Members' Directory

Biography: PLACE AND DATE OF BIRTHDAY: Napoli (Italy) - November 19, 1957
CITIZENSHIP: Italian

EDUCATION
Degree in Biology. University "Federico II", Naples, Italy.
PhD in Cellular Biology, University of Pavia, Italy.

POSITIONS HELD
- From June 2002. Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology, Department of Structural and Functional Biology, University "Federico II", Naples, Italy.
- January 1996 - May 2002. Research Associate. Dept. of Public Health – Parasitology Unit, University "La Sapienza", Rome, Italy. Prof. M. Coluzzi group. (From July 1999 to June 2000 at EMBL).
- 1990 -1995. IMBB- and EU-Postdoctoral fellow. Insect Molecular Genetics Group, Institute of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology (Heraklion, Crete, Greece). Supervisor: Prof. C. Savakis.
- 1989 -1990. CNR fellow. CNR Institute of Cybernetics, Arco Felice (Naples, Italy). Dr. L. De Petrocellis laboratory.
- 1986 -1989. Post-degree training. Department of Genetics, General and Molecular Biology (DGBM), University "Federico II", Naples, Italy. Prof. Laura Fucci laboratory.

SCIENTIFIC INTERESTS
Molecular biology studies on the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae with special emphasis on the salivary glands, transgenesis and host-parasite interactions. Transposable elements.

Biography: Rosa Barrio got her master degree in Biology (specialty: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology) from the Autonoma University of Madrid (UAM) in 1988. She did her Ph. D. in the Center of Molecular Biology ?Severo Ochoa? (CBMSO), a mixer centre between the UAM and the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC). During her Ph. D., granted by the Basque Government, she studied the ubiquitin genes using Drosophila melanogaster as a model system. After she got her Ph. D. in 1993 she moved to the laboratory of Professor Fotis C. Kafatos in Harvard University (USA) and soon after she was granted by the Human Capital and Mobility Program form the European Union to continue her research in Crete. In 1995 she was granted by the Spanish Ministery of Education to move to the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL, Heidelberg, Germany), always under the supervision of Professor Kafatos, where she continued her research on Spalt proteins and BPM signaling during the wing and nervous system development in Drosophila. In 2001 she moved to the CBMSO (UAM/CSIC) in Madrid, to work with Dr. J. F. de Celis in the laboratory of Professor Antonio García-Bellido, and she obtained a Ramón y Cajal contract in 2003. Since December 2004 she is in charge of the Laboratory 1 in the Functional Genomics Unit at CIC bioGUNE, where she will continue her research on Spalt transcription factors and BPM signaling in Drosophila.

Biography: field of interest: immune responses of the malaria vector, the mosquito Anopheles gambiae
joint PhD EMBL/ULP Strasbourg
master in immunology Pasteur Institute/Paris 6
magistere Chemistry/Biology
ENS Ulm (BCPST 97)

Biography: Before my appointment by Imperial College in June 2005, I was a Staff Scientist at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Heidelberg, Germany. My research was focused on genomics and post genomics: sequencing of the genome of the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae and comparative analysis with the Drosophila genome, especially on genomics of innate immunity. I was involved in the establishment of the DNA microarray technology at EMBL, and by using this technology I developed together with my team and colleagues various DNA microarray platforms for A. gambiae, which were used to explore the immune system of the mosquito and detect mechanisms of refractoriness to malaria, monitor developmental and spatial gene expression, identify immune transcriptional networks, characterise responses to parasites and viruses and study insecticide resistance. In parallel, we developed a genomic platform to synthesize double stranded RNA for all mosquito genes towards genome-wide RNAi screens. One of our key collaborative discoveries, which attracted great public attention and was one of the most influential in the malaria field, was the identification of a fine balance of agonists and antagonists of malaria parasite development in the mosquito. We also discovered that parasites are recognised by mosquito NF-kappaB signalling pathways initiating a response that limits the infection. These research directions are continued at Imperial College, supported with funding by BBSRC, the Wellcome Trust, WHO/TDR, EC and NIH/NIAID.

Biography: EDUCATION

Graduate Student in the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, MD USA (2003-2008)

A.B. Molecular and Cell Biology, Emphasis Genetics and Development
University of California, Berkeley, California USA (2000)


RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

European Molecular Biology Laboratory-Heidelberg, Germany (March 2002-July 2003)
Research Technician
§ Anopheles gambiae transgenesis with multiple fluorescent markers (dsRED, EGFP) and multiple transposable element gene vectors (piggyBac, Minos) with eventual extension to in vivo reverse genetics.
§ Reverse genetics with through generation of dominant negative (RNAi) and inducible dominant positive (transgenesis) mutants in An. gambiae.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Infectious Disease Division of Parasitic Disease/Entomology Branch (Sept. 2000?Feb. 2002)
Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratory Research Fellow
§ Germline transformation of the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae with a piggyBac transposable element vector.
§ Development and optimization of the existing protocol for microinjection of An. gambiae.
§ Molecular and genetic analysis of An. gambiae transformants.
§ Dissection of Plasmodium vivax and P. falciparum infected transgenic Anopheles stephensi to determine efficacy of refractory phenotype.
§ Culturing of Anopheles cell lines for in vitro excision and transposition assays of piggyBac function.
§ Culturing of Anopheles mosquito stocks.
§ Assisted in surveillance of WNV in Atlanta Metro during 2001 Season.
§ Assisted in coordination of CDC emergency response during 2001 Anthrax Bioterror Crisis.

