Alicia Martínez López

 

In July 2014, I completed my PhD in the Antiviral Strategies group led by Dr. María Amparo Estepa at the Instituto de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación en Biotecnología Sanitaria de Elche (IDiBE) at Miguel Hernández University. During my PhD, I developed powerful tools in the aquaculture industry like the Recombinant vaccine against the Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia Virus (VHSV) (WO 2015/025068 Al). We were also able to identify, for the first time, the two major determinants of the glycoprotein G of the VHSV implicated in triggering the host type I IFN antiviral response and its possible use as DNA molecular adjuvants. Moreover, I also studied the possible therapeutic applications of the Myticin-C antimicrobial peptide in the activation of the cellular regeneration and tissue reparation after an injury and its applications as a suitable template for the development of antimicrobial agents. In 2016 I got a postdoctoral position at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York (2016-2020). Here I got involved in a project focused on understanding the role of SAMHD1 in the development of Aicardi-Goutières syndrome (AGS), a Type I Interferonopathy, and I characterized in detail the implication of the loss of function of SAMHD1 in these patients, results of high relevance to the biomedicine as we proposed the use of a small-molecule to treat patients with early-stage AGS. Additionally, I participated in a project studying the receptor interaction of Zika Virus and the design of drugs that restrict its infection. Currently I am a senior postdoctoral researcher in the group of Immunology, Inflammation and Cancer led by Dr. Victoriano Mulero at the Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria (IMIB). Due to my extensive experience in the immunology field, my main project is now directed to the characterization of Type I Interferonopathies using the zebrafish animal model, and its use for the search of new treatments. All my investigations are now directed to elucidate pathological mechanisms and possible therapeutic targets. My role as a collaborator of the PolyBiota project is an opportunity to establish new collaborations as well as to branch out my knowledge to the beneficial effects of natural products.