Team:Buenos Aires/ advisors

From 2013.igem.org


Advisors

Nico.jpg Nicolás Moreno - Biologist
I am 25 years old and recently got my degree in Biological Sciences (FCEyN-UBA). Nowadays I am starting my PhD in Molecular Biology in the Institute of Physiology, Molecular Biology and Neurosciences (IFIBYNE, UBA-CONICET), working in UV light irradiation effect on transcription and alternative splicing in human cells. In parallel, I am a teacher assistant in the Department of Physiology and Molecular Biology of FCEyN-UBA. Since I heard about Synthetic Biology I got fascinated about this approach to develop novel and sometimes inimaginable technologies based in life. This year I am an advisor of the iGEM Buenos Aires team.




AliG.jpg Alicia Grande- Biologist
I've got my degree in Biological Sciences (FCEyN-UBA) in 2011 and since then I am doing my PhD in Systems Biology in the Institute of Physiology, Molecular Biology and Neurosciences (IFIBYNE, UBA-CONICET). Since last year I got involved in the iGEM competition, becoming an advisor of the iGEM Buenos Aires 2012 team in the last months of the iGEM competition. This year I am an advisor of the iGEM Buenos Aires 2013 team since the very beginning.




Benja.jpg Benjamín Basanta- Biologist
I’m Benjamin Basanta, 25 years old, from Buenos Aires. I like to think of myself as a perceptive and creative person. I have always looked at Nature with fascinated eyes and, after finishing high school, I felt that pursuing a degree in Biology was the right way to channel this fascination and creativity. I majored in Biology in December 2012 at the Universidad de Buenos Aires, with a thesis on fluorescent biosensors. At the moment I’m a TA in the Molecular Biology Department from UBA and a scholar at the Structural Biochemistry lab in the Biological Chemistry Department, where I work with Alejandro Nadra in Protein-DNA interaction. My main interests are protein folding, structure and design. I was invited to be part of the 2013 Buenos Aires iGEM team to give advice on molecular biology techniques and help shape the project. I see in iGEM more than just a tool for the promotion of synthetic biology, I see how it has become a learning place for the students and an opportunity for all of us to put our creativity and skills at work on a project that could make a difference on people’s lives. I’m very happy to be part of this team.





IGEMBsAs2013Carlotto.jpeg Nicolás Carlotto- Biologist
My name is Nicolás Carlotto, I´m 27 years old. When I finished high school several years ago, I decided to study Biology because I thought Science would give me a chance to contribute in some way to the society. In June 2012 I obtained my Biological Sciences Master Degree at Buenos Aires University with a thesis on plant development. I´m currently doing my PhD in the Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology studying the interaction of nucleus and chloroplast and its relation with plant intercellular communication. I think our project in iGem Competition has the potential to improve the quality of life of thousands of people living in areas with water pollution.





IGEMBsAs2013Hernán.jpeg Hernán Bonomi- Biologist
In 2005 I graduated from bachelor in Biological Sciences (FCEyN, UBA) and in 2011 I obtained my doctoral degree (UBA) in the area of Biological Chemistry. My PhD thesis was focused on the biochemical and molecular aspects of the vitamin B2 (riboflavin) biosynthesis pathway and its relationship with infection in certain bacteria. Currently, I am a postdoc investigating light-sensing and vitamin transport mechanisms and how they relate to the infectious processes in microorganisms.

From childhood I liked to disassemble and reassemble the most diverse things, later I hardly could avoid choosing an industrial secondary, finally curiosity about how living things function led me to biology. During my PhD, I completed a technical degree in electronics which helped me look to biology with engineering optics. This view was what eventually led me to Synthetic Biology. This is a relatively new and multidisciplinary area in science, its corollary is that it is possible to design and build a biological object able to perform a desired function (even a purely aesthetic one) using biological components (DNA, RNA, proteins...) that were characterized in a standardized way. Right now I am learning about this new discipline along with the Buenos Aires iGEM team while helping in the project.

I think (and hope) that Synthetic Biology will revolutionize biotechnological industries bringing good and profound changes in society...but that remains to be seen...