Ciencias Exactas y Ciencias de la Salud
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/11285/551014
Pertenecen a esta colección Tesis y Trabajos de grado de los Doctorados correspondientes a las Escuelas de Ingeniería y Ciencias así como a Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud.
Browse
Search Results
- Fabrication of binary and ternary semiconductors as gas sensing devices: stoichiometric design and functional engineering studies(Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, 2025-12-05) Rueda Castellanos, Kevin; Karthik Tangirala, Venkata Krishna; mtyahinojosa, emipsanchez; Henao Martínez, José Antonio; Dutt, Ateet; García García, Andrés David; School of Engineering and Sciences; Campus Estado de México; García Farrera, BrendaMetal-oxide semiconductor (MOS) sensors play a key role in environmental monitoring, healthcare diagnostics, and industrial safety due to their robustness, scalability, and low fabrication cost. However, achieving reliable selectivity and stability under realistic conditions remains a major challenge, often limited by the interplay between material composition, defect chemistry, and synthesis-dependent microstructure. To address this issue, the present work investigates the Zn–Sn–O ternary system as a tunable materials platform for CO and acetone sensing, focusing on how synthesis route and stoichiometry influence structural and functional behavior. Three complementary fabrication methods were employed to produce Zn–Sn–O materials with controlled composition and morphology: physical vapor deposition by magnetron sputtering (PVD-RMS), ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP), and chemical co-precipitation (CP). Each method provided distinct thermodynamic and kinetic environments that governed phase formation, crystallinity, and grain morphology. The synthesized materials were systematically characterized through X-ray diffraction with Rietveld refinement, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy, XPS, and SEM/EDS to correlate synthesis conditions with crystal structure and surface features. Gas-sensing performance toward CO and acetone was evaluated using a custom-built dynamic sensing system under standardized temperature and concentration ranges, allowing direct comparison across thin-film and powder-based architectures. Among the tested samples, the SZ50-450-USP thin film exhibited the highest acetone sensing performance at 300 °C, with response and recovery times of 193 s and 207 s, respectively, and a maximum sensing response of 87 %. These results demonstrate that balanced Zn/Sn ratios and controlled microstructural evolution significantly enhance sensitivity and stability. Based on the structural and functional analyses, a sensing mechanism is proposed that links preferential crystallographic orientation, grain size, and oxygen-vacancy distribution to the adsorption–desorption dynamics of target gases. The comparative study highlights the importance of synthesis–structure–property relationships in optimizing gas-sensing performance and provides a reproducible framework for designing Zn–Sn–O-based semiconducting oxides for selective VOC detection, with potential applications in medical diagnostics via breath analysis.
- Valorization of berry by-products and waste based on a circular bioeconomy scheme: generation of prototypes and their biological and functional characterization(Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, 2025-12-03) Hurtado Romero, Alejandra; García Cayuela, Tomás; mtyahinojosa, emipsanchez; Rodríquez Martínez, Verónica; Luzardo Ocampo, Iván; Paloma Barajas Álvarez; Zárate, Gabriela; García Amézquita, Luis Eduardo; Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias; Campus Guadalajara; Carrillo Nieves, DanayMexico is a global leader in berry production; however, the industry faces significant challenges in managing the considerable waste generated throughout the production chain. Large amounts of skins, pulp, and seeds, known as berry bagasse, remain underutilized. These residues are often discarded without treatment, resulting in the loss of valuable phytochemicals. Consequently, the development of effective strategies for the valorization of berry by-products is urgently required. Recent studies indicate that berry bagasse retains substantial levels of sugars, phenolic compounds, and other bioactive molecules, making it a promising source of functional ingredients. Comprehensive analyses of strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, and blackberry by-products have identified a wide variety of phenolic compounds, with blackberry bagasse exhibiting particularly strong antimicrobial activity. Moreover, several probiotic strains, including Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG and Lentilactobacillus kefiri BIOTEC014, can utilize strawberry and blueberry bagasses as carbon sources. Solid-state fermentation (SSF) has also emerged as an innovative strategy to improve the bioactivity of blueberry residues. SSF with Aspergillus niger ATCC 6275 and Rhizopus oryzae BIOTEC018 significantly increases the release of bound phenolics, enhancing the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential of the resulting extracts. This approach enables the generation of metabolites with notable biological benefits and offers valuable opportunities for nutraceutical and biofortified food applications. The incorporation of berry by-products into dairy matrices further demonstrates their industrial potential. Blueberry bagasse powder and syrup have been successfully integrated into synbiotic Petit Suisse cheese, increasing fiber content, improving antioxidant capacity, and maintaining probiotic viability during storage. Sensory evaluations show high consumer acceptance, particularly in formulations combining both syrup and bagasse. Likewise, frozen dairy snacks enriched with blueberry bagasse and probiotics exhibit high nutritional quality, increased dietary fiber, strong antioxidant activity, and excellent probiotic stability during freezing and digestion. These products also receive strong consumer approval, reinforcing the feasibility of using berry residues to develop functional and sustainable foods. Overall, the valorization of berry by-products represents a sustainable strategy to reduce waste while generating high-value functional ingredients and innovative food products.
