Expert Details
Applied Molecular Biology, Recombinant DNA Technology, Genetically Engineered Organisms
ID: 735927
California, USA
My current scientific training and expertise as a researcher and mentor are focused primarily on two areas: 1) insect molecular genetics and vector biology and 2) crop pests.
I have a broad experience in molecular biology, transgenesis, genetic modification, and the development of new synthetic technologies such as gene drives for the control of infectious diseases such as malaria and dengue. I have a strong background in molecular entomology and insect control, specialized in mosquito populations. contributed articles to some of the most prestigious scientific journals in the field of biology. These include: Cell and Molecular Life Sciences, the 7th ranked scientific journal in Molecular Medicine, Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, and Pharmacology, as well as the 36th, ranked journal in Cell Biology; PLoS One, the 3rd ranked scientific journal in Agricultural and Biological Sciences, and 13th ranked journal in Biochemistry, Genetics, and Molecular Biology; Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, the 3rd ranked scientific journal of multidisciplinary focus; Insect Molecular Biology, the 12th ranked scientific journal in Insect Sciences, Pathogens, and Global Health, the 29th ranked scientific journal in Parasitology; Plant Methods, the 25th ranked scientific journal in both Plant Science and Biotechnology and countless others.
Education
| Year | Degree | Subject | Institution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year: 2008 | Degree: Ph.D. | Subject: Public Health, Infectious diseases | Institution: Centro de Investigación Sobre Enfermedades Infecciosas del Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública (CISEI-INSP), Mexico |
| Year: 2002 | Degree: Master of Science | Subject: Molecular Pathogenesis | Institution: Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (CINVESTAV-IPN), Department of Infectomic and Molecular Pathogenesis, Mexico |
| Year: 2000 | Degree: Bachelor of Science | Subject: Biology | Institution: Universidad Simon Bolivar, Mexico |
Work History
| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
|---|---|---|---|
| Years: 2019 to Present | Employer: Undisclosed | Title: Specialist III | Department: Microbiology and Molecular Genetics |
Responsibilities:Design of a Cas9-gene drive system for population modification in the African mosquito Anopheles gambiae. Insect transgenesis, genetically modified organisms. Recombinant DNA, DNA sequencing, molecular analysis. Scientific staff management. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2018 to 2019 | Employer: University Of California Irvine | Title: Specialist I | Department: Microbiology and Molecular Genetics |
Responsibilities:Design of a Cas9-gene drive system for population modification in the African mosquito Anopheles gambiae. Insect transgenesis, genetically modified organisms. Recombinant DNA, DNA sequencing, molecular analysis. Scientific staff management. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2017 to 2018 | Employer: University Of California Irvine | Title: Project Scientist | Department: Microbiology and Molecular Genetics |
Responsibilities:Design of a Cas9-gene drive system for population modification in the African mosquito Anopheles gambiae. Insect transgenesis, genetically modified organisms. Recombinant DNA, DNA sequencing, molecular analysis. Scientific staff management. |
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International Experience
| Years | Country / Region | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Years: 1981 to 2017 | Country / Region: Italy | Summary: Postdoctoral Associate. University of Pavia, Department of Biology and Biotechnology “L. Spallanzani. Population genomics of co-evolution between non-retroviral RNA viruses and their host |
| Years: 2014 to 2015 | Country / Region: Italy | Summary: Postdoctoral Associate. Polo d’Innovazione de Genomica, Genetica e Biologia. Effects of Drosophila gypsy insulator on male transgenic mosquitoes to overcome meiotic sex chromosome inactivation |
| Years: 2014 to 2016 | Country / Region: Mexico | Summary: Postdoctoral Associate. Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (CINVESTAV-IPN), Department of Infectomic and Molecular Pathogenesis. Scaffold proteins in mosquitoes |
