www.bionand.es

Ana Aranda has a Biology degree from the University of Malaga, and completed her PhD studies at FIMABIS (Andalusian Public Foundation for Health and Biomedicine Research in Malaga), under the supervision of Dr. Miguel Blanca, Dr. Cristobalina Mayorga and Dr. M^a José Torres. Ana started her PhD studies in the Research Group of Allergy, granted by the Carlos III Health Institute, part of the Ministery of Health fellowship. During this period she worked on the identification and purification of allergens, particularly in obeche wood allergens and immunological mechanisms involved in occupational asthma induced by wood dust. Part of these studies was carried out during a short stay ​​in the laboratory directed by Dra. Araceli Diaz Perales (Biochemistry Unit, Biotechnology Department, E.T.S. Ingenieros Agrónomos, Universidad Complutense, Madrid). Her research is focused on the study of allergic reactions at the humoral level. Ana also has developed experimental models of anaphylaxis at the Immunology Service in the Jiménez Díaz Foundation (Madrid) under the supervision of Dr. Victoria Del Pozo.

Ana holds currently a postdoctoral position at the research group Laboratory of Nanostructures for Diagnosing and Treatment of Allegic Diseases in the Therapeutic Nanosystems Area in the Andalusian Centre for Nanomedicine and Biotechnology (BIONAND), funded by the Thematic Network Research and Adverse Drug Allergens (RIRAAF) which is coordinated by Dr. Miguel Blanca.

Her research is focused on allergic reactions to plant allergens and the development of experimental models of food allergy. Ana is actually conducting studies to evaluate the role of allergenic peptides coupled to dendrimeric nanostructures in allergen-specific immunotherapy with animal models of food allergy. The purpose of this study is to elucidate the mechanisms by which they can induce tolerance to a specific food in order to implement these results in the clinical practice.

Publications of interest

• Aranda A, Palacin A, Doña I, Gomez-Casado C, Galindo L, Blanca M, Diaz-Perales A, Campo P.
  Antigenic proteins involved in occupational rhinitis and asthma caused by obeche wood dust (Triplochiton scleroxylon). PlosOne. 8(1) – e53926, 2013.
• Campo P, Aranda A, Palacin A, Montañez MI, Diaz-Perales A, Blanca M.
  Asthma caused by IgE mediated sensitization to multiple woods. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 129 – 1, pp. 254 – 256. 2012.
• Javaloyes G, Goikoetxea MJ, Garcia Nuñez I, Aranda A, Sanz ML, Blanca M, Diaz-Perales A, da Souza J, Esparza I, del Pozo V, Blazquez AB, Scheurer S, Vieths S, Ferrer M.
  Pru p3 acts as a strong sensitizer for peanut allergy in Spain. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 130 (6), pp. 1432 – 1434. 2012.
• Chaves P, Torres MJ, Aranda A, Lopez S, Canto G, Blanca M, Mayorga C.
  Natural killer-dendritic cell interaction in lymphocyte response in hypersensitivity reactions to betalactams. Allergy. 65 – 12, pp. 1600 – 1608. 2010.
• Campo P, Aranda A, Rondon C, Doña I, Diaz-Perales A, Canto G, Lisbona FJ, Pineda F, Blanca M.
  Work-related respiratory symptoms in carpentry apprentices with occupational exposure to wood dust and diisocyanates. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 105 – 1, pp. 24 – 30. 2010.