He holds a BSc in Biology from the University of Seville and completed a Master’s degree in Environmental, Industrial, and Food Biotechnology at the University Pablo de Olavide. He conducted his master’s thesis at the National Centre for Biotechnology (CNB), where he gained extensive experience in the fields of Microbiology, Molecular Biology, and Synthetic Biology. To complement his training, he obtained a Specialization Diploma in Bioinformatics Analysis from Pablo de Olavide University. Supported by an FPI contract (PRE2021-099793), he is currently developing his doctoral thesis. His research focuses on the cyanobacterial plasmidome, with particular emphasis on elements essential for plasmid replication and conjugation. He has presented his work at several scientific meetings, including Mikrobiogune 2022; the XXIX Meeting of the Spanish National Society for Microbiology 2023; the EMBO Workshop on AMR transfer vehicles 2023; and the 12th European Workshop on the Biology of Cyanobacteria 2024.
Functional Plasmidomics
Research lines
Plasmids have long served as a powerful ally to molecular biologists, who have engineered them as cloning and expression vectors, and as a formidable foe to clinicians due to their role in antibiotic resistance dissemination. Yet, beyond this anthropocentric view, plasmids play a crucial role in bacterial evolution in the natural world. Despite their well-known and widely studied involvement in antimicrobial resistance, they harbor untold secrets about bacterial physiology and ecology, along with vast biotechnological potential waiting to be uncovered. Our lines of research include the development of bioinformatics tools to assist the genomic comparison of plasmids from various, largely underexplored bacterial phyla, harnessing the accessory genome to refine molecular epidemiology of relevant pathogens, investigating plasmid-encoded T6SSs from both a genomic and functional perspective, and developing plasmid anti-transfer strategies.
Collaborators
- Eric Cascales (Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée, CNRS, France)
- Eduardo Rocha (Institut Pasteur, France)
- Kaitlin Tagg (Centers for Disease Control, USA)
- Peter Pristas (Slovak Academy of Sciences, Slovakia)
- Tue Kjærgaard Nielsen (University of Copenhagen, Denmark)
- Manel Camps (University of California at Santa Cruz, USA)
- Damien Devos (Institut Pasteur Lille, France)
- Íñigo Lasa y Cristina Solano (Universidad Pública de Navarra, Spain)
- Francisco Rodríguez-Valera (Universidad Miguel Hernández, Spain)
- David Albesa (Instituto Biofisika, Spain)
- Jorge Calvo (Hospital Marqués de Valdecilla, Spain)
- Elena Cabezón (IBBTEC, Spain)
Funding
- EMBO Scientific Exchange Grants to group members Arancha Peñil Celis (Ref. 10739, 2024), María del Mar Quiñonero Coronel (Ref. 10617, 2024) and Daniel García López (Ref. 11430, 2025).
- Unravelling the Plasmidome of Extremophilic Bacteria for Biotechnological Innovation (PLASMEX) (BISAS24004). Bilateral Joint Mobility Actions CSIC-SAS 2024.
- Using the Salmonella accessory genome to pinpoint the source of human illness from chickens (75D30123P18303). 2023-2024. Centers for Disease Control (USA).
- Novel Bacterial Polymers: Exploiting the Green Commons (TED2021-129640B-I00). Proyecto de Transición Ecológica y Transición Digital 2021. Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación and NextGenerationEU.
- Plasmid supremacy (PID2020-117923GB-I00). I+D Projects 2020. Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación.
- Nanocursos en Biociencias. IV Call Formavanz Programme. Fundación General CSIC.