- Development of biosensor-based diagnostic systems for breast cancer using biorecognition engineering techniques and machine learning approaches for biomarker discovery(Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, 2025-07-25) Mayoral Peña, Kalaumari; De Donato Capote, Marcos; emipsanchez; Artzi, Natalie; Víctor Manuel Treviño Alvarado; Alfaro Ponce, Mariel; School of Engineering and Sciences; Campus Monterrey; González Peña, Omar IsraelCancer is the second cause of mortality worldwide, while breast cancer is the second leading cause of global female mortality. Diagnosing and treating breast cancer patients at early stages is relevant for successful treatment and increasing the patient's survival rate. However, early diagnosis of this complex disease is challenging, especially in populations with limited healthcare services. As a result, developing more accessible and accurate diagnostic tools is necessary. The development of low-cost biosensor technologies that have been relevant in the last two decades, but these technologies are still in the process of reaching maturity. For these reasons, we decided to study two promising technologies that can be implemented in cancer biosensor development: 1) biorecognition engineering techniques; 2) machine learning approaches for biomarker discovery. The first technology comprises alternative techniques to generate molecules and molecule-based scaffolds with similar properties to those presented by antibodies. In this study, we presented a systematic analysis of the scientific peer-reviewed literature in the Web of Science from the last two decades to present the fundamentals of this technology and address questions about how it has been implemented in biosensors for cancer detection. The three techniques analyzed were molecularly imprinted polymers, recombinant antibodies, and antibody mimetic molecules. The PRISMA methodology included 131 scientific from 2019 to 2021 for further analysis. The results showed that antibody mimetic molecules technology was the biorecognition technology with the highest number of reports. The most studied cancer types were: multiple, breast, leukemia, colorectal, and lung. Electrochemical and optical detection methods were the most frequently used. Finally, the most analyzed biomarkers and cancer entities in the studies were carcinoembryonic antigen, MCF-7 cells, and exosomes. For the second technology, we developed a novel bioinformatics pipeline that uses machine learning algorithms (MLAs) to identify genetic biomarkers for classifying breast cancer into non-malignant, non-triple-negative, and triple-negative categories. Five Gene Selection Approaches (GSAs) were employed: LASSO (Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator), Membrane LASSO, Surfaceome LASSO, Network Analysis, and Feature Importance Score (FIS). We implemented three factorial designs to assess the impact of MLAs and GSAs on classification performance (F1 Macro and Accuracy) in both cell lines and patient samples. Using Recursive Feature Elimination (RFE) and Genetic Algorithms (GAs) in the first four GSAs, we reduced the gene count to eight per GSA while maintaining an F1 Macro ≥ 80%. Consequently, 95.5% of our treatments with these gene sets achieved an F1 Macro or Accuracy ranging from 70.3% to 97.2%. As a result, 37 different genes were obtained. We analyzed the 37 genes for their predictive power in terms of five-year survival and relapse-free survival and compared them with genes from four commercial panels. Notably, thirteen genes (MFSD2A, TMEM74, SFRP1, UBXN10, CACNA1H, ERBB2, SIDT1, TMEM129, MME, FLRT2, CA12, ESR1, and TBC1D9) showed significant predictive capabilities for up to five years of survival. TBC1D9, UBXN10, SFRP1, and MME were significant for relapse-free survival after five years. The FOXC1, MLPH, FOXA1, ESR1, ERBB2, and SFRP1 genes also matched those described in commercial panels. The influence of MLA on F1 Macro and Accuracy was not statistically significant. Altogether, the genetic biomarkers identified in this study hold potential for use in biosensors aimed at breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. We concluded that both technologies had demonstrated their utility in cancer biosensor development for vulnerable populations with limited access to healthcare. However, further studies are required, and a long road exists to establish a commercial biosensor. For this reason, we generated a research proposal to develop a biosensor integrating this study's information in an optical and electrochemical sensing platform. Also, some designs of this biosensor and preliminary results are presented.
