Autophagy is an intracellular degradation mechanism essential for cellular homeostasis, differentiation and development. Recent research has highlighted the impact of autophagy in neurodegenerative diseases and aging. We are still far from fully understanding the molecular mechanism of autophagy and its regulation, which is essential for the use of autophagy as a therapeutic target. During the last years our laboratory has been developing the use of Dictyostelium discoideum as a model in biomedical research. Its simplicity and genetic tractability is combined with a remarkable similarity with animal cells. We are characterizing genes involved in autophagy and rare diseases.