| Years: 2009 to 2011 | Country / Region: Mexico | Summary: Postdoctoral Associate. Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (CINVESTAV-IPN), Department of Infectomic and Molecular Pathogenesis. Identification of over-expressed cystein rich proteins in Trypanosoma cruzi, Entamoeba histolytica, Leishmania mexicana and Leishmania major as response for oxidative and nitrosative stress. Participation of EhCBP30 during nitrosative and oxidative stress in Entamoeba histolytica. |
Career Accomplishments
| Professional Appointments |
|---|
| Specialist III July 2019 – PRESENT Employer, USA — PI: Anthony James, PhD Design of a Cas9-gene drive system for population modification in the African mosquito Anopheles gambiae Specialist I May 2018 – June 2019 Employer, USA — PI: Anthony James, PhD Design of a Cas9-gene drive system for population modification in the African mosquito Anopheles gambiae Project Scientist June 2017 – April 2018 Employer, USA — PI: Anthony James, PhD Design of a Cas9-gene drive system for population modification in the African mosquito Anopheles gambiae Postdoctoral Associate September 2016 – May 2017 University of Pavia, Department of Biology and Biotechnology “L. Spallanzani”, Italy — PI: Mariangela Bonizzoni, PhD Population genomics of co-evolution between non-retroviral RNA viruses and their host Postdoctoral Associate August 2014 – July 2016 Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (CINVESTAV-IPN), Department of Infectomic and Molecular Pathogenesis, Mexico — PI: Fidel de la Cruz Hernandez-Hernandez, PhD Scaffold proteins in Aedes aegypti Postdoctoral Associate February 2011 – January 2016 Employer, USA — PI: Anthony James, PhD Effects of exogenous insulator DNA on mosquito transgene expression, chromatin modeling, insulators Postdoctoral Associate August 2014 – July 2015 Polo d’Innovazione de Genomica, Genetica e Biologia, Italy — PI: Philippos Papathanos, PhD Effects of Drosophila gypsy insulator on male transgenic mosquitoes to overcome meiotic sex chromosome inactivation Postdoctoral Associate July 2009 – January 2011 Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (CINVESTAV-IPN), Department of Infectomic and Molecular Pathogenesis, Mexico — PI: Jose Luis Rosales-Encina, PhD Identification of over-expressed cystein rich proteins in Trypanosoma cruzi, Entamoeba histolytica, Leishmania mexicana and Leishmania major as response for oxidative and nitrosative stress. Participation of EhCBP30 during nitrosative and oxidative stress in Entamoeba histolytica. Research Assistant August 2001 – August 2002 Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (CINVESTAV-IPN), Department of Infectomic and Molecular Pathogenesis, Mexico — PI: Fidel de la Cruz Hernandez-Hernandez, PhD |
| Awards / Recognition |
|---|
| SNI Researcher Level I, National System of Researchers (SNI) CEA Member, CONACYT Postdoctoral fellowship, Marie Curie- iMOVE Postdoctoral fellowship, CONACYT Postdoctoral fellowship, UC MEXUS – CONACYT Postdoctoral fellowship, CONACYT Special mention for PhD research, INSP First prize in the Biomedic Area, Secretaria de Salud Fellowship, CONACYT Fellowship, CONACYT |
| Publications and Patents Summary |
|---|
| 1) Global governing bodies: a pathway for gene drive governance. 2020. Submitted. 2) Tracing temporal and geographic distribution of resistance to pyrethroids in the arboviral vector Aedes albopictus. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. 2020. Submitted. 3) Digital Droplet PCR and IDAA for the detection of CRISPR indel edits in the malaria species. Biotechniques. 2020. In Press. 4) Polymorphism analyses and protein modelling inform on functional specialization of Piwi clade genes in the arboviral vector Aedes albopictus. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. 2019. *More available upon request. |
Additional Experience
| Training / Seminars |
|---|
| ACADEMIC EVENTS ATTENDED 1) Malaria Transmission Blocking Assay Convening. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Seattle, WA. September 24th-25th, 2019. 2) Gene drive Modeling Conference. ILSI Research Foundation. Washington DC, USA. June 11-12, 2019. 3) Critical Conversation: Genetically Modified Mosquitoes. Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment. University of Illinois. Chicago, Illinois, USA. May 23-24, 2019. 4) FNIH workshop "Data Needs and Assay Design for Decision Making on Gene Drive-Modified Mosquitoes". Irvine, California, USA. May 6-7, 2019. 5) Mosquito population modification and the Malaria Eradication Agenda. Gordon Research Conference on Tropical Infectious Diseases. Galveston, Texas, USA. March 24 – 29, 2019. 6) Expanding roles for kynurenine metabolites of tryptophan in disease vector mosquitoes. Gordon Research Conference on Tropical Infectious Diseases. Galveston, Texas, USA. March 24 – 29, 2019. 