• Dr. Alexis M. Salas-Burgos, Associate Professor

  

  I am in the department of Pharmacology at Universidad de Concepción. In his academic training he is a biochemist and a doctor in Biological Sciences with a mention in Cellular and Molecular Biology, he has completed diplomas in Innovation and Technological Management (2014), Higher Education (2015) and Creative Industries (2016). Alexis Salas is director of the Science Mission Node (2020-2023), Territorial Impact Acceleration Nodes of the CTCI - ANID, where this Node is a public-private civil organization for communication and articulation of Science with the Territory for sustainable development with mission-based planning. His skills are in molecular biology and computational biology, he is a computer programmer and develops software for multiomics data analysis and computer aided drug design.

  

• Dr. David Muñoz Maulén, Post-Doctorate

  

  Dr. David Muñoz is an academic at the University of Concepción, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Department of Pharmacology. In his academic training he is a evolutionary biologist with a master in Biochemistry and Bioinformatics (2015), and a doctor in Biological Sciences with a mention in Cellular and Molecular Biology (2020). Dr. David develops his postdoctoral project in the cancer’s Molecular Dynamics Laboratory, entitled: “Characterization of the effect of the temporal order of driver mutations in the TP53 gene on intratumoral heterogeneity from biopsies of patients with gastric cancer”.

  

• Mg. Martina Oppliger Muñoz, Bioinformatician

  

  I began my university studies at the School of Pharmacy of the University of Concepción, obtaining my Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry in 2016. During my studies, I cultivated an interest in physical chemistry and structural biology, which motivated me to enroll in the Master's program in Biochemistry and Bioinformatics at the same university. I completed this program in 2021, summa cum laude. My master's thesis, developed under the guidance of Dr. Alexis Salas, explored the molecular basis of functional selectivity in sugar and polyol transporters. During my years as a student, I also developed an interest in science education, which led me to obtain a teaching degree and a master's in Educational Management and Leadership, as well as a diploma in Higher Education Teaching. Currently, I am actively involved in teaching science across various educational settings and contributing to research at the Nanocell laboratory.

  

• Mg. Valentina Troncoso, Associate Researcher

  

  I am Valentina Troncoso, a graduate in Plant Biotechnology Engineering from the University of Concepción (2007-2011). I began my career in 2012 at the Faculty of Chemical Sciences at UdeC, researching the impact of antioxidants on cellular models. That same year, I joined the University's Biotechnology Center, at the Forest Genomics Laboratory, where I had my first introduction to bioinformatics, collaborating with Forestales Arauco and CMPC. Later, I applied my bioinformatics knowledge in the microbiology and biofilms laboratory, leading my first project funded by Corfo. My interest in microbiology led me to start a master's in this field in 2018, during which I also took courses in biochemistry and bioinformatics. My thesis was titled "Methodological proposal for the molecular characterization of Ralstonia solanacearum based on 16S ribosomal DNA." Currently, I apply my expertise in microbiology and bioinformatics to projects involving probiotic bacteria and in formulating innovative initiatives to solve complex challenges in biotechnology.

• Daniela Garrido Jara, Associate Researcher

  

  Bioengineer with a background in microbiological process research and a demonstrated proficiency in analyzing and interpreting metagenomic data. Skilled in utilizing bioinformatics tools and software for data mining and analysis, with a focus on delivering innovative solutions to complex challenges.

• Mg(c). Marcelo Cáceres Parada, Master Student

  

  I'm a bioengineer, currently studying in the master's program of biochemistry and bioinformatics at Universidad de Concepcion Universidad de Concepción. In my undergraduate studies, I was interested in the studies of ion channels and their contributions to the mechanism of pain. Currently, I'm working on the studies of enzymes highly used on cancer therapies, such as asparaginases, using molecular dynamics and QM/MM hybrid methods.

  

• Mg(c). Bastián Lillo Dapermont, Master Student

  

  I am a biochemist and currently a student of the master's degree in biochemistry and bioinformatics at the faculty of biological sciences of the Universidad de Concepción. In my undergraduate studies I was interested in the study of molecular mechanisms related to adaptation in hypersaline desert soils such as the Atacama Desert. Currently I am interested in structural and computational biology, mainly the study of conformational changes in transporters through molecular dynamics simulations.

  

• Mg(c). Francisco Tapia Belmonte, Master Student

  

  I am a graduate in Bioengineering, currently enrolled in the master's program for Biochemistry and Bioinformatics at Universidad de Concepción. My academic interests predominantly encompass the domains of structural and computational biology, software development, and microbiology. Currently, my principal area of study revolves around the identification of novel transporters that might facilitate cancer's adaptation to its microenvironment.

