We are pleased to congratulate the selected fellows for their outstanding proposals and commitment to advancing scientific development in Latin America and the Caribbean. We also extend our sincere appreciation to their tutors and mentors for their invaluable guidance, and to the external evaluators whose expertise and dedication were essential to the selection process.
Thank you all for contributing to the strengthening of biotechnology capacities across the region.
| Fellow | Project Title | Sending Institution | Local Supervisor | Host Institution | Host Tutor |
| Felix Pompeyo Ferro Mayhua | Characterization of antimicrobial resistance in E. coli strains isolated from drinking water in Awajun native communities in the Amazon, Peru, using a One Health approach | Fabiola Salazar Leguía National Intercultural University of Bagua, Amazonas. Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences. Professional School of Biotechnology | João José de Simoni Gouveia | Federal University of Vale do São Francisco. Genetics and Biotechnology Laboratory | Mateus Matiuzzi da Costa |
| Camila Martinez Calejman | Intermittent cold as a non-pharmacological strategy to increase metabolic flexibility | Laboratory of Molecular Endocrilogy- CEFYBO-CONICET | Cora B Cymeryng | Institut Pasteur Montevideo | Carlos Escande |
| Chiara Coronel Cappellari | Identifying new targets for antimycobacterial compounds: structural analysis of the essential Acyl-CoA Carboxylase 5 complex of Mycobacterium tuberculosis | Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of Rosario (IBR-CONICET). Department name: Physiology and genetics of actinomycetes | Porf. Dr. Hugo Gramajo | European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Hamburg Unit | Prof. Dr. Matthias Wilmanns |
| Gabriela Toro Tobón | Training in In Vitro Root Organ Culture Systems for the Mechanistic Study of Plant Microbe Interactions in the Context of Sustainable Agriculture. | Colombian Corporation for Agricultural Research (AGROSAVIA), Tibaitatá 250047, Cundinamarca, Colombia | Daniel Fernando Rojas Tapias | University College Dublin, School of Biology and Environmental Science, Science Centre - East Belfield Dublin 4 | Olga A. Lastovetsky |
| Miguel Mateo Rodríguez García | DESARROLLO DE UN MODELO GEOESPACIAL PARA COMPRENDER LA DISEMINACIÓN DE GENES DE RESISTENCIA EN CUERPOS DE AGUA | Universidad del Magdalena, grupo de investigación en Evolución, sistemática y ecología molecular (GIESEMOL) | Ph.D Lyda Raquel Castro García | University of Costa Rica, Laboratory of Molecular Epidemiology and Microbial Genetics of Aquatic Environments (LEGeMA) | Ph.D Luz Chacón Jimenez. |
| Rafael Alberto Salinas Jiménez | Heritable Microbiome Engineering Sustaining Plant-Beneficial Functions Through Vertical Transmission in Maize | Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Extreme Ecosystem Microbiomics and Ecogenomics Laboratory | Jean-Baptiste Ramond | BioLab | Pedro Gundel |
| Miguel Jose Moron Rivera | Nanobiotechnology for the valorization of grape pomace: development of a functional ingredient for bakery applications | Centro de Investigacion y Transferencia de Rio Negro (CIT-UNRN). Food Technology and Biotechnology Laboratory | Lucrecia Piñuel | Tecnologico de Monterrey. School of Engineering and Sciences. Health -Food Security and Nutrition research group | Rocio Alejandra Chavez Santoscoy |
| Hayde Saracho | Genomic characterization of phages associated with rhizosphere microbial communities using metagenomic and experimental approaches | Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos (PROIMI) | Dr. Daniel German Kurth | Centro de Ciencias Genómicas (CCG) - Genómica Evolutiva | Dr. Víctor Manuel González Zúñiga |
