Daiana A. Capdevila, Ph.D.

Research

The Capdevila lab focuses on transcriptional regulation in bacteria, with a particular emphasis on the dynamics, thermodynamics, and structural characteristics of regulatory proteins. These “sensor” proteins detect metals or harmful compounds and trigger gene activation to help bacteria survive in hostile environments. The lab’s research has two key objectives. On the biomedical side, gaining a deeper understanding of how bacteria adapt to colonize host tissues could pave the way for developing more effective antibiotics to fight drug-resistant strains. On the biotechnological side, the team is working to incorporate these sensor proteins into portable, cost-effective synthetic biology sensors. In this sense, the Capdevila lab is pioneering the field of cell-free biosensors in Argentina, and, in collaboration with local authorities, these sensors are being deployed to monitor drinking and surface water in various urban areas.

The spread of insect-borne arboviruses, which can cause illnesses such as dengue and chikungunya, remains a public health priority in Latin America. As an Innovation Fund investigator, Daiana Capdevila, Ph.D., is teaming up with Ana Peinetti, Ph.D., to develop a low-cost, in vitro transcription-based platform to detect the presence of viral antigens in patient serum samples. The pair will develop a method in which engineered molecules will capture viral antigens and trigger detection, resulting in a positive or negative readout. Current molecular diagnostics focus solely on amplifying viral DNA for detection, which is often not portable or requires expensive consumables and maintenance. This work will combine Capdevila’s expertise in synthetic biology and transcriptional regulation with Peinetti’s expertise in synthetic DNA bioengineering and biosensor development. Work from this project will revolutionize point of care and molecular diagnostics to include antigen testing, which could improve detection of emerging viruses to help curb outbreaks.