2021•09•27     Mexico

We want to showcase the experience of our 2020 Fellow, Dr Estela Bini.  She is an Argentinian and Italian Microbiologist with a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences. She reminisces about her time in Mexico, on which her project was focused on binding Diabetes and Tuberculosis in an experimental model. Her team searched for a possible relationship factor among tuberculosis, lung cancer, and diabetes in an experimental murine model. 

In addition, she worked on another research project related to SARS-COV-2.  Along with her team efforts, the latter study was published on MDPI. Such analysis, titled: “Quinacrine, an Antimalarial Drug with Strong Activity Inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 Viral Replication In Vitro,” showcased how the most relevant antiviral activities of Qx are related to its ability to raise pH in acidic organelles, diminishing viral enzymatic activity for viral cell entry, and its ability to bind to viral DNA and RNA.  

Following the publication and thanks to her fellowship aid— Dr Bini shares how an opportunity arose to take a post-doctoral position at the UCD Centre for Experimental Pathogen Host Research (CEPHR) of University College of Dublin in Dublin, Ireland— where she is currently based. She is presently working in Sars Cov2 research. 

We are beyond pleased with her accomplishments and wish her continuous success in her following career steps.  

Watch the complete Dr Estela Bini’s

We invite you to stay tuned to our next enrolling period for UNU-BIOLAC Fellowships.

Our Fellowships

The UNU-BIOLAC fellowship programme focuses on overcoming limitations in the LAC region by improving abilities, skills, and techniques and promoting learning through the experiences of regional experts.

The programme consists of short fellowships to build strong research networks with training outputs that include research reports, policy recommendations, manuals, handbooks, protocols, and other reference materials. It is crucial for the programme that the knowledge acquired by fellows will benefit their institutions and country capacities.