- Production of secondary metabolites in environmental Pseudomonas aeruginosa by genetic engineering tools(Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, 2025-07-24) Salazar García, Luis Mauricio; Licona Cassani, Cuauhtémoc; emipsanchez; Ponce Noyola, Patricia; Soberón Chávez, Gloria; Orellana Montecino, Camila; Torres Acosta, Mario A.; Villalobos Escobedo, José Manuel; Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias; Campus MonterreyLa Biotecnología, a manera personal, consiste en la aplicación de microorganismos como un medio para la obtención de productos útiles y con ello satisfacer una necesidad. Para tal fin se necesitan herramientas eficaces para favorecer a que estos organismos nos apoyen a resolver esas necesidades. Este trabajo se enfoca al establecimiento de una técnica de edición genética que apoye al desarrollo y estudio de microorganismos. Dentro de los microorganismos con mayor versatilidad se encuentran las bacterias, en donde aquí se usaron como modelo de estudio dos cepas de Pseudomonas. Dentro de la colección del laboratorio contamos con una cepa aislada en el Golfo de México en un derrame petrolero. Esta cepa se identificó y se denominó como P. aeruginosa IGLPR01. Debido a su contexto ambiental, este microorganismo tiene la capacidad de usar hidrocarburos como fuente de carbono, por lo que se visualizó como un candidato de interés para realizar pruebas y estudios de biorremediación. Además de estudiar y caracterizar esta cepa, se propuso el reto de hacer edición genética para aumentar aún más esas capacidades que la hicieron crecer en condiciones extremas. Esto, como se detallará más adelante, representó un fuerte reto ya que los microorganismos ambientales no son tan dóciles como lo representan los microorganismos modelo que encontramos a diario en los laboratorios de investigación. En esta primera parte, se enfocó en poder montar una técnica de edición efectiva que permitió la generación de una mutante en el gen rpoS para la producción de Piocianina. Este compuesto es naturalmente producido por P. aeruginosa IGLPR01, y la mutante lo sobre produce dando un fenotipo de coloración verdosa en el medio de cultivo. Junto con esto, observamos y cuantificamos la producción de otros metabolitos importantes como son los ramnolípidos; además de aplicar el sobrenadante a pruebas de emulsificación sobre gasolina como simulación rápida de un proceso de biorremediación. Una vez teniendo esta técnica de edición decidimos aplicarla para aportar al estudio del género Pseudomonas. Este género es de especial interés ya que la Organización de las Naciones Unidad ubica a Pseudomonas aeruginosa como un microorganismo que representa una amenaza a la salud pública por su resistencia a los antibióticos y ser causa de infecciones nosocomiales. Debido a que el gen rpoS es un factor de respuesta a estrés, y ya que teníamos la estrategia de edición exitosa dirigida hacia este gen, decidimos probar si funcionaría en una cepa patógena de humano. Seleccionamos la cepa P. aeruginosa PA14, una cepa modelo para el estudio de procesos infecciosos en humanos. Una vez obtenida la mutante, decidimos realizar análisis de transcriptómica y metabolómica para evaluar el mecanismo de respuesta a estrés que está relacionado con el gen rpoS. Así, en la presente tesis, se presenta como se logró establecer una técnica de edición en una cepa de P. aeruginosa ambiental, junto con la detección y cuantificación de metabolitos de interés; además de la aplicación de la metodología a la cepa patógena P. aeruginosa PA14 para contribuir en la descripción de los mecanismos de respuesta a estrés. Finalmente, esperamos que este trabajo sirva como base para motivar a la edición genética de microorganismos ambientales, ya que muchos de los problemas actuales podrían resolverse al observar a la naturaleza como fuente inspiradora de soluciones.
