December 2017
Our December Ambassador of the Month is Cristina Artaza Irigaray, a PhD candidate from University of Guadalajara in Mexico. Cristina is a passionate young immunologist who has played an active role as an Immunopaedia ambassador by contributing an Immunologist of the month interview article. Thank you for all the hard work Cristina.
Name: Cristina Artaza Irigaray
Position: PhD candidate at University of Guadalajara, Mexico
Research Institute: Centro de Investigación Biomédica de Occidente (CIBO-IMSS)
Research interests: Human papillomavirus, molecular biology, onco-immunology
Publications:
Artaza-Irigaray C., Flores-Miramontes M. G., Olszewski D., Magaña-Torres M. T., López-Cardona M. G., Leal-Herrera Y. A., Piña-Sánchez P., Jave-Suárez L. F., Aguilar-Lemarroy A. (2017) “Genetic variability in E6, E7 and L1 genes of Human Papillomavirus 62 and its prevalence in Mexico.”, Infectious Agents and Cancer, 12:15.
López-Mateo, I., Arruabarrena-Aristorena, A., Artaza-Irigaray, C., López, J. A., Calvo, E., & Belandia, B. (2016). HEY1 functions are regulated by its phosphorylation at Ser-68. Bioscience Reports, 36(3), e00343.
Why I love immunology: I love immunology because it studies the main “warriors” that we have inside us that help us to stay alive and disease free. I find it thrilling to work in the laboratory with aim of a gaining a better understanding of the immune system, that will provide knowledge that will directly feed into the development of new prophylaxis and therapeutic treatments. Additionally, I find the field very exciting because there are still many aspects of immunology that we know very little about, that are still waiting to be discovered.
If I wasn’t an immunologist I would be: A constant traveler 😉
Tips for young people who want to enter the field of immunology: Be open minded and curious to learn more. Do not forget the reasons or ambitions that pushed you to become an immunologist. Always discuss, network and collaborate with other people and research groups, because by working together we shall reach our goals and progress faster as an immunological community.
What being an Immunopaedia Ambassador means to me: To me it means spreading the word of immunology and the amazing Immunopaedia project. I am passionate about immunology, being an ambassador is a platform for me to meet people that share the same interests and potentially start new collaborations.
How I have contributed to Immunopaedia so far: I have recommended the website to many students and researchers. I have contributed to the website by providing an interview I conducted of an Immunologist that studies cytotoxic T cells.
You can get in touch with me by: Linkedin; ResearchGate