Ana Rey-Rico

We spoke to Ana Rey-Rico, InTalent 2017: “InTalent has come at just the right moment in my research career”

Ana Rey-Rico has a degree in Biology (both Molecular Biology and Biotechnology) from the University of Santiago de Compostela.

In 2011 she obtained her PhD in Pharmacy at the same university under the supervision of professors Carmen Álvarez-Lorenzo and Ángel Concheiro. Upon completion of her doctorate she joined professors Magali Cucchiarini and Henning Madry’s gene therapy group as a postdoctoral researcher at the Research Center for Experimental Orthopedics in Homburg/Saarland (Germany).

Throughout her research career she has published more than forty scientific articles, the majority of which are in the field of biomaterials and pharmaceutical technology, two book chapters and, additionally, some of the results of her research have been protected by two patents. She has also been awarded distinctions such as the HOMFOR grant from the University of Saarland and the Julio Sánchez Freire prize from the Real Academia de Farmacia de Galicia.

Ana Rey-Rico is currently a researcher with the InTalent-UDC Inditex Programme and we interviewed her to find out how she is enjoying the experience.

 

1. In what moment of your career does the InTalent Programme arrive? What does this programme mean to you and how do you believe it will affect your future as a researcher?

InTalent has come at just the right moment in my research career. After spending five years in Germany, and about to finish my German Research Foundation (DFG) funded contract, I was at a point in my career in which I was weighing up new professional challenges to continue my research in another country.

I believe that InTalent will have a very positive influence on my future, not only by providing me the opportunity to begin my career as an independent researcher at home, but also by giving me the correct tools and environment to grow professionally and acquire enough experience in order to gain a more stable academic post.

 

I believe that InTalent will have a very positive influence on my future, not only by providing me the opportunity to begin my career as an independent researcher at home, but also by giving me the correct tools and environment to grow professionally and acquire enough experience in order to gain a more stable academic post.

 

2. After your research stay at the Universität des Saarlandes (Germany), was coming back to Spain part of your plans?

 Truth be told I had always hoped to be able to return to Spain one day. After spending five years abroad you miss being close to your family. However, in spite of that, it had always seemed difficult due to the competition in the workplace caused by the difficult times for the research community in our country.

 

3. What made you apply to the InTalent-UDC Inditex Programme?

 I found out about the InTalent Programme through a friend who spoke to me about the call, I will be forever grateful to her. When I read the requirements, I realized it was an exceptional opportunity for me to begin my career as an independent researcher here in Spain, so I did not hesitate in applying.

 

When I read the requirements, I realized it was an exceptional opportunity for me to begin my career as an independent researcher here in Spain, so I did not hesitate in applying.

 

4. Tell us about the research project that you are going to carry out at the UDC. What results do you hope to obtain from your research?

My research project focuses on obtaining gene activated matrices through a combination of non-viral gene transfer vectors and biomaterials adapted for the regeneration of cartilage. On one hand, the aim of these systems is to evade the drawbacks normally associated with using non-viral vectors in gene therapy through the controlled supply of genetic information at the selected targets. On the other hand, it may lead to finding new treatments for stimulating cartilage repair processes at lesion sites.

 

5. How have you been made to feel at home in the Advanced Scientific Research Centre (CICA) where you are carrying out your research? What stands out the most for you about CICA?

The welcome could not have been better, the group of people who make up the centre is excellent, both on a professional and personal level. In addition, the facilities and the multidisciplinary atmosphere at CICA, which is made up of researchers from different fields such as Chemistry, Biotechnology and the Environment, are ideal for carrying out my project. Meanwhile, the existence of the CICA-INIBIC strategic group is a fantastic initiative for establishing new and productive collaborations.

 

6. You mention that you are part of a strategic group, the CICA-INIBIC group. What does that entail?

The CICA-INIBIC strategic group is made up of research groups from the following areas: biomedicine, biotechnology, new materials and the environment. The strategic aims of the group are:

1) To encourage synergies and scientific and technological complementarities through the forming of collaborative research activities, transfer and training.

2) Strengthen individual characteristics of the groups that make it up as a consequence of taking advantage of economies of scale.

3) Globalize research insofar as its different development phases are integrated

 

Click here to read our interview with Jaime Rodríguez, the group’s coordinator of the CICA-INIBIC Strategic Group

 

7. And, finally, are you thinking about applying to any other calls or projects in the coming years?

At the moment my priority is applying to the ERC Starting Grants. Although it is a highly competitive call, I will try my best to offer the best possible proposal, with the quality and innovation that a grant of these characteristics requires.

 

Links of interest:

Ana Rey-Rico

Interview with Jaime Rodríguez, the group’s coordinator of the CICA-INIBIC Strategic Group

ERC Starting Grants, a great opportunity to achieve job security

Advanced Scientific Research Centre

Call InTalent 2018

 

 



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