- Comprehensive analysis of integrated processing approaches for chickpeas: enhancing nutritional, functional and bioactive attributes for novel plant-based beverage base(Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, 2025-06-16) Ruiz Zambrano, Nidia Leticia; Pérez Carrillo, Esther; emipsanchez; Tejada Ortigoza, Viridiana Alejandra; Antunes Ricardo, Marilena; Luna Vital, Diego; Tobías Espinoza, Jazmin Leticia; Gasparre, Nicola; Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias; Campus Monterrey; Serna Saldívar, Sergio Román OthónThe increasing demand for plant-based beverages requires exploring different sources and processing strategies for developing nutritional and functional products. The present dissertation comprises four manuscripts focused on the effect of processing strategies on chickpeas and chickpea ingredients to produce plant-based beverages or powder beverage bases. Processing strategies assessed herein included the combination of extrusion with enzymatic hydrolysis to obtain a chickpea beverage base. This beverage base was further processed by either drying it for convenient handling or fermenting it to develop potential probiotic products. The first manuscript, titled Effect of thermal, nonthermal, and combined treatments on functional and nutritional properties of chickpeas comprises a critical literature review that synthetizes the effects of thermal, non-thermal, and combined processing strategies on chickpea functional and nutritional properties. This provides a wide understanding of the modifications induced and highlights the necessity of carefully selecting processing methods to achieve desired end-product attributes. Further experimental studies are necessary to comprehensively assess the effect of spry drying and fermentation on the novel chickpea hydrolysate and its suitability for beverage formulations. The research presented in the second manuscript, Effect of spray-drying or fermentation on the solubility and carbohydrate profile of chickpea hydrolysates for beverage formulation, demonstrated that spray-drying induced a more amorphous structure with reduced particle sizes, and improved suspension stability compared to freeze-drying, conferring attributes beneficial for plant-based beverages. Meanwhile, lactic acid fermentation prior to freeze-drying promotes higher crystallinity, larger particle sizes, and less stable suspensions in contrast with the freeze-dried beverage base. Solids separation, a previous step included in the processing strategy, made soluble dietary fraction predominant in all cases, contributing to the overall high solubility. Spray-drying with adjuvants and fermentation induced reductions in starch and raffinose family oligosaccharides contents. Processing strategies could also induce different modifications on the antinutrients and phenolic compounds of the beverage, which were evaluated in the third manuscript, Effects of spray-drying and uses of inulin and maltodextrin as adjuvants on phenolics, bioaccessibility, and in vitro glucose consumption modulation in HepG2 cells of extrudate chickpea hydrolysate powderized. Findings indicated differences in the antinutrients concentration, phenolic compounds profile and concentrations, along with the effect in glucose consumption in an insulin resistant model of HepG2 cells related to spray-drying without adjuvants or in addition of inulin and maltodextrin, with spray-drying with inulin showing overall best performance. Furthermore, the effect of extrusion in reducing tannins and trypsin inhibitor activity was also mentioned. A different approach was evaluated in the fourth manuscript, Development of chickpea beverages through enzymatic treatments: from rapid visco analyser to pilot plant production, which focused on a practical pathway for scalable chickpea beverage production. This work demonstrated the potential of Rapid Visco Analyzer as an efficient laboratory-scale tool for optimizing enzymatic hydrolysis aimed at viscosity reduction of starch-containing ingredients like chickpeas, for plant-based beverages. This work demonstrated the direct translatability of lab-scale RVA findings to pilot plant production, achieving consistent physicochemical properties comparable to those observed in previous laboratory trials. This dissertation demonstrated the importance of tailored processing in enhancing the value of chickpeas. It provides valuable information on various processing methods for chickpea-based beverages and powdered beverage bases, which are helpful for the food industry in developing novel, nutritious, and potentially beneficial chickpea-based products for the plant-based beverage market.
