2018

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Laura Marroquí Esclapez

Laura Marroquí Esclapez

https://idibe.es/about/marroqui-esclapez/

www.isletbiologylab.es

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ORCID

lmarroqui@umh.es

Finish date: 2019

Affiliation: Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche (UMH)

I completed part of my Degree in Biology from the University of Alicante (first cycle between 2002-2004) and then graduated in Biochemistry from the Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH) (2004-2006). In 2008, I obtained my Master of Advanced Studies from the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology (IBMC), UMH. In 2012, I obtained my doctorate degree in Bioengineering with a work focused on the effects of leptin on gene expression and glucagon secretion in pancreatic alpha cells. Due to the quality of my PhD project, I have been awarded a cum laude distinction and an Extraordinary Doctorate Award. Of note, my doctorate was supported by a fellowship awarded by the Generalitat Valenciana government (BFPI/2008/193).

Early in 2012, I moved to Brussels to work at the ULB Center for Diabetes Research (ULBCDR), located at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB). Until January 2017, my postdoctoral training at the ULBCDR was supported by a very prestigious and competitive fellowship granted by the Belgium National Fund for Scientific Research (FNRS). At the ULBCDR my research line focused on the study of candidate genes for type 1 diabetes (T1D) and their role in pancreatic beta cell survival. In addition, I started a new research line in the lab in which I investigated the role of interferon α in T1D pathogenesis.

Toward the end of my postdoctoral training in Brussels I was awarded a two-years Juan de la Cierva-Incorporación fellowship (IJCI-2015-24482), which supported my reincorporation into the UMH in 2017. Only one year later, in 2018, I obtained my first grant as part of the Scientific Excellence Grants for Junior Researchers (SEJI/2018/023) programme of the Generalitat Valenciana, with the project entitled "Discovery of new therapeutic objectives for the treatment of type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes based on cell survival strategies pancreatic alpha". This has been my first step towards scientific independence as I have started my own research group working on T1D within the Institute of Research, Development, and Innovation in Healthcare Biotechnology in Elche (IDiBE, UMH). In addition, I am part of the consortium Beating GOLIATH funded by The European Union Horizon 2020 (grant agreement nº 825489). I currently have three people working in my research team: two technicians and a postgraduate student.

Since February 2019 I am an Assistant Professor (Profesor Ayudante Doctor) of the Department of Physiology at the UMH.

Regarding my scientific production, I have authored 37 scientific articles (14 of them as first author and/or corresponding author) that have been published in high-impact international journals (89% in the first quartile; 51% in the first decile), as well as one book chapter. Moreover, my research has been presented in more than 45 national and international meetings. I have more than 900 citations and an h-index of 18 (according to Scopus) or 21 (according to Google Scholar).

I am currently a member of the following scientific societies: the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), the Spanish Diabetes Society (SED), and the Islet Society. I am also a member of the "Diabetes and Associated Metabolic Diseases Networking Biomedical Research Centre" (CIBERDEM) and of the "Spanish Network of Research Groups in Nuclear Receptors" (NURCAMEIN).

I have already worked as a Reviewer for more than 10 journals, including Scientific Reports, Endocrine Connections, and Frontiers in Endocrinology Additionally, I have evaluated projects for the Ministry of Science, Technology and Productive Innovation (FONCyT), Argentina.

People associated with the project as technical support staff: 2