Arancha had a degree in Biology from the University of Oviedo in 2016. She subsequently completed the Interuniversity Master's Degree in Molecular Biology and Biomedicine (University of Cantabria - University of the Basque Country), carrying out her master's thesis (TFM) under the supervision of Dr. María Pilar Garcillán Barcia and Dr. Fernando de la Cruz.
During her TFM she acquired skill in a wide variety of techniques in the fields of Microbial Genetics, Molecular Biology, Synthetic Biology and Bioinformatics. To complement her training, in October 2019 Arancha began an online master's degree in Bioinformatics at the Pablo Olavide University.
She is currentily developing her doctoral thesis focused on the study of type VI secretion systems encoded in plasmids and their interaction with genetic transfer. In addition, Arancha dedicates part of her thesis to the functional analysis of genes encoded in plasmids that are relevant for the adaptation and pathogenesis of microorganisms with clinical and environmental interest.
Functional Plasmidomics
Research lines
Plasmids are genomes with a deep impact in microbial communities, a shared gene pool that allows bacteria to adapt to different environments. By using plasmid comparative genomics, we are identifying and studying key gene functions for cell-to-cell communication, as well as others linked to multirresistant bacteria outbreaks. Some of these functions are also harnessed to build synthetic gene circuits to perform distributed computation in bacterial populations.
Funding
- Research projects: Ayuda nueva incorporación CSIC (Ref. 201820I143). PI: M. Pilar Garcillán-Barcia
