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Alejandra Urioste is a biochemist and a pharmacist who graduated from the University of Buenos Aires (Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquimica), Argentina. During her residency in Clinical Immunology and her PhD project, she worked mostly on the immune response against HIV and HCV. Alejandra is currently at the Histocompatibility Laboratory at the “Carlos G. Durand” General Hospital where she works on alloimmune response and kidney transplantation. The Histocompatibility Laboratory is the only public laboratory in the City of Buenos Aires involved in the National Transplantation Program.
We would love to hear more about your ongoing research. What projects are you currently working on and how do they impact the field?
I worked on the immune mechanism of tissue-resident kidney macrophages. Recently, my interests have been in biomarkers on kidney transplantation and HLA (Human Leukocyte Antigens)-related diseases.
There are many areas of science and immunology is quite broad and complex. What inspired you to choose this branch of science over others?
I have always been interested in the transplantation field for personal reasons AND it is a field not fully developed, with many questions still to be answered, both in the clinical and research areas.
What specifically stood out about Immunopaedia that made you want to be an ambassador?
I would love to spread Transplantation Immunology knowledge and Immunopaedia is the perfect place to do this. Students need to find information on immunology, as it is unlikely that they will be interested in a field that they don’t know about. That is why I believe in creating a communication channel for immunology – and Immunopaedia is doing that!
Based on your own experience, what one piece of advice would you give someone who wants to study/research immunology?
It is easy to feel confused with all the information when you study immunology… lots of molecules… and immune cells with specific functions…it is easy to become confused. Don’t become anxious, rather take your time and try to understand. Don’t try to learn everything all at once. Immunology is a long but fantastic trip, with many areas that you can work in. Just be patient and you will find your passion in the field.
If not immunology, then what? Which other field(s) would have benefited from your contribution and why?
Immunology is related to other fields that I love: Genetics and Molecular Biology. Understanding the genetic mechanisms in immunology is critical for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, and molecular biology is one of the key techniques. For example, in transplantation, the histocompatibility study includes the genotypic characterization of the HLA antigens between donors and recipients.
What has been a moment of unexpected joy or surprise in your scientific career that has stayed with you?
After years of hard work, I felt incredibly happy when I received recognition for my research work in my residency and PhD from different scientific societies in Argentina. It all happened all at once, and after that, I had the chance to work abroad and start my journey in the transplantation field. I feel so lucky for that opportunity, and I hope I can move forward with my scientific career, while not leaving behind my passion for clinical work and teaching.
To have a better understanding of where your input lies in immunology, may we please have your most recent publications?
Urioste A, Capecce E, Holoveski L, Cantisano C, Balbaryski J, Gaddi E. “Prevalence and characteristics of hypergammaglobulinemias in a pediatric population”. Revista Pediátrica Elizalde; 7 (1): 17– 21. 2016. (in Spanish).
Barboni G, Balbaryski J, Urioste A, Candi M, Laucella S, Gaddi E. “Restoration of recent thymic emigrant CD4+ T cells is associated with sustained adherence to antiretroviral treatment in HIV-infected children”. Scand J Immunol.;00:e12838. 2019.
Polo ML, Ghiglione Y, Salido J, Urioste A, Poblete G, Sisto A, Martinez A, Rolón MJ, Ojeda D, Cahn P, Turk G, Laufer N. “Liver cirrhosis in HIV/HCV‐coinfected individuals is related to NK cell dysfunction and exhaustion, but not to an impaired NK cell modulation by CD4+ T‐cells”. J Int AIDS Soc.; 22(9): e25375. 2019.