Biography: Born in Stockholm, Sweden 1966.

U.C. in Ecoengineering from Mid-Sweden University, Östersund, Sweden (06/1987).
Thesis supervisor: Dr. Lars Thofelt
Thesis title: "Dictamnus creticus, a herb form the Dikti mountain of Crete"

B.Sc. in Microbiology from the Department of Biology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden (06/1990).
Thesis supervisor: Prof. Uno Lindberg
Thesis title: "Transphosphorylation of ADP-f-actin as a possible step in muscle contraction".

M.S. in Molecular Biology from the Department of Biology, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece (06/1992).
Supervisor: Prof. Christos Louis

Visiting Fellow/Special Student at the Department of Cellular and Developmental Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA (02/1993 ? 02/1994).
Activity: Cytogenetic mapping and differential display of tissue specific genes of the mosquito An. gambiae.
Host supervisor: Prof. Fotis C. Kafatos

Ph.D. in Biology from the Department of Biology, University of Crete and the Institute of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, Foundation of Research and Technology-Hellas, Heraklion, Greece (02/1996).
Thesis project: Species differentiation, genome analysis, genome mapping and isolation of tissue and sex specific genes of the mosquito An. gambiae.
Thesis supervisor: Prof. Christos Louis

Postdoctoral fellow at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, in Prof. Fotis C. Kafatos lab, Heidelberg, Germany (03/1996 ? 03/2001)
Project: Molecular interactions between the mosquito An. gambiae and the malaria parasite P. berghei.

Senior Lecturer at Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, Department of Biological Sciences / Centre for Molecular Microbiology & Infection, London, UK (04/2001- present)

Biography: 2001 Habilitation à Dirigee des Recherches
Université Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, France
October 1994 Ph.D. in Genetics
Department of Genetics and Breeding, St.Petersburg State University, Russia (Thesis supervisor: Prof. L.A.Lutova)
Juin 1988 Diploma in Plant Genetics, St.Petersburg State University, Russia
Oct. 2002 Chargée de Recherche 1 (Research Assistant) du CNRS
Institut de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (IBMC), Strasbourg, France, UPR 9022, Research area: Functional analysis of mosquito immune responses during Plasmodium infection
2001-Oct. 2002 Staff Scientist
European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL)
Heidelberg, Germany
Group Leader: Prof. Fotis C. Kafatos
1999-2001 Postdoctoral Fellow
European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL)
Heidelberg, Germany
Group Leader: Prof. Fotis C. Kafatos
1995-1998 Research Fellow
Institut de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire du CNRS
Université Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, France
UPR 9022 - Réponse Immunitaire et Developpement chez les Insectes
Head: Prof. Jules A. Hoffmann, Adviser: Prof. Jean-Marc Reichhart
1992-1995 Scientific Researcher
St.Petersburg State University, St.Petersburg, Russia
Department of Genetics and Breeding
Head: Prof. Sergey G. Inge-Vechtomov, Advisor: Prof. Ludmila A. Lutova

Biography: May '94 - March'01 Research Technician at Kafatos Group (EMBL-Heidelberg)
March '01 - July '03 Research Technician at Genomics Core Facility
August'03 - until now Research Technician at CRG (Barcelona)
March' 08 phD in Biomedical Research from the Universitat Pompeu Fabra

Biography: December 18, 2003
PhD degree in Medicine (Cell and Molecular Biology) from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (Heidelberg, Germany) and Lisbon Medical Scool, University of Lisbon (Lisbon, Portugal).

1998 – 2002
PhD thesis work at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Heidelberg, Germany
Thesis Title: ‘Role and molecular mechanisms of phagocytosis in innate immunity of the human malaria vector, Anopheles gambiae’
Thesis Advisory Committee: Prof. Fotis Kafatos (group leader); Dr. Matthias Hentze (second supervisor); Prof. Jules Hoffmann (outside referee); Prof. Maria do Carmo-Fonseca (University supervisor)

1998
Medical Internship (Internal Medicine; Hepatology; Infectious Disease). Supervisors: Prof. M. Carneiro de Moura; Prof. F. Ramalho and Prof. F. Antunes. Santa Maria Hospital, Lisbon, Portugal

1991 – 1997
Medical Degree. University of Lisbon. Lisbon, Portugal

Biography: I started my academic career in Guatemala City, Guatemala, with a BS in Biology (1981), and a degree as a Medical Doctor(1985). I obtained my PhD in Biochemistry (1992) at the University of Arizona, USA. I did my post-doctoral training with Fotis Kafatos at Harvard University (1993-94) and EMBL (1994-98). I am currently working as an Assistant Professor at Colorado State University, USA.
My main areas of interest are the cell biology of plasmodium invasion of mosquito cells, the signal transduction that leads to activation of mosquito immune genes and their effect on malaria transmission. I love science, especially biological research. The biggest success in my career would be to contribute to a better understanding of malaria transmission, and that this work, together with that of other teams, leads to an improvement in the quality of life of people from developing countries.