- Local immunomodulatory strategies to enhance allogeneic pancreatic islet engraftment in a vascularized subcutaneous platform for the treatment of type 1 diabetes(Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, 2025-06-13) Campa Carranza, Jocelyn Nikita; Cuevas Díaz Durán, Raquel; emipsanchez; Nichols, Joan E.; Zavala Arcos, Judith; Lozano García, Omar; Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud; Campus Monterrey; Grattoni, AlessandroType 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease marked by pancreatic β-cell destruction, leading to lifelong dependence on exogenous insulin therapy. Pancreatic islet transplantation offers a functional cure, but clinical application is limited by poor graft engraftment, hypoxia-related cell loss, and dependence on chronic systemic immunosuppression. This thesis investigates local immunomodulation approaches to improve allogeneic islet engraftment in a vascularized subcutaneous platform, the Neovascularized Implantable Cell Homing and Encapsulation (NICHE) device. Specifically, it evaluates the immunomodulatory and proangiogenic roles of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and the localized delivery of clinically relevant immunosuppressive agents. Experiments were conducted in immunocompetent diabetic rats, with sex included as a biological variable. MSC-loaded NICHE devices promoted robust vascularization and improved islet engraftment, even in the context of diabetes-associated vascular dysfunction. High-dimensional immune profiling demonstrated that MSCs transiently reduced innate immune infiltration and inflammatory cytokines and preserved regulatory T cells. Sex-specific differences were observed, with female rats exhibiting improved vascularization and immune regulation. Additionally, local immunosuppression was explored revealing different immunomodulatory profiles, and drug retention at the graft site with minimal systemic exposure. Together, this work supports a combinatorial local immunomodulation approach integrating MSCs and targeted immunosuppression. The NICHE platform provides a clinically relevant strategy for long-term islet engraftment without systemic immunosuppression, advancing safer, more effective therapies for T1D.
- Towards rapid prototyping of integrated, cost-effective, and pocket-size electrochemical sensing platforms using 3D-printing for quantitative electroanalytical applications(Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, 2025-06-13) Contreras Naranjo, Jesús Eduardo; Aguilar Jiménez, Oscar Alejandro; emipsanchez; Kao, Katy; Madadelahi, Masoud; Videa Vargas, Marcelo Fernando; Pérez González, Víctor Hugo; School of Engineering and Sciences; Campus Monterrey; Mata Gómez, Marco Arnulfo3D-printing has facilitated the proposal of integrated strategies where commercially available 3D-printers and a variety of 3D-printing materials enable the fabrication of integrated devices at the millimeter-scale or below. This work presents three different strategies for the rapid prototyping of integrated, cost-effective, and pocket-size electrochemical sensing platforms using fused deposition modeling (FDM)3D-printing, with an emphasis in quantitative electroanalytical applications. The first strategy combines 3D-printing and screen-printed electrodes (SPEs), an approach that has previously enabled the fabrication of electrochemical fluidic sensing platforms but has failed to achieve quantitative performance. Thus, a cost-effective and pocket-size 3D-printed-enabled fluidic electrochemical sensing platform (3DP-FESP) with removable/disposable SPEs for the quantitative detection of analytes was developed. To illustrate its capabilities, this millimeter-scale 3DP-FESP achieved limits of detection of 0.16 μM and 0.05 μM for dopamine in the presence of interferents when operated in batch and flow modes, respectively. These results demonstrated, for the first time, that the approach of combining 3D-printing and SPEs can achieve quantitative analytical performance. The second strategy focuses on fully 3D-printed electrodes using hybrid 3D-printing materials. Although the use of conductive filaments based on polylactic acid (PLA) combined with a single carbon allotrope for integrated and miniaturized 3D-printed electrodes has been previously reported, hybrid filaments combining PLA with multiple carbon allotropes have not been reported in quantitative electrochemical applications. Therefore, miniaturized and integrated 3D-printed hybrid carbon electrodes were prototyped using a carbon nanotube/carbon black/PLA filament material. Their quantitative analytical performance was illustrated with the detection of dopamine, with a limit of detection of 1.45 μM. The simplicity, portability, low cost (0.11 USD per electrode), and rapid fabrication (3.7 minutes) make these fully integrated 3D-printed hybrid carbon-based electrodes truly point-of-care quantitative electrochemical sensing systems. Then, for the third strategy, the challenge of fabricating a complete 3D-printed milli fluidic device with channel band electrodes using a conventional desktop FDM 3D-printer and a 3D-pen was successfully accomplished. The manufacturing process followed a “print-pause-print” methodology, in which the band electrodes can be activated through a compatible polishing approach followed by “in-channel” electrochemical activation. In addition, theoretical models and numerical computations were used to study the quantitative behavior of the current response considering the effect of critical features of these 3D-printed devices such as electrode shape and device porosity. In conclusion, in this work the successful implementation of different prototyping strategies for the development of 3D-printed electrochemical sensors and devices using FDM 3D-printing was demonstrated, while highlighting capabilities for quantitative electroanalytical applications.
