that has become foundational in the field. His characterization of heteromer interface interactions, such as the D2R–A2AR heterodimer, has opened new avenues for drug development using small interfering peptides. Currently, as an EMERGIA Fellow at the University of Málaga, Dr. Borroto Escuela leads the Receptomics & Brain Disease Lab, while simultaneously directing the GPCR Laboratory at Karolinska Institutet. He has secured competitive funding from prestigious Spanish and Swedish agencies and foundations and has produced over 180 peer-reviewed publications, with more than 5,000 citations and an h-index exceeding 40. Beyond research, he is deeply committed to scientific leadership, serving as editor and editorial board member for leading journals, evaluator for international funding agencies, supervisor of over 60 students, and an invited speaker at more than 40 international conferences. His career reflects sustained excellence, innovation, and global impact in neuroscience and neuropsychopharmacology.

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