Lab Members

 

           
     
 

María D. Ferrer García

Junior leader & Innovation agent.

PhD in Veterinary Medicine at the Chemistry, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department of Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera.

B.Sc. in Veterinary Medicine.

My main interest lies in the study of microbes' interactions with each other, the relationship with the host, and how it affects the maintenance of health status or, on the contrary, in disease development, using the oral microbiome as a model. In this sense, and with an applied and translational approach, my research lines are focused on the search of human and bacterial molecules for the application in the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases.

 

Miguel Carda Diéguez

PhD in Biotechnology and Biomedicine

Learning the effects that microbes have in human health and finding a way to improve it is my research purpose. PhD in Biotechnology and Biomedicine from University of Valencia (2012-2017) and postdoc position in Oral Microbiome Lab since June of 2018. Expert in the study of microorganisms using an omic approach, including: genomic sequencing, 16S rRNA sequencing, metagenomics, metatranscriptomics and transposon insertion sequencing.

 
 
 

Ana Adrados Planell

PhD in Infection and Immunity

M. Eng. degree in Agricultural Engineering and M.Sc. Degree in Biotechnology (Polytechnic university of Valencia). I obtained a PhD in Infection and Immunity from Glasgow University as Marie Curie ESR fellow in Prof. Shauna Culshaw’s research group. I did a postdoc in AstraZeneca AB Gothenburg (2018-2020) before joining the Oral Microbiome Lab in March 2020. I joined the group under the Gen-T Program from Generalitat Valenciana, working in collaboration with Darwin Bioprospecting Excellence S.L. in the project "Production of Neurotransmitters by the Oral Microbiome" (2020-2022).

My current focus of interest is the study of metabolites produced by the oral microbiome and its systemic effect with saliva as vehicle.

 

           
     
 

Ainhoa Revilla Guarinos

PhD in Biotechnology; Marie-Curie PostDoc Fellow
 
  Originally trained in Biochemistry (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid), I studied a Master in Genetics, Molecular and Cellular Biology (Universidad de Valencia) and I got a PhD on Biotechnology by the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia. I have worked as a research scientist in Molecular Microbiology since 2008: as a PhD student with Dr. Manuel Zúñiga Cabrera (Manuel Zúñiga Cabrera | IATA - Instituto de Agroquímica y Tecnología de Alimentos), and as a Postdoctoral Researcher with Prof. Dr. Thorsten Mascher.
 
My research focuses on bacterial Two-component Systems signal transduction, antimicrobial resistance, and development of new antimicrobial agents. 
I joined The Oral Microbiome Group in August 2020. I work in the research line of  Antimicrobial Peptides from Streptococcus dentisani developing the projects BactiDent (year 2021) and SMILES (ongoing; Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 101026278). My new challenge is to identify, characterize and find the way to produce the bacteriocins coded in the genome of the oral probiotic Streptococcus dentisani. We aim to develop them as oral-disease preventive agents for their incorporation in oral health care products.
 
 

Bob T. Rosier

PhD

Before joining the Oral Microbiome Lab, I obtained a MSc in Biomolecular Sciences at the Free University of Amsterdam (The Netherlands) and participated in oral microbiome projects at ACTA (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) and Phillips Research (Eindhoven, The Netherlands). My passion is hunting for new pre- and probiotics to prevent oral and systemic diseases. At this moment, I am in the last phase of my PhD focusing on nitrate reduction by the oral microbiome, which appears to be beneficial for oral health. Oral bacteria reduce nitrate from vegetables, which contributes to systemic nitric oxide levels, and are thus involved in a broad range of processes in our body, affecting cardiovascular and metabolic health. Take care of these processes by eating healthy (plenty of vegetables and no or little added sugar) and practicing correct oral hygiene (brushing twice per day and flossing once).

Follow my updates on Twitter and Researchgate!

 

Miglé Ziemyté

PhD candidate

I received my B.Sc. degree in Biology (Vytautas Magnus University) and M.Sc. in Applied Research in Molecular and Cellular Biology and Genetics (Valencia University). In 2018 I was awarded an FPU pre-doctoral fellowship. My research focuses on microbial biofilms with the aim to describe Real-Time biofilm growth dynamics and eradication patterns using xCELLigence system. I am also interested in nanoparticles with anti-biofilm properties, small colony variants and persistence within bacterial biofilms. Outside of the lab my therapy is traveling and experiencing different cultures and customs.

           
     
 

Paula Corell Escuin

PhD candidate

I'm a biologist and I have a MSc at the UPV (Universidad Politécnica de Valencia). I started my PhD project in Alex's group in 2018 with the objective of identifying and characterizing peptides from the human innate immune system which can protect us against respiratory viruses. I have microbiology and molecular biology background, as well as sequencing and bioinformatics experience.

I am constantly willing to learn new things and grow, both personally and professionally. Apart of science, I am interested in nature related sports and making sourdough bread at home.

 

Elena Buetas Giménez

PhD candidate

I´m a biomedical scientist with a MSc in Clinical Research. The role that microbiota play in our body and how much of it is still unknown to us has fascinated me for years. This interest brought me here, to The Oral Microbiome Group in which I am starting my PhD. The purpose of my research is to study the microbiota of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients focusing on the implications of oral-related bacteria. My work is very exciting for me because it can have an impact on future cancer patients' lives and allows me to continue learning every day.

 

Sandra Garcia Esteban

Clinical Diagnostic Laboratory Specialist Technician.

I am a laboratory specialist technician and started working in Alex's group in 2013. I am specialized in processing biological samples in NCB2 and NCB3 laboratories for subsequent sequencing by illumina as well as other techniques of Molecular Biology and Microbiology.

I am passionate about my work and everything that involves working in a laboratory.

 

 
           
         
 
Sandra Lahoz Oliva
Internship MSc student
I hold a Bachelor's degree in Genetics from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, and I'm currently pursuing my Master's degree in Biomedical Biotechnology at the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia. 
I have joined the Oral Microbiome Group to perform my Master Thesis working on the research line of Antimicrobial Peptides from Streptococcus dentisani. The goal of my research is to understand the impact of the bacteriocins produced by S. dentisani on oral health and potentially discover new ways to prevent and treat oral diseases. 
I'm currently developing my experimental skills and learning various molecular techniques, as well as new computational techniques to analyze the data collected from my research. 
I'm excited to contribute to the scientific community and further the understanding of the oral microbiome and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to work in this innovative field of study with this team.
 
Besides my love for scientific investigation, I also really enjoy paddle tennis, traveling and reading Robin Sharma books.