Marcela Nunes Argentin

Marcela Nunes Argentin holds a Bachelor's degree in Physical and Biomolecular Sciences from the University of São Paulo, with a Masters and Ph.D. from the Applied Physics to Molecular Biology program at the same institution. During her undergraduate studies, she conducted scientific research in the Sérgio Mascarenhas Biophysics and Structural Biology Group, focusing on anaerobic microorganisms from oil reservoirs. In the same group, she completed her Masters and Ph.D. in the Applied Physics to Molecular Biology program at the University of São Paulo, focusing on the search for thermo-halophilic microorganisms that produce biosurfactants isolated from oil reservoirs. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Laboratory of Epidemiology and Molecular Microbiology at the São Carlos Institute of Physics, University of São Paulo, working on the project Genomic and phenotypic characterization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from hospital and community settings and the search for new antibacterial agents, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Ilana Lopes Baratella da Cunha Camargo. The project focuses on genomic characterization (using Illumina and Nanopore sequencing), analysis of antimicrobial susceptibility profiles, and identification of genetic elements related to resistance and virulence. It also includes the evaluation of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and bacteriophages with therapeutic potential as new alternatives against multidrug-resistant strains. She has experience in the fields of Microbiology, cultivation of thermo-halophilic bacteria, production, purification, and characterization of biomolecules, antimicrobial activity assays against fungi and resistant microorganisms, and operation of the Omnilog system (Biolog), a multi-user piece of equipment acquired through CIBFar (Center for Research and Innovation in Biodiversity and Drugs). (Source: Lattes Curriculum)