Africa Holguin – human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)- Women Researcher Award

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Africa Holguin – human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)- Women Researcher Award

Dr. Africa Holguin distinguished academic and researcher in the field Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). She is the Head of the HIV-1 Molecular Epidemiology Laboratory, affiliated with the Microbiology Department at Hospital Ramón y Cajal in Madrid and the Ramón y Cajal Health Research Institute (IRYCIS). As the leader of numerous national and international research projects, she secures funding from both public and private sources, oversees budget administration, and provides the essential expertise and leadership skills to guide and train her team successfully. She has authored over 150 scientific papers in international journals, often serving as the first or last author. Her research group collaborates with national partners and international public health agencies, focusing on well-established pediatric and adult populations across various countries. For more details on her publications, see her Google Scholar profile.

 

🌐 Professional Profile

Educations📚📚📚

She holds a Doctorate in Molecular Biology from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain, earned in 1996, and a Licentiate in Biological Sciences with a specialization in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the same university, completed in 1991. In 2011, she completed the “BIOCAMPUS 2011” Bioentrepreneurship training program, comprising 280 hours, organized by Fundación Genoma España. Additionally, she has undertaken more than 400 hours of training in leadership skills, human resources management, teamwork, coaching, leadership, negotiation, and strategy through various public courses organized by the Instituto de Administración Pública de Madrid (MAP) and the Dirección General de Función Pública de la Comunidad de Madrid.

Research Experiences

She is currently an Investigadora Titular del Sistema Nacional de Salud and the head of the HIV Molecular Epidemiology Laboratory at IRYCIS, Hospital Ramón y Cajal, in Madrid, a position she has held since 2022. Her career includes various roles, starting as a Becaria de Colaboración del MEC at the Centro de Biología Molecular “Severo Ochoa,” CSIC, in Spain from 1989 to 1990. She then served as a predoctoral fellow at the same institution from 1990 to 1996 and a visiting predoctoral researcher at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, in 1995. From 1996 to 2000, she was a postdoctoral fellow funded by the Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias (FIS) at Hospital Carlos III in Madrid. In 1997, she also worked as a visiting postdoctoral researcher at the Georg-Speyer-Haus Institute in Frankfurt, Germany. From 2000 to 2008, she was an investigator at the Sistema Nacional de Salud, Hospital Carlos III. Since 2006, she has been a stabilized investigator at the Fundación para la Investigación Sanitaria del Hospital Ramón y Cajal in Madrid.

Activities of technology / knowledge transfer and results exploitation

  • Actualmente la Unidad de Innovación del Instituto para la Investigación Sanitaria (IRYCIS)
    del Hospital Ramón y Cajal de Madrid está valorando la mejor vía de protección de unos
    aptámeros que reconocen específicamente regiones altamente conservadas de varias
    proteínas del VIH para una futura aplicación diagnóstica.
  • La Dra. Holguín es autora al 40% del programa BioInformático EpiMolBIo (Registro
    2305114294344 en SAFE CREATIVE S.L, 11-5-2023) para analizar secuencias genéticas
    de patógenos y de genes/proteínas de interés biomédico. Con él se analizó la conservación
    de la región de las 5 proteínas del virus usadas para seleccionar los aptámeros anti VIH
    de este proyecto (PMID:35495642, 35694284, 35910645, 33586996), y para estudiar la
    evolución del SARS-CoV-2 en España (PMID:35742840) y mundo (PMID:33557213)
📝🔬Publications📝🔬

1. Scientific paper. Valadés-Alcaraz, A.; Reinosa, R.; González-Hevilla, M.; Medina-Sánchez,
C.; Martín, M. A.; (6/6) Holguín, A. (AC). 2024. Development and characterization of
High-Affinity Aptamers for HIV Protease Detection. (Submitted).Nucleic Acids Research
(Open Acess). (JIF: 14.9, Decil 1 – 10/285, JCR 2022).

