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My research focuses on unraveling the physiological circuits connecting different compartments of the gastrointestinal tract and exocrine glands in health and disease. I am particularly curious about how diverse components of the gastrointestinal system interact, especially how salivary glands act as exocrine/endocrine rheostats and immune hubs, adapting the entire gastrointestinal circuitry to dynamic perturbations. My overall goal is to contribute to a more integrated understanding of disorders that affect multiple regions of the gastrointestinal system and beyond.

My current work investigates how intestinal diseases influence oral homeostasis, combining insights from oral immunology with advanced spatial biology technologies such as spatial transcriptomics and proteomics.

My research journey began with a background in clinical dentistry (DMD) from the University of Chile and advanced training in mucosal immunology. During my PhD, I studied the immunogenicity and virulence of oral pathogens associated with periodontitis, which sparked my interest in mucosal immunity and host-pathogen interactions.

Since joining the Karolinska Institute as a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Eduardo Villablanca’s lab, I have worked extensively with models of intestinal inflammation and colorectal cancer. This experience allowed me to develop expertise in intestinal mucosal immunology/physiology, spatial transcriptomics, proteomics, and advanced animal models, which expanded during my training to salivary gland physiology and immunity.

My work has been supported by several Swedish grants, including those from the Lars Hierta Memorial Foundation, the Loo and Hans Osterman Foundation, and the Swedish Cancer Society (Cancerfonden) Postdoctoral Fellowship, as well as European grants from the Osteology Foundation and the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organization (ECCO) Research Grant 2024. I have also received international recognition, including the 2023 IADR Osteology Foundation New Investigator Award in Oral Tissue Regeneration.

I was recently awarded a Vetenskapsrådet (Swedish Research Council) Starting Grant, which will enable me to establish my independent research group at the Department of Medicine, Solna, Karolinska Institute. My lab will focus on understanding how the gastrointestinal system adapts to dynamic challenges, intending to bridge fundamental biology and translational research.

Fellowships and Grants

• 2024. Swedish Research Council (VR) Starting Grant (6.000.000SEK) 
• 2023. KI internal funding for : "Expanding the horizons of GI tract Immunology and Microbiology" (197 KSEK)
• 2023. European Crohn's and Colitis Organization (ECCO) Research Grant (920 KSEK)
• 2023. IADR Osteology Foundation in Oral Tissue
  Regeneration (795 KSEK)
• 2023. Swedish Society for Immunology (SWIMM) Travel Grant (6 KSEK)
• 2022. Travel Grant for assistance to Gordon Research Conference in
  Immunochemistry and Immunobiology, Barcelona, Spain.
• 2022. Cancerfonden (The Swedish Cancer Society) Postdoctoral Grant (2.1 MSEK)
• 2022. Karolinska Institute foundation Research Grant (109.7 KSEK)
• 2022. Lars Hierta Memorial Foundation Research Grant (50 KSEK)
• 2021. Loo and Hans Osterman Foundation Research Grant (150 KSEK)
• 2021. Osteology Young Researcher Grant (350 KSEK)
• 2018. Funding for PhD operational expenses from the Chilean Government.
• 2018. Travel grant for assistance to International Conference from the
  Chilean Government.
• 2018. Scholarship for 10 months Internship abroad (Sweden) from the
  Chilean Government.
• 2016. PhD fellowship ANID 21170297 from the Chilean Government (4 years
  salary)
• 2016. Travel grant for assistance to International Conference from the
  Chilean Government.

Extraintestinal manifestations of intestinal disorders, oral-gut axis, salivary glands physiology, and immunity.

Students’ supervision

2020 –Current
Eduardo Villablanca’s Laboratory, Immunology and Allergy Unit, Department of Medicine, Solna. Karolinska Institute.

• ·       Master’s degree: Jente Wagenaar (5 months, Master in Bio̽����ѡ Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
• ·       Fulbright Fellowship: Kimberley Tran (1 year, Bachelor of Arts in Molecular Biology, Princeton University, USA)
• ·       Bachelor Thesis: Lisa Richt (2 months, School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Germany)
• ·       PhD Internship: Cathleen Krabak (8 weeks, Immunology PhD program, Harvard Medical School, USA)
• ·       PhD Internship: André Amorim (2 months, Microbiology PhD program, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
• ·       Master’s degree: Joyce van de Ven (8 months, Master internship Immunology, Molecular Mechanisms of Disease Master, Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen, The Netherlands)
• ·       Summer School in Medical Research: Xenia Tolstoy (8 weeks, KI Summer School in Medical Research, Karolinska Institute, Sweden)
• ·       Santander Scholarship for Internship in Medical Research within Europe: Valentina Olmedo (7 months, Bachelor Dentistry program, Faculty of Dentistry, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile)
• ·       Research Introductory Course for Bio̽����ѡ Students 3 (1QA120). Katarína Bankóová (8 weeks, Karolinska Institute, Sweden)
• ·       Master’s degree: Laura Geerlings (8 months, Master internship Immunology, Bio̽����ѡ Sciences Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
• Summer School in Medical Research: Katarína Bankóová (8 weeks, KI Summer School in Medical Research, Karolinska Institute, Sweden
• 
  2018 – 2020

Periodontal Biology Lab. Dentistry Faculty, Universidad de Chile.

• Theses to obtain the Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry degree:
  • Claudia Arias Abarca. Thesis approved with the highest score (7.0). 2020.
  • Francisca Castillo Perez. Thesis approved with the highest score (7.0). 2019.
  • Jose Matias Guevara. Thesis approved with the highest score (7.0). 2018.
  • Victoria Budini Jorquera. Thesis approved with the highest score (7.0). 2018.
  • Juan Pablo Ibarra Torres. Thesis approved with the highest score (7.0). 2018