| Janaina Camara Siqueira da Cunha | Biotechnological use of fungi for sustainable cotton pest control in Brazil | Texas A&M University - Sword Lab | Jorge Braz Torres | Rural Federal University of Pernambuco (UFRPE) - Jorge B Torres' Lab | Gregory A. Sword |
| João Vitor Wagner Ordine | Functional and Genomic Characterization of Buffalo-Derived Probiotics With Inhibitory Effects on Carbapenem-Resistant Enteric Pathogens. | Microbial Ecosystems Lab - Biochemistry and Immunology Dpt. - Ribeirão Preto Medical School - University of São Paulo | Lívia Soares Zaramela | Microbial Genomics Laboratory - Institut Pasteur Montevideo (Uruguay) | Nadia Riera |
| Marcia Olga Carrasco Rosso | Impact of Osmotic Stress on Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibody Production in Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) Cells. | Universidad Católica Boliviana "San Pablo", campus La Paz | Georgina Aurelia Chávez Lizágarra | Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) - Instituto de Biotecnología UNAM | Emiliano Balderas Ramírez |
| Maria de los Angeles Espinosa Herlein | Biocompatibility of beneficial bacteria strains to synergize drought and antifungal protection for the peanut crop. | Microorganismos beneficos y estres biotico y abiotico (MBEBA), IFRGV-UDEA INTA-CONICET | Dr. Monteoliva Mariela | Laboratorio de ecologia microbiana aplicada, Universidad de La Frontera | Dr. Jacquelinne Acuña |
| Fabio Orlando Carrillo Ramírez | Advanced Chromatographic Methods for Extracting UV-Stress-Induced Bioactive Compounds from Andean Lichens | Department of Bioengineering and Chemical Engineering, Universidad de Ingeniería y Tecnología (UTEC) | Karen Gonzales Rojas | Extreme Natural Products Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Chile | Carlos Areche Medina |
| Lídia da Silva Pereira | TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENT OF BIOPRODUCTS FROM Trichoderma PURIFICATION, CHARACTERIZATION, AND ENCAPSULATION OF BIOACTIVE PROTEINS | Center for Photosynthetic and Biochemical Studies (CEFOBI) - National Council for Scientific Research (CONICET), National University of Rosario (UNR).. | Dr. Sebastián Pablo Rius (local supervisor) and Dr. Maria Fabiana Drincovich (pertinent authority). | Laboratory of Pharmacotechnics and Health Care — LaFateCS, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, State University of Campinas. | Priscila Gava Mazzola |
| Agustina Ercole | “Development of a Biotechnological Vaccine Platform Based on Extracellular Vesicles Derived from Immunogenic Cell Death to Enhance Immune Checkpoint Blockade Therapy in Melanoma.” | Laboratorio de biología tumoral- INBIAS-CONICET-UNRC | María Julia Lamberti | Universidad de Chile | Flavio Salazar Onfray |
| Irina Guardia | Next Generation Composting Systems Trichoderma Application for Growth Promotion and Biocontrol in Tomato Plants | Biocontrol Citrus Laboratory - PROIMI - CONICET | Dr. Julián Rafael Dib | Department of Agricultural and Aquaculture Sciences - Catholic University of Temuco | Dr. Gustavo Aner Curaqueo Fuentes |
| María José Acuña Mondragón | Optimization of type III secretion signals to enhance bioproduct export efficiency | Center for Biotechnology Research of Ecuador (CIBE in spanish) at ESPOL | Juan Manuel Cevallos Cevallos | Center for Genomic Sciences, UNAM | José Eduardo Soto Guzmán |
| Emily Guissel Huarote Garcia | Efficient recovery of phenolic compounds from Tamarindus indica agricultural residues using high-power ultrasound and ultrafiltration, with HPLC analysis. | University of Chile - Faculty of Sciences - Natural Products Laboratory | Carlos Alberto Areche Medina | National Technological Institute of Mexico - Technological Institute of Tepic (TecNM-ITTepic) – Tepic, Nayarit – Mexico | Rosa Isela Ortiz Basurto |
