People

Beatriz Martinez Burgo, BSc MSc

Beatriz Martinez Burgo, BSc MSc

Academic and Industrial Partners: Durham University and Cellix

Keywords: IRI; CXCL8; oxidative stress; GAGs; Neutrophils; Kidney Rejection

 

Originally from León, in the northwest of Spain, I studied Biotechnology at University of León. For my last BSc year, in 2012, I decided to enrol at Central Connecticut State University, USA, moved by a passion for meeting new cultures and people, and English, all driven by interest on a more practical way of Biotech knowledge. In September 2012, I started my MSc in Biochemistry and Biomedicine at Complutense University of Madrid, Spain. There, I joined Dr Mar Valés-Gómez group to work in immune response against metastatic melanoma as part of my Final Master Project, at National Centre of Biotechnology-CSIC. During my 1st year Marie Curie PhD studies, based at Newcastle University, I underwent a secondment at Durham University in Dr S. Cobb and Dr E. Pohl research groups, to study the development and function of chemokine mutants in modulating inflammation right after transplantation.

Having had opportunity to gain research experience through summer lab cooperations in Microbiology, Immunology, Cancer and Neurosciences, has broaden and define scientific skills. This way, after my third BSc year lessons in Microbiology, I got interest in lab training offer at Inbiotec, Leon, where I had great chance to support Javier Santos Aberturas towards his thesis work, about advanced techniques in Molecular Biology for the molecular control of the polienes production under the supervision of Dr. Jesús Aparicio Fernández. Next summer term, once qualified in Immunology, I was interested in the potential of Transplant Immunology lab skills under the supervision of my professor Dr. José Ignacio Rodríguez Barbosa, so I trained towards gene cloning of the murin receptor CD258 in a retroviral vector for its transduction in murine eukaryotic cells. Finally, during my AMICUS exchange at USA, I got some training in Neural Development (division and differentiation) in embryos of zebrafish. Study of retinoic acid effect in development, and its relation with cancer, under the supervision of Dr. Betsy Dobbs-McAuliffe. It was during my Master Final Project that I gained major cancer immunology knowledge and lab skills, as part of excellent research group at CNB-CSIC, throughout I found my way towards Immunobiology career.

My MC POSAT project focuses on understanding chemokine function modulation during Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury following transplantation. This way, I have partnered with Durham University and Cellix to meet common scientific and academic goals, towards synthesis of CXCL8 chemokine peptide mutants, function studies and further industrial in vitro characterisation. POSAT platform offered me the chance to stay 4 months at each of these institutions and develop state-of-the art, and interdisciplinary basic and translational research according to our leaded immunology and transplantation work plan and experience.

POSAT platform is being an outstanding via for pursuing our Marie Curie PhD, through in-house research work at Newcastle, linked with carefully agreed EU academic and industrial partnerships.

Aside from academia, I enjoy swimming, running, travelling or listening to TED talks. Upon completion of the Marie Curie Fellowship, I look forward to applying my Immunology and biotechnology skills to industrial research and health care system, in junction with academia.