- Role of surface chemistry and CO2 reactivation of activated carbons on their adsorption capacity and rate toward chlorphenamine(Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, 2025-06) Martínez Espinosa, Jesús Alberto; Almanza Arjona, Yara Cecilia; emipsanchez; Leyva Ramos, Roberto; Cervantes Avilés, Pabel Antonio; Murillo Hernández, José Alberto; Sánchez Rodríguez, Elvia Patricia; School of Engineering and Sciences; Campus Estado de México; Medina Medina, Dora IlianaIn this investigation, chlorphenamine (CPA) adsorption on various activated carbons (ACs) was explored. The first part of the study focused on three ACs: Gama B (GB), Micro 10 (M10), and Megapol M (MM). The textural properties, active site concentrations, and charge distribution on the surface of the ACs were analyzed in detail. The surface areas (SBET) were 1107, 812, and 766 m2/g, corresponding to MM, M10, and GB, respectively. MM exhibited an acidic nature, while M10 and GB had basic surfaces. Adsorption experiments conducted at pH = 7 and pH = 11 showed that MM had the greatest capacity for adsorbing CPA. The CPA adsorption capacity increased in the order GB ≈ M10 < MM, which was associated with the SBET and acidic site concentrations of the ACs. Raising pH solution from 5 to 9 improved CPA adsorption onto MM, the interaction was due to the opposite charges: MM (negative) and CPA (positive). At pH 11 and 25 °C, MM reached its greatest capacity for adsorbing CPA (574.6 mg/g). Raising temperature led to a modest increase in CPA adsorption capacity. Zeta potential measurements indicated that electrostatic attractions were the main contributors to CPA adsorption on MM between pH 5 and 9, whereas at pH = 11, the interaction between CPA and basal planes of MM via π electrons governed the adsorption of CPA. The second part of the work consisted of the CO2 reactivation of MM samples treated at 800 °C for different durations. The CO2 reactivation altered the textural properties of MM4 (4 h), MM8 (8 h), and MM8A (8h accumulated), the latter having the highest SBET, pore volume (Vp), and micropore surface area (Smic) owing to an extra CO2 reactivation cycle. CO2 reactivation also led to the removal actives sites and micropore development. Carboxylic sites quantification showed a decrement consistent with the CO2 reactivation time. MM8A had a minor loss of carboxylic sites as its surface was reoxidized. The Raman spectra analysis of ACs indicated that as CO2 reactivation time increased, the intensity ratio of the Raman bands, D and G (ID/IG), also increased since CO2 reactivation promoted the presence of defects on their surfaces. MM8A exhibited the highest adsorption capacity toward CPA at pH 7. Factors contributing to its good adsorption capacity included (i) having a low concentration of carboxylic groups as they can hinder the interaction with CPA via π electrons and (ii) the disordered structure as a result of the detachment of carboxylic groups located at the basal plane edges. Adsorption of CPA onto MM8A was found to be more effective at higher pH values, with temperature having minimal influence. The isosteric heat of adsorption suggested that physical interactions governed the CPA adsorption onto MM8A. Analysis of zeta potential measurements and the CPA coefficient distribution diagram revealed that at pH 11, π − π and hydrophobic interactions dominated the CPA adsorption. Diffusional models were employed to evaluate the rate at which CPA adsorbed onto MM8A, the experimental data were successfully modeled using the external mass transport model. Furthermore, CPA adsorption occurred faster on MM8A compared to MM.