| Roy Bogardid Ardón Espinal | Study of the surface properties of chitosan nanoparticles during foliar penetration in plants | Research and Postgraduate Directorate Universidad Nacional de Agricultura | Jhunior Abrahan Marcía Fuentes | Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México | Rafael Vázquez Duhalt |
| PAOLA MISHELL VELÁSQUEZ YÁNEZ | Microfluidic Strategies for Enhancing Biofilm Formation of Pseudomonas sp. P26 for the Bioremediation of Emerging Contaminants | Pilot Plant for Industrial Microbiological Processes, National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET). Environmental Microbiology Laboratory | Dra. Betiana Lerner | Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Faculty of Chemistry | Dr. Luis Fernando Olguín Contreras |
| Maria Sofia Castaño Ledesma | Spatial-Omics and Advanced Bioimaging Approaches for Meat Authentication and Adulteration Detection | Animal Production and Reproduction Laboratory-Institut of Bionanotechnology of NOA (INBIONATEC)- | Maria Sumampa Coria | Advanced Bioimaging Unit- Institut Pasteur Montevideo/Universidad de la República | Leonel Malacrida |
| Elizabeth Ticona Morales | Functional genomic to discover new glyphosate oxidases on halophilic microorganisms from low and high-altitude salt flats | Department of Biology – Universidad Mayor de San Andrés | Ph.D. Isabel Morales Belpaire | Microbial Genomics Laboratory – Institut Pasteur de Montevideo | Ph.D. Bruno Manta Porter |
| Penélope Raposeiras Aldorino | Untargeted metabolomics applied to elucidating the functional roles of members of natural pyrene-degrading consortia. | Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Soil Bioremediation Group at the Center for Research and Development in Industrial Fermentations (CINDEFI) (CONICET - UNLP) | Sabrina Festa | Laboratory, MetCore, the Metabolomics Core Facility at Universidad de los Andes | Mónica Patricia Cala Molina |
| Naysha Jezabel Rojas Villa | Exploring the Biostimulant and Antagonistic Potential of Native Trichoderma Strains from Coastal Peru for the Sustainable Management of Avocado Dieback | Agrobiotechnological Group of the Peruvian Coast (AGPC) at the National University of Cañete | Luis Armando Alvarez Bernaola | Biotechnology Laboratory and Chemical Ecology Lab of the University of the Republic (UDELAR) | Dr. Silvana Vero and Dr. Carmen Rossini |
| César Justiniano Fascio | Study of indirect beneficial mechanisms of Stutzerimonas stutzeri MJL19 on crops subjected to abiotic stress. Impact of inoculation on the rhizospheric microbiome and gene expression | Higher Institute of Biological Research (INSIBIO- CONICET), National University of Tucumán, Microbial Interactions Lab | Conrado Adler | Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology | Emanuel Maltempi de Souza |
| Fátima Rocío Vazquez Orrego | Characterization of sodium channel gene variants linked to insecticide resistance in Aedes aegypti from the Central Department of Paraguay | National University of Asuncion - Health Sciences Research Institute - Department of Tropical Medicine | Nilsa Elizabeth González Brítez | Institut Pasteur de Montevideo - Bioinformatics Unit | Luisa Berna |
| Mayra Gimena Parente | Bacterial signalling mediated by Reactive Sulfur Species (RSS). Development of whole-cell biosensors to study H₂S metabolism in intestinal models | Physical Chemistry of Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Fundación Instituto Leloir | Daiana Capdevila | Institut Pasteur de Montevideo | Mariana Bonilla |
| Martín Leonardo Mayta | Expanding Latin American capabilities for the rapid and cost-effective screening of specific recombinant nanoantibodies from South American camelids | School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad Adventista del Plata (UAP) | Rafael Osvaldo Paredes | Medical Biotechnology lab, Medical Biotechnology lab, Centro Interdisciplinario de Estudios del Sistema Nervioso (CISNe), Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile. | Alejandro Rojas-Fernandez |
