**Raquel Abalo**

Raquel Abalo is a Full Professor of Pharmacology, Functional Coordinator of the Department of Basic Health Sciences, and Coordinator of the PhD Program in Health Sciences at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (URJC). As Head of the High-Performance Research Group in Physiopathology and Pharmacology of the Digestive System (NeuGut-URJC), her research is focused on the gastrointestinal tract and the brain–gut axis. Distinct from other labs, radiographic methods, developed in-house, are used for the non-invasive evaluation of gastrointestinal motor function in preclinical models. Her group is currently working on several lines of research: (1) influence of sex on the brain–gut axis functions, disorders, and responses to treatments; (2) involvement of the endocannabinoid system in the side effects of antitumoral drugs on the brain–gut axis; (2) short- and long-term consequences of the cytokine storm and sepsis on the brain–gut axis; (3) effects of coffee and coffee byproducts on the brain–gut axis. All these projects are developed in a highly national and international collaborative environment, within a lively lab full of motivated multidisciplinary students.
