Group Leader
Mariano Esteban

Mariano Esteban is Professor of the Spanish Research Council (CSIC) in Madrid, Spain, member of the Royal Spanish Academy of Pharmacy and former Director of the National Center of Biotechnology-CNB (1992-2003). He returned to Spain in 1992 after 22 years abroad, mostly in the USA where he was Professor of Biochemistry and Microbiology at the Health Science Center at Brooklyn, State University of New York. Mariano Esteban is an internationally recognized scientist with a long experience in molecular basis of pathogenesis by infectious agents. In particular, his group has made important contributions in understanding the life cycle of vaccinia virus, virus-host cell interactions and the mechanism of action of interferons. Mariano Esteban used this knowledge to develop vaccinia virus vectors as candidate vaccines against diseases like AIDS, malaria and leishmaniasis. His group, in collaboration with colleagues in New York, pioneered a heterologous prime/boost approach that has gained acceptance as an immunization protocol against multiple infectious agents. Esteban's group has developed candidate vaccines against HIV/AIDS that are in clinical trials.
  CV completo (Español)
  CV corto (Español)
  Abbreviated CV (English)

Postdoctoral researchers
Carmen E. Gómez

I am a PhD researcher in the Poxvirus and Vaccine group. I obtained my PhD degree in Molecular Biology in 2003 (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid). In 1994 I got my graduate in Biochemistry in the Biology Faculty at Universidad de la Habana, Cuba. In the last 10 years I have been involved in the development and characterization of new vaccine candidates against prevalent infectious diseases using poxvirus strains.

Beatriz Perdiguero

I am a PhD researcher in the Poxvirus and Vaccine group. In 2004, I obtained my PhD degree (Universidad Autonoma de Madrid) in the field of vaccinia virus morphogenesis. In 1997, I got my graduate in Biology (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology) at Universidad Autonoma de Madrid. In the last 3 years I have been involved in the generation of more immunogenic and safer vaccine candidates against HIV using poxvirus strains.

Juan F. García-Arriaza

I am a PhD researcher in the Poxvirus and Vaccine group since 2006. I obtained my PhD degree in Molecular Biology in 2003 (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid) in the field of genetic variability of RNA viruses. In 1997, I got my graduate in Biology at Universidad Complutense de Madrid. In the last 2 years I have been involved in the generation of more immunogenic and safer vaccine candidates against HIV using poxvirus strains.

Ph.D. Students
Ana Cáceres

I am a PhD student in the Poxvirus and Vaccine group. I study the vaccinia virus-host interaction, characterising relevant celullar components that are modified during viral infection. I obtained the graduate in Biochemistry in 2006 (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid).

Lucas Sánchez

I am a PhD student in the Poxvirus and Vaccines group. In 2007, I got my graduate in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Universidad Autonoma de Madrid. In the last 3 years I have been involved in the generation of more immunogenic and safer vaccine candidates against Leishmaniasis using poxvirus as vectors and in the characterization of replicative competent vaccinia viruses.

Aneesh Vijayan

I am a PhD student and has been associated with the Poxvirus and Vaccines group from 2007. I obtained my master in Biomedical Science (Immunology) from University of Strathclyde, UK. My work focuses on developing an efficient vaccine against malaria.

Mauro Di Pilato

I am a PhD student in the Poxvirus and vaccine group. I am involved in the generation and development of new vaccine candidates against HIV using poxvirus strains. In 2008 I got my graduate in Medical Biotecnologies and Molecular Medicine at Universitá degli Studi di Bari. In 2009 I was one of fifty winners of Leonardo da Vinci scholarship Unipharma-Graduates 5 (national competition in Science field) given by Universitá degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza" with Noopolis Foundation and European Commission.

Lidia Mingorance

I am a PhD student in the Poxvirus and Vaccines group. In 2007, I got my graduate in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Universidad Autonoma de Madrid. In the last 3 years I have been involved in the generation of more immunogenic and safer vaccine candidates against Leishmaniasis using poxvirus as vectors and in the characterization of replicative competent vaccinia viruses.

