Mariela Pérez

Mariela Pérez-Cárdenas holds a Bachelor’s in Biotechnology from Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas (ESPE) and a Master’s in Bioinformatics and Systems Biology from The University of Manchester (UK). Her research combines molecular biology, metagenomics, and bioinformatics to study bacterial populations of scientific and industrial importance in diverse environments.

She has led and collaborated on projects ranging from Antarctic bioenergy potential to advanced molecular diagnostics. Currently, she is involved in the Establishment of the Korea-Ecuador National Genetic Resources Data Bank for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity in Ecuador, a collaborative initiative with KOICA, NIBR, and INABIO.

With expertise in data analysis, 3D protein modeling, and sequence analysis, she combines a strong technical foundation with extensive hands-on experience in laboratory management.

Research Interests

• Molecular biology
• Bioinformatics
• Protein modelling
• Metagenomics

Selected Publications

1. Castillo-Mendieta, K.; Agüero-Chapin, G.; Marquez, E.; Perez-Castillo, Y.; Barigye, S. J.; Pérez-Cárdenas, M.; Peréz-Giménez, F.; Marrero-Ponce, Y. Multiquery Similarity Searching Models: An Alternative Approach for Predicting Hemolytic Activity from Peptide Sequence. Chem. Res. Toxicol. 2024, 37(4), March 19. DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.3c00408.
2. García, W., Pérez-Cárdenas, M., Trivino-Cepeda, K., Zurita-Leal, A. C., & Gudiño Gomezjurado, M. E. (2024). Antimicrobial activity of edaphic microorganisms against clinically relevant bacteria. Bionatura Journal, September 15, 2024.
3. Pazmiño-Arias, E., Montero-Calderon, A., Pérez-Cárdenas, M., Gudiño Gomezjurado, M. E., & MacDonald, L. J. (2024). From local bacterial communities to energy: Application of microbial fuel cells in laboratory experimentation. Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education, 2024(27). https://doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.00133-24
4. Álvarez, F. J., Pérez-Cárdenas, M., Gudiño, M., & Tellkamp, M. P. (2021). Tips for a reduction of false positives in manual RT-PCR diagnostics of SARS-CoV-2. Bionatura, 6(3), 11. https://doi.org/10.21931/RB/2021.06.03.11
5. Galarza, J. M., Barquera, R., Álvarez, A. M. T., Hernández Zaragoza, D. I., Sevilla, G. P., Tamayo, A., Pérez, M., Dávila, D., Birnberg, L., Alonzo, V. A., et al. (2018). Genetic diversity of the HLA system in human populations from the Sierra (Andean), Oriente (Amazonian) and Costa (Coastal) regions of Ecuador. Human Immunology, 79(9), 617–624. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.humimm.2018.06.004

Research Projects

1. Antarctic Electrobiotechnology – Bioenergetic Potential of Antarctic Microbes. Collaboration with INOCAR and Yachay Tech
2. Serological and Molecular Diagnosis for the Detection of Paratuberculosis in Sheep in Ecuador.
3. Establishment of the Korea-Ecuador National Genetic Resources Data Bank for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity in Ecuador – Collaboration with KOICA, INABIO, NIBR