Hi! It's MARTINA WECERA

Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT, and Harvard

Cambridge, United States Jun – Aug 2023

Summer Undergraduate Researcher.
Principal Investigator: Dr. Facundo Batista, PhD

Research: Stitched together: in silico optimization of a potent neutralizing anti-malarial antibody GPA: 9.22/10.00 (+ 1.7 points above historic school average GPA)

• Developed a pioneering pipeline for rational antibody design, resulting in a new best-in-class variant that could potentially reduce clinical trial dose costs due to a significant boost in affinity.
• Designed algorithms for protein sequence modeling and interactions affinity predictions.
• Conducted cloning, expression, and purification of more than 20 candidates, evaluating their affinity through ELISA and biolayer interferometry, aligning the results with model-score ranges.

Laboratorio de Investigación y Desarrollo de Bioactivos (LIDeB - UNLP)

La Plata, Argentina Sep 2023 – Present

Undergraduate Researcher.
Principal Investigator: Dr. Alan Talevi, PhD

Thesis: Search for new anticonvulsants with sweet or umami taste through virtual screening

• Explored the connection between taste receptors and metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGlu) to identify potential therapeutic compounds capable of modulating mGlu receptors associated with epilepsy.
• Curated and analyzed a 2000 ligand dataset, applied machine learning tools and QSAR modelling, conducted virtual screenings and identified potential compounds that underwent validation via molecular docking and animal model assays.

Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata (INIBIOLP)

La Plata, Argentina Mar 2022 – Aug 2023

Undergraduate Researcher.
Advisor: Dr. Boris Rodenak Kladniew, PhD

Research: Development, characterization and in vitro evaluation of bioactive hybrid nanoparticles for the transport, controlled release and enhanced effect of repositioning drugs in lung cancer

• EVC CIN 2022: Merit-based fellowship "Incentive for Scientific Vocations" from the National Interuniversity Council of Argentina. Selected among top 10% of applicants nationwide across diverse scientific, technological, and artistic disciplines for one-year research experience.
• Participated in interdisciplinary collaboration to develop lipid nanoparticles and characterize its physical and chemical properties with the Institute of Theoretical and Applied Physicochemical Research (INIFTA), and the Laboratory of Nanobiomaterials (CINDEFI).
• Maintained and propagated cell lines through routine passaging and subculturing. Evaluated the in vitro cytotoxicity and antitumoral activity. Determined drug uptake using fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry, and measured impact on cell viability, apoptosis, and cell cycle.

Hospital Interzonal General de Agudos (HIGA) “General San Martín”

La Plata, Argentina Sep - Dec 2023

Biochemistry Intern.

Rotation Areas: Hematology, Blood Draw, Urine Analysis, Clinical Chemistry, Internal Environment, Guardd.