Pilar Arnáez

I have been a PhD student in the Poxvirus and Vaccine Laboratory since August 2009. My research is focused on developing a safer and more immunogenic vaccine candidate against HIV/AIDS using Poxvirus strains. In 2008, I graduated with a double major in Biology and Biochemistry (Universidad de Salamanca) and in 2010 I received my Master degree in Molecular Biomedicine (Universidad Aut—noma de Madrid)

Ernesto Mejías

I am a PhD student in the Poxvirus and Vaccines group. In 2007, I got my graduate in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Universidad Autonoma de Madrid. In the last 3 years I have been involved in the generation of more immunogenic and safer vaccine candidates against Leishmaniasis using poxvirus as vectors and in the characterization of replicative competent vaccinia viruses.

Technicians
María V. Jiménez

I am a State technician at the Poxvirus and Vaccines Group, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB). I first worked as a technical specialist from 1980-1993 at the Biochemistry Department, Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, State University of New York, and then joined in 1993 the CNB where I am in charge of the Tissue Culture and Poxvirus Production Facility funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with the goal of making candidate HIV/AIDS vaccines.

Assistant to Dr. Esteban
Inés Merino

 

Former lab members
José L. Nájera

I am a PhD researcher in the Poxvirus and Vaccine group. I obtained my PhD degree in Molecular Biology in 2007 (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid). In 2001 I got my Bachelor's Degree in Pharmacy at Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Spain. In the last 6 years I have been working on research projects involved in performing and comparing the molecular biology of different poxvirus strains and in the application of poxvirus vectors as vaccine candidates.

José M. González

I have been providing bioinformatics support to the Poxvirus and Vaccine Lab since 2005. My work is mainly related with functional genomics of poxvirus-infected cells and analysis of poxvirus protein sequences. Previously I learnt bioinformatics in Alfonso Valencia's lab at the CNB for three years. In 2000 I got my PhD degree from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid in the field of coronavirus reverse genetics. In 1994 I graduated in Biology (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology) from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.

Magdalena Krupa

Since 2003 I am an associate research scientist in the Poxvirus and Vaccine Laboratory. My current work is focused on the development of poxvirus-based vaccines and evaluation of their therapeutic utility in prostate cancer. In 2002 I obtained my Master Degree in Biotechnology at Warsaw University, Warsaw, Poland. From 2001 until 2002 I performed research on cancer molecular markers as an undergraduate student in the Dept. of Molecular Biology at Maria Sklodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Center and Institute of Oncology, Warsaw, Poland. From 2000 until 2001 I worked as an associate research scientist in the laboratory of Dr. Andrew V. Schally, a 1977 Nobel Prize winner, at the Dept. of Experimental Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. During this time I worked on the mechanism of action of novel anticancer compounds and I contributed to several scientific publications.

Susana Guerra

I have been working in the Poxvirus and Vaccine Lab since 2001. My work is mainly related with poxvirus-host interactions using functional genomics. In 2000, I obtained my PhD degree (Universidad Autonoma de Madrid) in the field of virology. In 1995, I got my graduate in Biology (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology) at Universidad Autonoma de Madrid.

Alan Goodman

I have been a post-doctoral fellow in the Poxvirus and Vaccine Laboratory since September 2009. My work involves the study of virus-host interactions, focusing on the role of the Cellular Inhibitor of Host Defense (CIHD) molecule, P58IPK, during poxvirus infection. I am also developing a poxvirus-based vaccine against influenza virus infection. In 2007, I received my Ph.D. in Bioengineering from the University of Washington while working in the laboratory of Dr. Michael Katze (Professor of Microbiology). In 2002, I received my Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering and Materials Science from Johns Hopkins University.

alan.goodman@cnb.csic.es

Rubén González

 

Jacobo Nieto

I work in the Poxviruses and Vaccines lab since 2006. In this time, I have been involved in the generation of more immunogenic and safer vaccine candidates against HIV using poxvirus strains. I graduated in Pharmacy at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid in 2004, and obtained a Master degree in Cancerology at the Université Paul Sabatier de Toulouse in 2006. From 2004 to 2006 I performed research on cancer molecular mechanisms at the Institut Claudius Regaud, Toulouse, France.

María A. García

 

Elena Domingo-Gil

 



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