Biography
Dr. Martina Paoletta is a molecular biologist and researcher at the Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular (IABIMO, INTA-CONICET, Argentina). She obtained her PhD in Biological Sciences from the University of Buenos Aires in 2019, where she specialized in molecular and cellular parasitology. Her research focuses on understanding host–parasite interactions in vector-borne apicomplexan pathogens, particularly Babesia and Plasmodium species. Martina has led projects on the functional characterization of perforin-like and rhoptry proteins and on the development of diagnostic tools and immunoassays for bovine babesiosis. She recently completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Umeå University (Sweden), where she studied exported Plasmodium proteins using CRISPR/Cas9-based genetic approaches. Research interests
My research focuses on molecular mechanisms of host–parasite interaction in vector-borne apicomplexan pathogens, particularly Babesia bovis and Plasmodium spp. I am interested in identifying and characterizing parasite proteins involved in host cell invasion, immune evasion, and transmission, with the aim of discovering novel targets for vaccine or diagnostic development. My work combines molecular and cellular biology with functional genomics and protein biochemistry approaches. I am also interested in comparative analyses across Apicomplexa to identify conserved virulence factors and immune modulators relevant to veterinary and zoonotic diseases within a One Health framework. Projects you're working on
Research on the molecular biology of Babesia species to support the study and control of bovine babesiosis.
Identification and characterization of a novel antigen shared by B. bovis, B. bigemina, and B. divergens, including generation of antisera for seroneutralization assays and evaluation as a vaccine candidate.
Establishment of CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing in B. bovis, enabling gene knockouts and tagged lines for functional studies.
Design and optimization of a nanobody-based competitive ELISA for molecular diagnosis of B. bovis. Discipline
Cellular biology Epidemiology Immunology – B-cells Immunology – T-cells Immunology – innate Molecular biology Parasitology Protein biology Host species
Buffalo Cattle Small ruminants Pathogen
Parasites Parasites›Babesia Parasites›Neospora Parasites›Ticks Parasites›Trypanosoma Stage of vaccine development
Antigen discovery and immunogen design Clinical trials Field trials