2. Scientific paper. Reinosa, R.; Troyano-Hernáez, P.; Valadés-Alcaraz, A.; (4/4) Holguín, A.
(AC). 2024. EpiMolBio: A Novel User-Friendly Bioinformatic Program for Genetic Variability
Analysis. (Submitted).Bioinformatics (Open Access). (JIF: 5.8, Q1 – 24/158 in Bioechnology
& applied Microbiology, JCR 2022).

3. Scientific paper. Rodríguez-Galet, A.; Ventosa-Cubillo, J.; Bendomo, V.; et al; (9/9)
Holguín, A. (AC). 2024. HIV Diagnosis in Equatorial Guinea. Keys to reduce the diagnostic
and therapeutic delay. (Submitted). Journal of Infection and Public Health (Open Acess).
(JIF: 6.7, Q1 – 18/96 in Infectious Diseases, JCR 2022).

4. Scientific paper. Martínez De Aguirre, P.; Carlos, S.; Pina-Sánchez, M.; et al; Reina,
G.; (8/9) Holguín, A.2024. High pre-Delta and early-Omicron SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence
detected in dried blood samples from Kinshasa (D.R.Congo) (In press).Journal of Medical
Virology (Open Access). (JIF: 12.7, Decil 1 – 2/36, JCR 2022).

5. Scientific paper. Rodríguez-Galet, A.; Ventosa-Cubillo, J.; Eyene, M.; et al; (9/9) Holguín,
A. (AC). 2024. Immunity to six vaccine pathogens in HIV+ and HIV- children in Bata city,
Equatorial Guinea. (In press). Vaccines (Open Acess). (JIF: 7.8, Q1- 24/136 in Medicine,
Research & Experimental, JCR 2022).

6. Scientific paper. Epalza, C.; Valadés-Alcaraz, A.; González-Alba, J.M.; et al; (14/14)
Holguín, A. (AC). 2024. Transmitted Drug Resistance and HIV Diversity Among
Adolescents Newly Diagnosed With HIV in Spain.The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal
(Open Acess). (JIF: 3.6, Q1 – 23/130 in Pediatrics, JCR 2022).43, pp.40-48. PMID:
37922511. https://doi.org/10.1097/INF.0000000000004138

7. Scientific paper. Mbuagbaw L; Garcia C; Brenner B; et al; Jordan, M.R.; (7/15)
Holguin, A.2023. Checklist for studies of HIV drug resistance prevalence or
incidence: rationale and recommended use.The Lancet HIV (Open Access). (JIF:
16.1, Decil 1 – 6/96 in Infectious Diseases, JCR 2022). 10, pp.e684-e689. PMID:
37716367. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-3018(23)00173-X

8. Scientific paper. Ventosa-Cubillo, J.; Pinzón, R.; González-Alba, J.M.; Estripeaut, D.;
Navarro, M.L.; (6/6) Holguín, A. (AC). 2023. Drug resistance in children and adolescents
with HIV in Panama.The Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (Open Access). (JIF:
5.2, Q1- 55/278 in Pharmacology & Pharmacy

Ivan Sanz-Muñoz – Biological Nework – Top Researcher Award

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Ivan Sanz-Muñoz – Biological Nework Award – Top Researcher Award

 Dr. Ivan Sanz – Munzo distinguished academic and researcher in the field Medicine / Virology. From 2014 to the present, he has served as the Scientific and Virological Surveillance Manager at the National Influenza Center in Valladolid, Spain, located at the Rondilla Building, University Clinical Hospital of Valladolid. In this role, he oversees the laboratory operations, team management, and technical staff.

🌐 Professional Profiles

Educations📚📚📚

His academic journey includes a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from the University of Salamanca, Spain, completed in 2008. He then pursued a Master’s Degree in Anthropology and Forensic Genetics at the University of Granada, Spain, graduating in 2010. Building upon his foundational studies, he obtained a Bachelor’s Degree from Salamanca in 2012. He furthered his education with a Master’s Degree in Health Sciences Research, specializing in Pharmacology, Neurobiology, and Nutrition, at the University of Valladolid, Spain, in 2013. In 2016, he achieved a Doctorate in Health Sciences Research from the University of Valladolid, Spain, earning the distinction of “Cum Laude.” Continuing his academic pursuits, he completed a Master’s Degree in Genomics and Medical Genetics at the University of Granada, Spain, in 2018. Recently, in 2023, he obtained a Master’s Degree in Vaccinology from the University of Murcia, Spain.

