Mariana Medina Sánchez

Mariana Medina Sánchez
Nanomedicine
Senior Scientists
Ikerbasque professor
Group Leader

Background:

  • 2005 Bachelor on Mechatronics Engineering, San Buenaventura University, Bogotá, Colombia
  • 2010 Master on Nanotechnology, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain
  • 2013 PhD on Biotechnology, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain
  • 2014 - 2016 Postdoctoral researcher, IFW -IIN, Germany
  • 2016 - 2024 Group leader, Micro- and Nanobiomedical Engineering Group, IFW - IIN, Germany
  • 2024 - present Ikerbasque Research Profesor and Group Leader at CIC nanoGUNE, Spain

Research interests:

  • Development of small scale medical devices including ultrasensitive biosensors and medical microrobotics
  • Biomedical Engineering, Micro- and Nanotechnology, Microrobotics, Biosensing

Short CV:

Dr. Mariana Medina Sánchez earned her degree in Mechatronics Engineering from the University of San Buenaventura in Bogotá, Colombia. Following the completion of her diploma studies, she dedicated almost five years to serving as an assistant professor and researcher at the same university. Concurrently, she pursued postgraduate studies in education and biomedical engineering.

Her academic journey then led her to Barcelona, Spain, where she undertook master’s and PhD studies under the guidance of Prof. Arben Merkoçi at the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. During her time in Barcelona, Dr. Medina Sánchez focused on the development of nanomaterials-based and inkjet-printed electrochemical biosensors for various disease diagnoses.

Upon completing her PhD thesis, she joined the Leibniz Institute in Dresden, Germany (IFW Leibniz), as a postdoctoral researcher. Here, she contributed to the advancement of magnetically actuated microcarriers for immotile sperm transport and played a crucial role in developing ultrasensitive rolled-up microsensors for nucleic acid detection. Within two years, she was promoted to the position of group leader under the mentorship of Prof. Oliver Schmidt. Dr. Medina Sánchez spearheaded efforts related to medical microrobots, focusing on in vivo assisted fertilization and targeted drug delivery. Her work encompassed designing optimal microbots, studying sperm-based micromotors in complex environments, and recently, advancing real-time and deep-tissue tracking of these micromotors—a pivotal step toward their application in living organisms. Recognized for her contributions, she secured a prestigious grant from the European Research Commission in the ERC Starting category for her project MicroGIFT. 

Since 2020, Dr. Medina Sánchez has held the position of an independent group leader at the IFW Leibniz. In 2022, she expanded her research endeavors by leading a Joint Dresden Concept group comprising IFW Leibniz, the Center for Molecular Bioengineering (B CUBE), and the Technische Universität Dresden. Their collaborative efforts focus on bioinspired medical microrobots and microsensors.

In a significant development this year, Dr. Medina Sánchez was appointed as an Ikerbasque Research Professor and Group Leader at CIC nanoGUNE in San Sebastián, Spain, further solidifying her role in the scientific community.

Social profiles:

Google Scholar: Prof. Mariana Medina Sánchez

LinkedIn: Mariana M.

X (Twitter): Mariana Medina-Sánchez

Updated on May 8, 2024.