7) Population modification of mosquitoes for malaria control in Africa. VCWG-RBM meeting. Geneva, Switzerland. January 30 – February 1st, 2019. 8) Design of a Cas9-gene drive system for Anopheles gambiae. UCI-Malaria Initiative. Irvine, California, USA. January, 2019 9) Capitalizing on Novel Technologies to Combat Malaria: Novel vector-based approaches to controlling malaria transmission. Symposium “Innovate for Collective Impact to End Malaria”. Malaria Eradication Scientific Alliance (MESA) and Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health. Washington, USA. January 11, 2019. 10) Role of population modification in the malaria eradication agenda. The Entomological Society of America (ESA). Vancouver, Canada. November 11-14, 2018. 11) Gene drives for public health- modifying vector populations. The Entomological Society of America (ESA). Vancouver, Canada. November 11-14, 2018. 12) Population modification of mosquitoes for malaria control. 3rd Meeting of the gene drive research sponsors and supporters forum (FNIH). Montreal, Canada. September 11-13, 2018. 13) Population modification of mosquitoes for malaria control. 14th International Congress of Parasitology. Daegu, Korea. August 19-24, 2018. 14) Identification of Ommachrome and Pteridine Pigment Pathway Metabolites in Wild Type and Mutant Strains. UCI Undergraduate Research Symposium (UROP). Irvine, California. May 19, 2018. 15) Population alteration of malaria vector mosquitoes. The WHO Vector Control Advisory Group (VCAG). Geneva, Switzerland. May, 2018 16) Design of a Cas9-gene drive system. UCI-Malaria Initiative. Irvine, California, USA. January, 2018 17) Identification of genes expressed early in the germline of the malaria vector mosquito Anopheles gambiae. 1st International workshop on insect genome editing. Shanghai, China. October, 2017 18) Design of a Cas9-gene drive system for Anopheles gambiae. UCI-Malaria Initiative. Irvine, California, USA. August, 2017. *33 total. More available upon request. |
| Other Relevant Experience |
|---|
| TEACHING 1) Subject Professor Course: Biotechnology (Academic Program of Master in Science; Simon Bolivar University, Mexico) 2) Subject Professor Course: Molecular Biology (Biology undergraduate program; Simon Bolivar University, Mexico) 3) Subject Professor Course: Chemistry (Biology undergraduate program; Simon Bolivar University, Mexico) 4) Subject Professor Course: Biochemistry I (Biology undergraduate program; University Simon Bolivar, Mexico) 6) Subject Professor Course: Genetics Laboratory (Biology undergraduate program; Simon Bolivar University, Mexico) 7) Subject Professor Course: Chemistry (Biology undergraduate program; Simon Bolivar University, Mexico) 8) Subject Professor Course: Molecular Biology (Biology undergraduate program; Simon Bolivar University, Mexico) 9) Subject Professor Course: Biotechnology (Academic Program of Master in Science; Simon Bolivar University, Mexico) 10) Subject Professor Course: Genetics (Biology undergraduate program; Simon Bolivar University, Mexico) 11) Subject Professor Course: Chemistry (Biology undergraduate program; Simon Bolivar University, Mexico) 12) Subject Professor Course: Cell Biology (Biology undergraduate program; Simon Bolivar University, Mexico) 13) Invited Lecturer Course: Cell Biology II (Academic Program of Master in Science; CINVESTAV-IPN, Mexico) 14) Invited Lecturer Course: Molecular Genetics (Academic Program of Master in Science; INSP, Mexico) 15) Subject Professor Course: Genetic Laboratory (Biology undergraduate program; Simon Bolivar University, Mexico) 16) Invited Lecturer Course: Cell Biology II (Academic Program of Master in Science; CINVESTAV-IPN, Mexico) 17) Invited Lecturer Course: Bioinformatic and Genomic Applied to Vector Insect of human diseases (Academic Program of Master in Science; INSP, Mexico) 18) Subject Professor Course: Cell Biology Laboratory (Biology undergraduate program; Simon Bolivar University, Mexico) 19) Invited Lecturer Course: Cell Biology II (Academic Program of Master in Science; CINVESTAV-IPN, Mexico) 20) Subject Professor Course: Biochemistry Laboratory (Biology undergraduate program; Simon Bolivar University, Mexico) |
Language Skills
| Language | Proficiency |
|---|---|
| English | written, spoken |
| Spanish | maternal language |
Fields of Expertise
applied molecular biology, vector control, genetic modification, insect control, genetically engineered material, recombinant DNA technology, transgenic animal, entomology, recombinant protein, DNA assay, DNA manipulation, DNA polymerase, plasmid DNA, synthetic DNA, polymerase chain reaction, transgenic technology