About
I am a postdoctoral research associate in Prof. Jay Hinton's lab, focusing on invasive non-Typhoidal Salmonella (iNTS). iNTS represents a major health problem in Sub-Saharan Africa. We hope the knowledge we generate from our project will help to provide better strategies to tackle these infections. Little is known about the infection biology of iNTS pathogens. My project will focus on studying how these pathogens survive and replicate whilst they infect and hijack human cells. We're looking to identify the genetic factors that allow the novel clades of S. Typhimurium and S. Enteritidis to replicate and survive within human macrophages.
I have always been passionate about researching bacteria that cause disease in humans. I did my PhD in Argentina, studying the biofilm formation process of clinical isolates of Bordetella pertussis, a strictly human pathogen causing whooping cough. During my PhD, I gained broad knowledge in microbiology and developed skills in different biofilm development devices, from in-vitro systems to an in-vivo mouse model.
I then moved to the UK to work at the University of Aberdeen on a more challenging pathogen, Salmonella Typhi. My research was focused on understanding the mechanisms behind host restriction in this bacteria. I was able to perform some dual-RNAseq experiments, to look for host and bacterial transcriptomes simultaneously.
During the pandemic, I switched to an industry-oriented work. I joined the Scottish biologics facility to develop and engineer new antibodies against different neuro- and hepato-toxins, using a phage display system and lateral flow tests.
I was then convinced I wanted to go back to research pathogens. I joined Prof Jay Hinton's lab in 2022. We aim to understand what gives the ability to certain Salmonella serovars to cause invasive, bloodstream infections. We're trying to elucidate the host-pathogen interactions between different serovars and clades with human macrophages. We look at the intracellular transcriptome and those determinants that play a unique role in these isolates.
Prizes or Honours
- Forging Futures Scheme (Scottish Universities Life Sciences Alliance (SULSA), 2022)
Funded Fellowships
- Fulbright Fellowship (Fulbright Commission, USA, 2018 - present)
- Wood-Whelan Research Fellowship (International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 2016 - present)