Ciencia Puerto Rico

My future goals and research interests involve working with macromolecules to design and develop novel
therapeutic treatments targeted to proteins that counter genetic mutations, with the goal of providing hope in the
face of life-threatening diseases. My academic training and research experience have provided me with an excellent background in chemistry, biochemistry and molecular biology. As an undergraduate, I was able to
conduct research with Dr. Jannette Gavillan-Suarez on the methodology used to assess the inhibition of α-amylase
by plant extracts with anti-diabetic potential. As a doctoral student with Dr. Belinda Pastrana-Rios, my research
focused on nuclear proteins and I gained expertise in protein chemistry. I studied the novel interaction of centrin
with Krr1 to better understand processes that regulate formation of ribosomes. During my undergraduate and
graduate careers, I received several academic awards. For my postdoctoral training, I will use protein engineering
approaches to create two powerful calprotectin variants with unique transition metal binding properties. These
variants will serve as powerful reagents to define the molecular mechanism of zinc piracy and the characterization
of the specific metal requirements of key human pathogens. My sponsor, Dr. Walter Chazin, is a world-class
structural biologist with a track record in protein engineering and an extensive record of training graduate students
and postdoctoral fellows.