MOLINS MONTEYS, Blanca

Academic training

PhD in Biomedicine, UNIVERSITY OF BARCELONA
Degree in Chemical Engineering, RAMON LLULL PRIVATE FOUNDATION UNIVERSITY

Professional experience

I became passionate in bioengineering and biomedical sciences during my Master’s Degree Project, as I had the unique
opportunity to join the Biomedical Engineering Center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. I hold a MS
degree in Chemical Engineering and a PhD in Biomedicine. During my PhD I focused my efforts on studying platelet
adhesion under flow conditions, for which I developed a dynamic in vitro system that allowed me to report for the first
time the prothrombotic phenotype of monomeric C-reactive protein (CRP). After my PhD I applied my knowledge and
experience into a different field in order to understand the molecular basis of intraocular inflammation. By closely
working with clinicians, I identified inflammatory biomarkers for a range of ocular disorders and actively contributed to
demonstrate the potential of interleuquin-6 as a target for macular edema. In parallel, I addressed the hypothesis that
CRP may be an active player in another inflammatory-related disease such as age-related macular degeneration
(AMD), and demonstrated the proinflammatory role of monomeric CRP in retinal barrier disruption, which I aim to
translate into the clinics. My experience at IBEC as a visiting researcher allowed me to learn new skills in biomaterial
engineering and stem cell technologies that I am now applying in desease modelling for AMD.
My research career has been shaped through the experience in different multidisciplinary and multicultural research
centers including three international centers such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, The Scripps Research
Institute, and the University of Bristol. I have published more than 40 research papers, of which 25 in first quartile, 14
as first author, and 6 as senior author and I have actively participated in several research projects. Notably, I have
shown my ability to secure funds from public (ISCiii) and private agencies as seen by my three grants as principal
investigator. With the aim to deliver science into society I enjoy participating in outreach activities, especially those
addressed to young minds. Besides collaborating with different teaching programs in the Master of Autoimmune
Diseases and the Master of Translational Medicine from the University of Barcelona, I have co-supervised one PhD
thesis, three Master ́s degree projects, and five Bachelor’s degree projects, and I hold AQU accreditation. I participate
in several editorial activities such as Review Editor of the journals Frontiers in Immunology and Frontiers in
Ophthalmology and I have edited two research topics related to CRP and chronic inflammation.