Patricia Ferreira Neila

Centre: Dpto Bioquímica y Biología Molecular y Celular
Institution: University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza (España)
Position: Researcher from the University of Zaragoza
E-mail: ferreira@unizar.es
Phone: 876 553774
Profile:  Ver

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4076-6118
Área del BIFI: Área de Biofísica
Línea de investigación del BIFI: Flavoenzimas: mecanismos de acción y biotecnología
Palabras clave: Biología estructural, oxidorreductasas, biocatálisis, Factor de Inducción de Apoptosis, Compuestos bioactivos

Personal statement 
I completed my PhD at the Margarita Salas-CSIC Biological Research Centre in the Lignocellulosic Biomass Biotechnology group, with stays at the universities of Wageningen and Zaragoza. I continued my training at the College of Medicine of Drexel University (USA). I ​​returned to the CIB-Margaritas Salas as a contract researcher, later joining the University of Zaragoza and the BIFI University Institute with a Juan de la Cierva contract. I am currently a Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Secretary Professor of the Faculty of Sciences and head researcher of the Biochemistry, Biophysics, Computational Biology Group – “GBsC” (BIFI, Unizar), a CSIC Associate Unit.

Researcher profile identity
Currently, I am the principal investigator of the group “Flavoenzymes: mechanism of action and Biotechnology”. My research focuses on the mechanisms of action of proteins of interest, as a key tool to exploit their biotechnological and biomedical potential. I use biochemical, biophysical and bioinformatics approaches for the expression, purification, redesign and functional-structural characterization of proteins.

In particular, I am interested in the identification of new enzymes, mainly oxidase-type oxidoreductases, with applications in industrial biocatalysis. I study these enzymes in preparative scale reactions and in enzymatic cascades that allow the synthesis of compounds of interest.

From a more biomedical perspective, I investigate the molecular and pathological bases of disorders associated with flavoenzymes, especially a group of neurodegenerative mitochondrial disorders associated with hereditary point mutations in the human Apoptosis Induction Factor. Key studies for the development of new therapeutic avenues of action.

Why my research is important
Biotechnology is a powerful tool for building the transition towards a more sustainable society based on the circular economy. The search for new biocatalysts is key to developing synthesis methods in the chemical industry that reduce energy demand and minimise environmental impact. In this line, the enzymatic oxidations of alcohols on which we work constitute a greener alternative to conventional chemical methods for the production of aldehydes, which are versatile intermediates in the synthesis of products of interest (aromas, drugs, cosmetics, food ingredients…).

In the field of biomedicine, understanding the molecular bases underlying key proteins such as the Apoptosis Induction Factor, whose alteration is associated with various diseases, is essential for both basic and applied science. This type of research not only allows us to better understand the clinical characteristics of these pathologies, but also facilitates the identification of distinctive features that may be crucial to improve the diagnosis and treatment of related disorders.

Know more about me and my research
– https://bifi.es/es/biofisica/