Profile – Heart Zone

Education:

Univeridad Complutense in Madrid
Qualifications:

Degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology. MSC, PhD in Molecular and cellular Biology.
Work History:

I’ve worked in Madrid University, in the Spanish centre for Heart Research and in Oxford University
Current Job:

I am a postdoctoral researcher in Oxford University

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The heart in humans and mammals is not able to replace muscle cells when they die, as opposed to what happens with other organs, like the liver or the intestine. And it is a very important organ!! That’s why heart diseases are so life threatening, our hearts can’t heal itself. I am working trying to find ways to stimulate cardiac muscle cells to divide again, like they do when the heart is growing in the embryo. I work isolating microscopic vesicles that contain signals to induce these cells to divide and protects them against cell death.
My Typical Day:

Feed my cells, isolate little vesicles, use special microscopes to see how cells behave
What I'd do with the prize money:

I’d invite students to the lab to spend a day with me doing experiments,feeding beating cells and using microscopes to see them

Cristina Villa del Campo