 Work experiences

His responsibilities include molecular diagnosis and analysis of respiratory viruses, cell culture, viral propagation, serological analysis, antigenic characterization, project management, and scientific publication.

Prior to this, from 2011 to 2014, he held a predoctoral fellowship at the National Influenza Center in Valladolid, Spain, within the Microbiology and Immunology Service at the University Clinical Hospital of Valladolid.

In 2010 and 2011, he worked as a lecturer, providing practical training for the subject of Physical and Forensic Anthropology at the University of Salamanca, Spain.

Additionally, during the same period in 2010 and 2011, he received training as part of a scholarship program at the Intervet Vaccine Manufacturing and Development Plant for Animal Health, which was located in Salamanca, Spain.

COMPETITIVE AND NON-COMPETITIVE RESEARCH PROJECTS











Proyectos competitivos:


1. Proyecto competitivo: CIDER-CEIRR. 202175N93021C00018. Avian influenza, is the

population immunologically prepared for potential pandemics? 2 years (2024-2025).

Entidad financiadora: CIDER-CEIRR. PI: Aitor Nogales; Co-PI: Iván Sanz-Muñoz.

Obtenido: 300,000 $.


2. Proyecto competitivo: GRS 2557/A/22. Gripe aviar ¿Está preparada

inmunológicamente Castilla y León para una pandemia de gripe? Entidad financiadora:

Gerencia Regional de Salud, Junta de Castilla y León. 1 año (2023). IP: José María Eiros

Bouza. Concedido: 16.283 €.


3. Proyecto competitivo: Convocatoria AES 2022 (FIS). PI22/00719. Evaluación pre-clínica

de un tratamiento antiviral frente a la gripe humana basado en tecnología

CRISPR/CasRx-CRAKEND. Entidad financiadora: Instituto de Salud Carlos III. 3 años

(2023-2025). IP: Iván Sanz Muñoz. Co-IP: José María Eiros Bouza. Concedido: 61.105 €.


4. Proyecto competitivo: GRS 2363/A/21. Desarrollo traslacional de un tratamiento

antiviral frente a la gripe humana basado en tecnología CRISPR/CasRx-CRAKEND.

Entidad financiadora: Gerencia Regional de Salud, Junta de Castilla y León. 1 año

(2022). IP: José María Eiros Bouza. Concedido: 15.937 €.


5. Proyecto competitivo: Proyecto 1/2021. Características y evolución de la respuesta

humoral frente al SARS-CoV-2 en pediatría: Diferencias entre pacientes sintomáticos y

asintomáticos. Entidad financiadora: Fundación Ernesto Sánchez Villares. IP: María

Gutiérrez Zamorano. Concedido: 1.450 €.


6. Proyecto competitivo: GRS 2233/A/2020. Anticuerpos frente al SARS-CoV-2 ¿Refleja la

carga de enfermedad por la COVID-19 la realidad de la respuesta humoral en niños?

Entidad Financiadora: Gerencia Regional de Salud, Junta de Castilla y León. 1 año

(2021). IP: Vanesa Matías del Pozo. Concedido: 13.736 €.


7. Proyecto competitivo: Incidencia de la Enfermedad Covid-19 y su impacto en el

conjunto de las infecciones respiratorias agudas. Red centinela sanitaria de Castilla y

León. Entidad Financiadora: Consejería de Educación, Junta de Castilla y León. 1 año

(2020). IP: Tomás Vega Alonso. Concedido: 109.000 €.


8. Proyecto competitivo: GRS COVID 60/A/20. Desarrollo de un método simple para la

detección genómica y simultanea de gripe y SARS-CoV-2. Entidad financiadora:

Gerencia Regional de Salud, Junta de Castilla y León. 1 año (2020). IP: José María Eiros

Bouza. Concedido: 8.370 €.








  📝🔬Publications📝🔬