The CiQUS former PhD student receives the Biotechnology and Nanotechnology Award 2018 from the city of Marburg (MarBiNa - Award 2018)
Professor Olalla Vázquez, who defended her doctoral thesis at CiQUS in 2010 under the supervision of professors José Luis Mascareñas and Eugenio Vázquez Sentís, has just been awarded for the development of TramTO, a molecule that allows to study infections caused by multiresistant bacteria in real time, where the standard marking techniques using GFP (Green Fluorescence Protein) are useless. The award, shared with Prof. Leon Schulte, recognizes the value of this new compound, which is presented as a chemical alternative to understand mechanisms of action used by this type of bacteria. As a proof of concept, this technique allowed comparing two different strains of the multiresistant pathogen Klebsiella pneumoniae for the first time; likewise, the concept has also been demonstrated in E. coli. The work has been published by the renowned scientic journal Angewandte Chemie, and it has already generated a patent (EP18174086.1).
The prize distinguishes a pioneering work in the development of analysis techniques compatible with multidrug-resistant bacteria, which represent latent threats, particularly in hospitals. Led by Olalla Vázquez, the research team at the Chemistry Department, in collaboration with Prof. Leon Schulte from the Department of Medicine, has managed to mark these pathogens with a new fluorescent dye, in order to be able to investigate in detail their interaction with immune cells. This method is not only of scientific interest, but has also generated great expectations for commercial exploitation.
References
Angew . Chem. Int. Ed. Engl ., 2018, 57, 11564-11568