RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

My research career has focused on the intersection of biotechnology, nanotechnology, materials science, and bioanalytical chemistry, with the overarching aim of developing biosensing solutions for clinical diagnostics and food safety. Over the past nine years, I have progressively advanced from contributing to highly interdisciplinary projects during my PhD to independently leading research lines as a postdoctoral researcher, resulting in 29 publications (14 as first and co-first author, 9 as corresponding author), 2 patent applications, 3 international research stays, the latest as a  Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow,  and co-direction of 7 undergraduate and 1 PhD students. This trajectory reflects a stable and well-planned path that has progressively equipped me with the expertise required to lead my research line on wearable biosensors as a top emerging technology in Biomedicine, Biotechnology, and Chemistry.

PhD Training: Foundations in Nanobiosensors and Lateral Flow Assays.

I obtained my PhD in Biotechnology at the Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2, UAB, Spain) under the supervision of Prof. Arben Merkoçi. My work centered on Lateral Flow Immunoassays (LFIA), the most widespread point-of-care (PoC) diagnostic format, and on nanomaterials for improving their analytical performance.

  • I co-authored the first-ever Nature Protocols tutorial on LFIA design and fabrication (DOI: 10.1038/s41596-020-0357-x), which became a global reference in the field. Early in my PhD, I co-authored an influential review in ACS Nano (DOI: 10.1038/s41596-020-0357-x), my first contact with nanotechnology, where I integrated my biomedical background with materials science to describe nanotheranostic applications.
  • My first experimental work introducing new innovative ideas was the creation of the paper-based electrophoretic bioassay (PEB) (DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.0c04330), enabling analysis directly in untreated blood. I’m a co-inventor of this technology, protected by a European patent application (EP19382648.4), which has led to invited oral presentations and discussions for industrial transfer.
  • I developed a time-delay wax barrier strategy for LFAs (DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2020.112559) and a ratiometric fluorescent LFIA (DOI: 10.1002/admt.202101450), introducing a paradigm shift in assay tunability. Selected among the best works published in Advanced Materials Technology in 2022.
  • My contributions culminated in a landmark review in Chemical Reviews (DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.1c01012), where I synthesized a decade of progress in nanomaterial-based LFAs and their commercial prospects.

This period strengthened my expertise in PoC diagnostics, assay design, and nanomaterial integration, while earning two national awards for best PhD thesis in biosensors, from the Spanish Royal Society of Chemistry and Physics, and the special award from the Autonomous University of Barcelona.

Postdoctoral Research: Towards Multiplexed and Wearable Biosensors.

In 2020, I joined Prof. Ángel Maquieira’s and Sergi Morais’ lab at the Polytechnic University of Valencia as a postdoctoral researcher, where I launched and led the LFIA research line,  co-directing 7 undergraduate students and 1 PhD student, publishing 14 papers, 9 of them as a corresponding author, writing 4 competitive project proposals, 2 for the INBIO 2022 and 2023 calls were awarded, and 2 for EIC Pathfinder Open 2023 and ERA4Health NANOTECMEC 2024 calls were rejected.  

  • I received funding through three prestigious postdoctoral fellowships: Juan de la Cierva Formación, Margarita Salas,  Subvenciones para la contratación de personal investigador en fase postdoctoral (CIAPOS GVA).
  • To address unmet clinical needs, I supervised the development of a smartphone-based LFIA for LDH quantification in cancer therapy management (DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2024.126803) and coordinated a hospital collaboration for wound healing monitoring, resulting in an integrated microneedle–LFIA patch (DOI:  10.1021/acs.analchem.4c05688).
  • I co-directed the PhD thesis of Yulieth D. Banguera Ordoñez.
  • I developed a phage-based biosensing platform for detecting phytopathogenic bacteria in collaboration with Prof. Pilar Domingo-Calap from the Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio, UV-CSIC) (Chapter 28,  Book of articles XVI IWOSMOR 2023. ISBN 978-84-09-55991-6).

