María Mariner Faulí graduated in Biotechnology by Universitat Politècnica de València (Spain). Nowadays, she is a student of the Master in Molecular Biology and Biomedicine by University of Cantabria. She is currently working on her Master's Thesis in the Transcriptional Regulation in Development and Congenital Disease group headed by Dr. Álvaro Rada. She developed her Degree Thesis in the laboratory of Dr. Pascual Sanz at the Biomedicine Institute of Valencia (IBV) in a study focused on Lafora's Progressive Myoclonic Epilepsy . When she finished her degree, she performed an internship at Dr. Vladimir Isachenko’s laboratory, in the group of Reproductive Medicine at the Frauenklinik in Cologne (Germany) and continued with a second internship at the laboratory of Genomics of Development of Dr. Álvaro Rada, also in Cologne at that time. This period was her first contact with the team and gave a way to her current Master project and future pHD at the IBBTEC.
Transcriptional regulation in development and congenital disease
Research lines
The major interest of our laboratory is to uncover the main genetic and epigenetic factors that allow the deployment of specific gene expression profiles as vertebrate developmental programs unroll. Our goal is to provide a deep mechanistic understanding of the non-coding genomic space that is dynamically and specifically used during mammalian embryogenesis, which is fundamental to reveal the molecular basis of human congenital diseases. More specifically, by functionally and mechanistically characterizing developmental enhancers, my laboratory aims at:
- Uncovering transcriptional regulatory principles orchestrating mammalian embryogenesis.
- Elucidating the genetic and epigenetic basis of human congenital diseases.
Funding
- "Transcriptional Regulation during vertebrate Embryonic Patterning: from genomics to mechanism" – STAR2 Programme (Universidad de Cantabria; Banco Santander) - 2018/2023 – IP: Alvaro Rada Iglesias
- "Embo Young Investigator Program (YIP)" – EMBO – 2018/2020 – IP: Alvaro Rada Iglesias
- "Mechanistic characterization of poised enhancer function during the induction of major anterior neural regulatory loci" - German Research Foundation (DFG) - 2017/2020 – IP: Alvaro Rada Iglesias
- "Identification and characterization of major stem cell regulators within the epidermis" - German Research Foundation (DFG) – 2017/2021 – IP: Alvaro Rada Iglesias
- "A novel etiological mechanism for Branchio-Oculo-Facial Syndrome (BOFS) with implications for the current understanding of human neurocristopathies" - Else Kroner Fresenius Foundation - 2017/2019 - IP: Alvaro Rada Iglesias
- "Functional and mechanistic characterization of Foxd3 during mouse peri-implantation transitions" – German Research Foundation (DFG) - 2016/2019 – IP: Alvaro Rada Iglesias
- "A systems biology approach to characterize non-coding genetic variants associated with human disease" – University of Cologne Excellence Program – 2014/2017 - IP: Alvaro Rada Iglesias
- "Bioinformatic and molecular characterization of non-coding genetic variants associated with craniofacial abnormalities" - Fritz Thyssen Foundation – 2014/2015 - IP: Alvaro Rada Iglesias
- "Molecular mechanisms and functional relevance of poised developmental enhancers during embryonic stem cell differentiation" - German Research Foundation (DFG) – 2013/2016 – IP: Alvaro Rada Iglesias