  

• Ignacio Duran, Bioingeneering Thesis Student

  
  

• Melissa Ormeño, Bioingeneering Thesis Student

  

  I'm Melissa, a bioengineering undergraduate student. From the first time I saw a microscope and saw plant cells from an onion at school, I knew that I wanted to work in an area where I could be in a laboratory, so I began to study bioengineering where I learned about cell and molecular biology, biochemistry and microbiology. At present, I am engaged in conducting research for my undergraduate thesis. The focus of my study involves mapping tyrosine kinase proteins within tumor cell lines, with the ultimate goal of expediting the advancement of novel cancer treatments. As part of my thesis work, I am actively involved in conducting cell cultures and laboratory experiments. Additionally, I have recently been acquiring knowledge in data analysis techniques through my involvement with the Laboratory of Molecular Dynamics of Cancer.

  

• Juan Carlos Bustamante, Biochemist Thesis student and Master Student

  

  I am Juan Carlos, a fifth year biochemistry student. From a very young age I was curious about the world around me, always trying to understand the reason for what caught my attention, a curiosity that only grew with the passage of time. The moment I discovered my current career I knew it was the place where that childhood feeling could flourish, and when I entered the world of research laboratories I strengthened that idea even more. I am currently doing my research unit for a future thesis, with the aim of this I have been learning about data analysis, molecular dynamics, in order to perform drug design oriented to new therapies against cancer.

  

• Diego Acosta, Bioingeneering Thesis Student

  

  Born and raised in Linares, Chile. I'm an undergraduate student coursing the last semester of Bioengineering and currently completing my Thesis project in Faculty of Biological Sciences, Universidad of Concepción. Department of Pharmacology. As an enthusiastic computer programmer, my expertise lies in utilizing my skills to assist in the development of software aimed at studying conformational changes in transporters. Additionally, I am particularly interested in exploring how these tools can be effectively employed in the field of drug design.

  

• José Miguel Lema, Lab Technician

  

  I did my undergraduate at University of Concepción in Biochemistry.

  

Alumni

• Víctor Fica León, Master in Biochemistry and Bioinformatics

  

  I am a bioengineer with a master's degree in biochemistry and bioinformatics from the University of Concepción. I conducted both my undergraduate and master's theses under the guidance of Dr. Alexis Salas Burgos, where I worked on the development of machine learning-based methods for therapeutic antibody design. During my academic tenure in the Nanocell laboratory, I also collaborated on projects related to the analysis of massive sequencing data, specifically WES and RNAseq analyses. In the educational realm, I also participated in programming workshops for elementary school children. I am currently a Ph.D. student in the Computational Biology program (from 2022 to present) at the San Sebastián University, researching the application of language models in the computational design of peptidic vaccines.

  

• Myriam Solís García, Master in Biochemistry and Bioinformatics

  

  I did my undergraduate at University of Concepción in Plant Biotechnology (2010-2015, cum laude). My thesis was on fungicide resistance of Botrytis cinerea in Eucalyptus nurseries and its relation with the pathogen aggressiveness and genetic diversity based on the presence of transponsons. Later, on 2017 I enjoyed the nanocell lab doing my MSc in biochemistry and bioinformatics at University of Concepción, the project was about strategies of transcriptome assembly of Eucalyptus spp. under cold stress and transcription factors involved in the process. I learned programing languages such as; R and Python, and the most special part was to participate in a social program that taught coding in chilean public schools under the project 1024 programadores, leader by Alexis Salas. I'm currently in FABI, University of Pretoria, South Africa where im studying plant pathology, mainly resistance against diseases at molecular, biochemical and anatomical level. Personally, I really like getting to know places and cultures (languages, arts and music).

  

• Brian Gatica Rocha, Master in Biochemistry and Bioinformatics

  

  I did my undergraduate at University of Concepción in Bioingeneering Aquaculture.

  

• Alexis Fonseca Poza, Master in Biochemistry and Bioinformatics

  

  I did my undergraduate at University of Concepción in Marine Biology.

  

• Paulina Andrea Lincoñir Campos, Master in Microbiology

  

  I did my undergraduate at University of Concepción in Biology.

  

• Fernando Andrés Rivas Valdés, Master in Biochemistry and Bioinformatics

  

  I did my undergraduate at University of Concepción in Biology.

  

• Felipe Edgardo Bravo Cáceres, Master in Biochemistry and Bioinformatics

  

  I did my undergraduate at University of Concepción in Biochemistry.

  

• Javier Alejandro Cáceres Delpiano, Master in Biochemistry and Bioinformatics

  

  I did my undergraduate at Universidad Andres Bello in Biochemistry.

  

• Jaime Teneb Lobos, Master in Biochemistry and Bioinformatics

  

  I did my undergraduate at Universidad de Concepción in Bioingeneering.