Research

In our laboratories, our dedicated team is passionately driving several research projects that seek solutions to pressing questions that directly impact human life’s quality. Through the generous funding support we’ve received from various local and federal agencies, our talented students have embarked on their journey of scientific exploration by conducting research and establishing cutting-edge protocols that contribute to a broader understanding of the field.

 

Research Areas

Our research spans multiple fields, focusing in the use of high technology in a sustainable way to advance both science and social good.

Environmental Biotechnology

  • Homeostasis and Mechanisms of Action of Heavy Metals in Plants and Animals: Elucidation of biochemical and molecular changes due to response to heavy metal in plant and animal cells.
  • Bioremediation Projects: We explore the use of varios tropical plants species and microalgae to decontaminate organic and heavy metal pollutants in soil and water, significantly contributing to local environmental recovery.
  • Waste-to-Energy Initiatives: Research on converting agricultural waste into value products, minimizing waste, and promoting energy sustainability.

Industrial Biotechnology

  • Isolation and Characterization of Natural Products from Plants: Plant material is extracted and subjected to characterization using techniques such as liquid and gas chromatography, electrophoresis, and ultracentrifugation. Spectroscopic methods and biological testing are used for the evaluation of potential biological activities.
  • Biopolymers: Investigating the use of algae for producing biodegradable plastics, significantly reducing plastic pollution.
  • Bioprocessing of Biomass: Use of microorganisms and enzymes to transform raw materials into valuable products, including the production of enzymes, organic acids, amino acids, and other specialty chemicals.
  • Bio-stimulants: Study of natural substances derived from algae that enhance plant growth and development, improve nutrient uptake, and increase resilience to environmental stresses.

Health Biotechnology

  • Anticancer Properties of Seagrass: Extracts from different species of seagrass are studied to evaluate cytotoxic effects against various cancer cell lines, including those derived from breast, colon, liver, and lung cancers.
  • Epigenetics of Heavy Metals in Plants and Animals: Analysis of the epigenetic changes induced by heavy metals in gene expression that do not involve alterations to the underlying DNA sequence. The stress caused by heavy metals trigger epigenetic changes, including DNA methylation, histone modification, and alterations in non-coding RNA expression.
  • Bioactive Compounds in Tropical Crops: Besides their nutritional value, many crops produce bioactive compounds, including phenolics, flavonoids, and polysaccharides, known for their antioxidant properties and ability to promote health.
  • Medicinal plants from Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.

Agricultural Biotechnology

  • Food Security: Increase in agricultural resilience through innovation of modern micropropagation technologies of crops and by providing training for farmers. Promotion of sustainable agricultural practices and biodiversity conservation.
  • Drought-Resistant Crops: Use of molecular markers to identify plant varieties with enhanced resilience against climate change impacts.
  • Microbiome Research: Analysis of the diverse community of microorganisms interacting with crops and farm animals. Exploring the role of beneficial soil bacteria in improving crop yields and reducing dependency on chemical fertilizers.  Functional genes and metabolites produced by microbial communities have the potential to reveal interactions that contribute to plant health and soil fertility.
  • Physical and Chemical Composition of Soils from Puerto Rico: The physical and chemical composition of soils plays a crucial role in determining the health and productivity of ecosystems, particularly in agriculture, forestry, and land management. Using several analytical tools like atomic and emission spectroscopy, a comparative study is underway, which will generate vital information for a more sustainable and productive agriculture in Puerto Rico.
  • Genomic and Transcriptomic Tools to Study Orphan Crops of Puerto Rico: Genomic and transcriptomic tools are being used for advancing our understanding of crop biology, enhancing plant breeding, and improving agricultural productivity. This includes genome sequencing, that provides insights into genetic variations, assisting in the identification of genes associated with important traits.  Similarly transcriptomic analysis provides information on gene expression levels for crops under different conditions such as developmental stage and environmental settings.