| Noemí Yokobori | Phylogeography and phylodynamics of the multidrug-resistant Callao2 Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain | Servicio de Micobacterias, Department of Bacteriology, INEI-ANLIS | Dr. Beatriz López | Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia (IBV) – CSIC, Valencia | Dr. Iñaki Comas |
| Layla Paola Chmeit Rangel | Genomic and Transcriptomic characterization of olive-extremophile fungus interaction for sustainable biofertilization and plant growth promotio (PGP) | University of the Andes | Bárbara Huber | University of Jaén | Ramón Alberto Batista |
| Marianela Pfund | Development of Biodegradable Biofilms from Whey for Applications in Circular Bioeconomy | National University of La Pampa (UNLPam) – "Sustainable Dairy" Research Group, Faculty of Agronomy – CONICET | Dr. Mario Calafat and Dr. Santiago Ferro Moreno | Universidade Federal do Pará (UFPA) – Laboratório de Produtos de Origem Animal (LAPOA) | Dra. Lúcia de Fátima Henriques Lourenço |
| María Jesús Lami Sánchez | Biotechnological potential of Stutzerimonas stutzeri BA2 as bioinoculant and compost enhancer to improve plant growth | Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos (PROIMI-CONICET). Citrus biocontrol group | Julián Rafael Dib | Estación Experimental del Zaidín (EEZ-CSIC). Department of Biotechnology and Environmental Protection | Manuel Espinosa-Urgel |
| Julián Emilio Gianolini | Development of biocatalytic systems for the degradation of β-lactams in wastewater | Laboratory for Research in Sustainable Biotechnology (LIBioS), National University of Quilmes (UNQ), Argentina | Dr. Cintia W. Rivero | Biotechnology Department, School of Engineering, Universidad ORT Uruguay | Dr. Lorena Betancor |
| Eugenio Enrique Tirado Delfín | TRANSCRIPTOMIC ANALYSIS USING Arabidopsis thaliana AS A MODEL TO IDENTIFY AND BIOPROSPECT RESISTANCE GENES IN Theobroma cacao AGAINST ANTHRACNOSE CAUSED BY Colletotrichum spp. | State University of Santa Cruz. Graduate Program in Genetics and Molecular Biology. Laboratory of Molecular Markers of the Center for Biotechnology and Genetics (CBG). Applied Molecular Genetics Research Group. | Ronan Xavier Corrêa | Institute of Biotechnology, National Autonomous University of Mexico. Department of Plant Molecular Biology. | Angel Arturo Guevara Garcia |
| IZABEL ALMEIDA ALVES | Development of PK/PD Translational Modeling: Non-Animal Alternative Methods | Laboratório de Farmacocinética e Farmacometria, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Brazil. | Regina de Jesus Santos | Faculty of Science, Leiden Academic Center for Drug Research | Rob van Wijk |
| Sebastian Matias Sisti | Design and Evaluation of Immobilized β-Galactosidase Biocatalysts for Regio-Selective Nucleoside Glycosylation | Laboratory for Research in Sustainable Biotechnology (LIBioS) | Cintia Wanda Rivero | Protein technology group, Biotechnology department, Universidad ORT Uruguay. | Lorena Betancor |
| Claudia Patricia Zuluaga Quintero | Metabolomic Analysis of Probiotic Bacterial Supernatants for the Control of Streptococcus agalactiae in Aquaculture | Universidad de la Sabana | Luisa Marcela Villamil Diaz | Unit of Biology, Technology and Prototypes (UBIPRO), Faculty of Higher Studies Iztacala (FES-Iztacala), Universidad Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM) | José Guillermo Avila Acevedo |
| Roman Espinal Palomino | Genome of a possible new variant of a novel Influenza A(HL18NL11) virus in urban bats. | Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (Cinvestav) | Carlos Napoleon Ibarra Cerdeña | Institut Pasteur de São Paulo-IPSP | Angélica Cristine de Almeida Campos |