 

  • During the COVID-19 pandemic, I contributed to the development of innovative biosensing solutions, being co-inventor of one of them, which is protected by a published world patent application WO/2022/223860.
  • Expanding to food safety, I designed a multiplex optoelectrical biosensor for food allergens (DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2022.134570) and successfully transferred it to industry partners and developed an LFIA for multiplex quantification of food allergens (DOI:  10.3390/bios12110980).

 

These outputs consolidated my profile as an emerging young independent researcher, with multiple first/corresponding author papers and direct coordination with stakeholders (Companies: Neogen, Preciphos, Poly-Dtech, Paimsa, and Hospitals: Obstetrics service at La Fe, Grupo investigación en manejo de heridas y nutrición at Elche Hospital General). Importantly, they represent my first steps into microneedle-based devices and phage-enabled biosensing.

Postdoctoral Research: MalDiProT – Aptamer-Based Diagnostics for Malaria.

In 2024, I was awarded a prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship(MSCA-IF) to carry out the project MalDiProT (Malaria Diagnosis and Prognosis Testing) between Columbia University (USA, outgoing phase) and ISGlobal (Spain, return phase). The goal of MalDiProT is to develop the first dual diagnostic and prognostic rapid test for malaria, capable of simultaneously quantifying two parasite (PfHRP2, pan-pLDH) and two host (h-ang-1, h-ang-2) biomarkers at the point of care.

  • During the outgoing phase, I have been trained in Prof. Milan Stojanovic’s lab (Columbia University) on cutting-edge microfluidic aptamer selection techniques, enabling me to identify highly specific aptamers for these biomarkers with pM affinity (paper under preparation).  In the return phase, at ISGlobal under Prof. José Muñoz’s supervision, I will integrate the aptamers into a multiplex electrokinetic-driven LFA and validate the device with clinical samples from malaria patients.
  • I have also established a new research line in Stojanovic’s lab by transferring my expertise in lateral flow assays, succeding with the development and clinical validation of an assay for monitoring vancomycin in patients with chronic kidney failure undergoing dyalisis (paper under preparation) and the development of an assay for the quantification of NGAL acute kidney failure biomarker in urine collected from diapers of preterm babies at NICU (I have trained them and they will finish the work during next year).
  • I have shown leadership by proposing Columbia’s Pediatric nephrologist, Dr. Pamela Good, to  jointly appy to the Trasher Research Fund and co-write the project proposal, in which we all together came up with a completely novel method to assess kidney failure in premature infants. Paralelly, I was put in contact with the  Maple Syrup Urine Disease (MSUD) Family Support Group Office, and they decided to provide me with a grant to test some of the group’s leucine aptamers in lateral flow assay.  This project will enable at-home monitoring for patients that have this inborn error of leucine metabolism. 
  • I have trained and supervised 1 undegraduate student, 1 PhD student, and 1 Postdoc researcher.
  • Beyond its scientific ambition, MalDiProT project positions me as a bridge between top US and European institutions, reinforces my independence by leading all phases of design, validation, and dissemination, and strategically enhances my career perspective toward competitive leadership grants such as ERC Starting, DEGENT, Ramón y Cajal, and “La Caixa” Junior Leader Fellowships.

 International Experience

I have performed three international stays, which shaped my career trajectory and diversified my expertise:

  • National Central University (Taiwan, 2018, 3 months): gained proficiency in 3D cell culture and stem cell differentiation, knowledge now crucial for designing advanced in vitro infection models.
  • A-Sense Lab, University of Antwerp (Belgium, 2023, 3 months): trained in 3D-printed hollow microneedle fabrication with Prof. Karolien De Wael and Dr. Marc Parrilla, publishing two pioneering papers on wearable microneedle biosensors (Biosensors & Bioelectronics, 2024; Analytical Chemistry, 2024).

 

  • Columbia University (USA, 2024–25, 12 months): current MSCA fellow at Prof. Milan Stojanovic’s lab, learning microfluidic aptamer selection to integrate molecular recognition into PoC biosensors, while mentoring students and opening a new LFIA research line.

These stays provided me with multidisciplinary skills (microfabrication, aptamer technology, advanced cell models) and fostered a strong international network across Europe, Asia, and America.