Fitxa persona

Summary of my research career. I am Full professor in the Research Institute for Biotechnology and Biomedicine of UV. I founded PAFZP group (Pathogens in Aquaculture: Fish and Zoonotic pathogens: INV_GIUV13) in 2003. The aims of my research are to understand the mechanisms by which the zoonotic pathogen Vibrio vulnificus (Vv) cause disease in humans and fish and to apply the generated knowledge to the aquaculture industry. To get these objectives, I use the following techniques and methodologies and collaborate with the following worldwide-recognized researchers: Vv evolution. Genome sequencing, Comparative genomic and Phylogenomic. Main collaborator Fernando Gonzalez-Candelas from FISABIO (Generalitat Valenciana, GV). Host-pathogen interaction. In vivo experiments with eels and mice. Ex vivo experiments with human/eel cel-lines plus blood-cultures. Microarray hybridization; RNAseq; dual RNAseq and qRT-PCR. ELISA, Western-blot, Dot-blot and flow-cytometry. Generalized and specific genetic modification of bacteria; Tnseq. Main collaborators: Mattew Waldor, Harvard Medical School (Boston, USA); Simon MacKenzie, University of Stirling (UK), and Lluis Tort from UAB. Control methodologies: Diagnostic by serology/PCR, molecular Doors and Biosensors. Main collaborators: Dr. Martínez-Máñez, IDM (Valencia) and Gianaurelio Cuniberti, Max Bergmann Center of Biomaterials (TU Dresde, Germany). According to SCOPUS, I rank the fourth and the first in the world in number of publications in Vv and fish vibriosis, respectively. According to Web of Science and Google Scholar, I have 106 publications, 2815 citations and a H-index of 34, or 128 publications, 4471 citations and a H-index of 43, respectively. I have been the principal researcher (PR) of 14 projects from Spanish Ministry of Science from which 5 were applied to Aquaculture companies (PETRI and INIA-FEDER) and one was an excellence project from the CONSOLIDER program. I also have been the PR of two research projects of the GV. Finally, I have been the PR of 10 research contracts with different National and International Aquaculture-companies. Currently I am the PR of a Ministry project, a GV project and two research contracts with Companies. In addition, I have the only European patent for a vaccine and a vaccination protocol for eels against V. vulnificus, having received a National Research Award from the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture and Food (JACUMAR Award 2001). As a result of all my research activity, I have 6 'sexenios', 5 of research and 1 of transference. In addition, I am a recognized international expert in V. vulnificus. Since 2010, I have participated as invited keynote speaker and/or member of the Scientific Committee in four international congresses on Vibrio, three of them organized by the ASM [American Society of Microbiology]), and the last one that will take place next year in Israel. I am also an expert on Vv for the FAO/OMS, having participated as an invited expert in the meeting of 2019 on 'Risk assessment on Vibrio infections in seafood' in Weymouth (UK). Training activity. I have trained around 30 researchers in my lab supervising their Master Thesis (15 in total) and/or PhD thesis (11 in total plus three in progress) as well as their post-doctoral research (10 in total, one of them as 'Ramón y Cajal', two of them as 'Juan de la Cierva' and the rest as contracted postdoctoral researchers). Most of my supervised PhD Thesis are European thesis, five were awarded with the Extraordinary Doctoral Prize (UV), and two with the Prize of the Spanish Society of Microbiology (Microbiology of the Aquatic Environment). All my ex-doctoral students are still working on research worldwide..