- Exploring the chemical diversity of environmental actinobacteria using genome mining and synthetic biology(Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, 2025-06) González Salazar, Luz Angela; Licona Cassani, Cuauhtémoc; emipsanchez; Pacheco Moscoa, Adriana; De la Torre Zavala, Susana; Rodríguez López, Carlos; School of Engineering and Sciences; Campus Monterrey; Cruz Morales, PabloNatural products derived from biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) in microorganisms are vital for medicine, agriculture, and industry. However, rediscovering known compounds and the resource-intensive nature of drug development delays the discovery of novel compounds. This study aimed to address these challenges by integrating genome mining and synthetic biology to explore the chemical diversity of actinobacteria from the oligotrophic environment of Cuatro Ciénegas, Mexico. In the first chapter of this work, we evaluate the genomic and biosynthetic potential of the environmental strains Lentzea sp. CC55 and Actinokineospora sp. PR83 isolated from Cuatro Ciénegas environment. Comparative genomics revealed open pan-genomes comprising 568 and 965 unique genes, respectively. BGC similarity networks identified unique clusters, including terpenes, RiPPs, NRPS, and polyketides. Both strains demonstrated antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities. Lentzea sp. CC55 culture showed cytotoxic activity only in liquid cultures while Actinokineospora sp. PR83 presented activity against B. subtilis for solid media. The Biosynthetic Novelty Index (BiNI) confirmed these strains as high-priority candidates for novel natural product discovery. In the second chapter, we applied the BiNI index in our collection of strains from Cuatro Ciénegas to select the candidates with the highest novelty. From the selected candidates we standardized cloning strategies for BGC expression in heterologous hosts. Using Golden Gate assembly and CRISPR/Cas9-based DNA assembly, genes were domesticated, assembled into transcriptional units, and transferred to Streptomyces albidoflavus UO-FLAV-004. Challenges with toxic fragments and incomplete assemblies were resolved using optimized host strains, resulting in the successful conjugation of core modules and the initiation of heterologous expression. In the third chapter, we explore different tools of metabolomics for the detection of metabolites produced by engineered strains. For NRPS the prediction indicates a theoretical mass: 495 Da. The RiPP corresponds to a lanthipeptide type I with a theoretical mass of 2318.9 Da. Molecular network analysis and dereplication only identified compounds produced intrinsically encoded by the host. This research presents a genomic-guide pipeline for exploring the biosynthetic potential of Cuatro Ciénegas actinobacteria, providing insights into the BGC prioritization and application of synthetic biology techniques to improve the intricate pipelines for new chemical diversity in Natural Products research.
- Bases esfingoides y la respuesta sensibilizadora de estatinas a R-CHOP en células RC, papel de la esfingosina-1-fosfato(Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, 2025-05-15) Alamilla Muñoz, Alejandro; Hernández Hernández, José Ascención; emipsanchez; Sánchez Ávila, María Teresa; VIllela Martínez, Luis Mario; Marcelin Jiménez, Gabriel; Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud; Campus Monterrey; López Sánchez, Rosa del CarmenLa respuesta sensibilizadora de las estatinas en el tratamiento del linfoma difuso de células B grandes (DLBCL) es un tema de creciente interés debido a la relación potencial entre las estatinas, los lípidos bioactivos y la quimioterapia. En esta investigación, se evaluó el papel de las bases esfingoides, particularmente la esfingosina-1-fosfato (S1P), en la sensibilización de las células RC del DLBCL al tratamiento con R-CHOP (ciclofosfamida, doxorrubicina, vincristina y prednisona), combinadas con estatinas, específicamente atorvastatina y rosuvastatina. Se analizó cómo niveles de S1P, tanto intracelulares como extracelulares, podrían influir en la eficacia terapéutica. A través de experimentos in vitro, se observó que la combinación de rosuvastatina y R-CHOP provocó un aumento significativo de los niveles de S1P extracelular e intracelular. Los resultados sugieren que el aumento de S1P extracelular podría estar relacionado con la potenciación de la respuesta celular al tratamiento, mientras que la atorvastatina no mostró un efecto similar. Este estudio propone la manipulación de los niveles de S1P podría mejorar la respuesta terapéutica en el DLBCL, abriendo nuevas vías para el desarrollo de tratamientos combinados de estatinas y quimioterapia.