Camela Rieline Cruz

EDUCATION

College / University

University of the Philippines Diliman

Highest Degree

Bachelor of Science

Major Subjects

Molecular Biology and Biotechnology

Cruz

Country

Philippines

Lab Experience

I have worked with different molecular biology techniques including gDNA extraction from tumor samples, gene cloning, site-directed mutagenesis, semi- and quantitative PCR, Western blotting, and ELISA. I have also explored cellular biology methods such as transfection via lipofection and electroporation, immunocytochemistry, flow cytometry, and high-content imaging using cell-based assays to study wound migration, ECM degradation, caspase 3/7 activity, actin rearrangements, ROS generation, and metabolic reprogramming in cancer cells.

Projects / Research

  • 01/2018 – 11/2018: Drug Discovery: Orthogonal assays to eliminate artefactual drug bioactivities
  • 08/2018 – 09/2019: Internship at the DKFZ in Heidelberg: Radiobiology of novel particles for hadron therapy
  • 08/2017 – 01/2018: Colorectal Cancer: Identification and functional characterization of Filipino-specific mutations in RAS, RAF, and PIK3CA genes via NGS and cancer hallmark assays
  • 04/2015 – 06/2017: Undergraduate Thesis: Cigarette smoke-induced upregulation of SCAL1 lncRNA in A549 and associated increase in metastatic potential and resistance to smoke-induced toxicity of lung cancer cells

Scholarships / Awards

2019 – 2020: Stipend by the International Max Planck Research School.

SCIENTIFIC INTERESTS AND GOALS

I have a strong inclination towards studying complex biological and pathological processes, focusing on regulatory systems governed by epigenetic alterations and non-coding RNAs. As our study of biology explores information from large-scale statistical data derived from populations, to molecular-scale experimental data generated through in vitro and in vivo studies, I hope to bridge the two by the complementary use of laboratory techniques and bioinformatic analyses.