Our professionals
Dr. Nerea Zabaleta
Principal investigator of the Next Generation Gene Delivery Technologies research group.
Preferential dedication to the development of novel vectors to enable the treatment of inherited kidney disease.
Professional career
- BS in Biochemistry at University of Navarra (2013)
- MS in Biomedical Research at University of Navarra (2014)
- Internship at Genethon (France) (2016)
- Internship at Albert Einstein College of Medicine (NY, USA) (2017)
- PhD in Biomedical Research at University of Navarra and CIMA (2018)
- Postdoctoral fellow at the Grousbeck Gene Therapy Center at Mass Eye and Ear and Harvard Medical School (Boston, USA) (2019-2021)
- Faculty at the Grousbeck Gene Therapy Center at Mass Eye and Ear and Harvard Medical School (Boston, USA) (Instructor 2022-2023, Assistant Professor 2024)
- Principal investigator of the Next Generation Gene Delivery Technologies research group since 2025
RESEARCH AREAS
She has participated in 7 research projects, being principal investigator in 5 of them and co-PI in 2, funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH) of the USA, Massachusetts Life Science Center, the British Heart Foundation, Charcot- Marie-Tooth Research Foundation and private entities.
Coinventor in 4 patents (one of them licensed to a biotech company).
She has received important competitive grants: a postdoctoral fellowship from Foundation Alfonso Martin Escudero and a Ramón y Cajal grant.
She has conducted pioneers research to develop of approaches for in vivo gene editing to treat inherited diseases. She has developed and is considered one of the few world experts in a novel vaccine platform.
AREAS OF INTEREST
Development of novel vectors with improved efficacy and safety for gene delivery to different organs and tissues.
Understanding of mechanisms of viral vector transduction and replication to improve in vivo tissue targeting and manufacturing.
In vivo gene editing approaches to treat monogenic diseases.
Development of novel advanced therapies for genetic kidney diseases.
Activity
As an educator
Dr. Zabaleta has co-supervised 2 doctoral theses at the University of Navarra (1 completed and 1 ongoing).
She has served as instructor in the BCMP 236: Principles of Drug Action in People course for graduate students at Harvard Medical School.
She was invited as lecturer in the undergraduate course Historias de Ciencia, Medicina y Salud en el Mundo Hispano at New York University.
She is and has been invested in outreach activities by writing science opinion articles, giving lectures at high schools (both in the US and in Spain) and by being an active member of ECUSA (Spanish Scientists in the USA).
As a researcher
Dr. Zabaleta has published 18 research articles (4 as last author) and 6 scientific reviews, some of them high-impact and highly cited.
She has participated in numerous national and international conferences where she has presented her work in oral communications as selected abstracts and invited speaker.
She has been invited as a speaker in national and international centers.
She is an editorial board member of Molecular Therapy-Methods & Clinical Development. She is a regular reviewer of international journals such as Molecular Therapy, Gene Therapy, Human Gene Therapy, etc.
She is an active member of national and international associations (SETGyC, ESGCT, ASGCT, ECUSA).
Latest scientific publications
- Gene editing in liver diseases Oct 24, 2024 | Magazine: FEBS Press
- Tracing the fate of AAV vectors in the body [SP] Aug 5, 2024 | Magazine: Nature Biotechnology