María José Currás-Tuala

Researcher

“No estudio para saber más, sino para ignorar menos”

— Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz

I am graduate of BSc in Pharmaceutical and Biological Chemistry at the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, I got a master’s degree in Biotechnology with a specialization in Biomedicine at the Universidad de Santiago de Compostela (USC); and I am currently a PhD student at the USC in the molecular medicine program.

I am a Mexican woman that has been living in Galicia (Spain) for the last 7 years, and this is a brief story about my scientific career.

I got involved in biomedical research when I was finishing college, it just happened, I didn't look for the opportunity, the opportunity knocked on my door. In 2005, I started working in the Department of molecular and cellular therapy at the Center for Innovation and Transfer in Health at the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM) in collaboration with pediatricians and neonatologists. In this laboratory I gained a lot of experience in the world of cell cultures and learned many techniques to understand cell biology, I also developed skills for the experimental design for biomedical sciences. My work focused on the immune response (a subject that I love), oxidative stress and the evaluation of the antioxidant effect of proteins and molecules isolated from plants on cellular and animal models.

Then in 2008, I had the opportunity to learn and work in sales of scientific technology (Bio Rad). This allowed me to know other face of R&D; I learned how some technologies work, which would help me later to know how, when and why to use certain techniques.

“I didn’t want to just know names of things.

I remember really wanting to know how it all worked.”

— Elizabeth Blackburn

Afterwards, in the 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1), I started working at the Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory for infectious diseases (Mexican Social Security Institute) where I was certified to make the diagnosis of Influenza, measles and dengue.

My next adventure was waiting for me in another continent, I came to Santiago in 2012 to study a master’s degree in Biotechnology. I did my experimental research project in the Laboratory for Vascular Biology at the Center for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Disease (CIMUS-USC), it involved gene therapy and cell signaling pathways. I greatly improve my skills in genetic editing techniques, many in vitro assays, use of different types of microscopes and I learned a lot about the cell biology process.

Later in 2014, I had the restlessness to learn and probe the nanotechnology area. I was in NanoBiofar group (CIMUS-USC) and in the Laboratory of Translational Nano-Oncology at the Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Santiago de Compostela (IDIS). My project was focused in a nanosystem as immune- and gene- therapy to induce direct and indirect immunogenic cell death in the tumor microenvironment.

In 2015, I join the GENVIP group and at the same time I started my Ph.D. in the Molecular Medicine program at the Universidad de Santiago de Compostela (USC). Recently, I successfully defended my thesis project titled "Estudio integral clínico, celular y ómico-molecular de un caso único de gemelas idénticas discordantes para heteroplasia ósea progresiva" (Comprehensive clinical, cellular, and omic-molecular study of a unique case of identical twins discordant for progressive osseous heteroplasia). The main focus of this project was the characterization of the disease using a translational, immunological, and cellular "omic" approach. Additionally, I evaluated pharmacological therapies for this ultra-rare disease known as Progressive Osseous Heteroplasia (POH), which occurs due to a mutation in the GNAS gene. This particular case is extraordinary because it involves identical twins who both carry the mutation, even if the disease manifests in different ways. One twin displays an extreme phenotype of the disease, while the other remains almost asymptomatic.

Multidisciplinarity is one of the greatest strengths of our group, each of us has a different professional profile, but we all contribute and work together as a great team. Here I found a great treasure; I learn something different every day!

#WomeninSTEM

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Maria José Currás

Publications within the group

  • 2025
    • Pischedda, Sara; Gómez-Carballa, Alberto; Pardo-Seco, Jacobo; Viz-Lasheras, Sandra; Camino-Mera, Alba; Bello, Xabier; Curras-Tuala, María José; Rivero-Calle, Irene; Dacosta-Urbieta, Ana I.; Martinón-Torres, Federico; Salas, Antonio; López, Miriam Cebey; Gliemmo, Ana Vega; Guitián, José Peña; Novo, Carmen Curros; Trabazo, Rosaura Leis; Torres, Nazareth Martinón; Sánchez, José María Martinón; Pérez, Belén Mosquera; Collazo, Lorenzo Redondo; Rodríguez-Tenreiro, Carmen; Puga, Miriam Taboada; Bellas, Ana Cotovad; Morelle, Ana María Pastoriza; Rey, Silvia Cerqueiro; Vázquez, Sara Rey; Ferreiro, Ana María Senín; Fernández, Sonia Serén; Iglesias, Maria Soledad Vilas; García, Mirian Ben; Casuso, Patricia Regueiro; Martinez, Lara Martinez; Rodríguez, Máximo Francisco Fraga; Lago, Orlando Fernández; Antúnez, José Ramón; Padilla, Carmen Martínez; de la CruzMoreno, Jesús; Martínez, Eugenia Villanueva; Espín, Ana González; de las Mercedes Martínez Rebollo, María; Moya, María Rocío Martín; Victoria Ramos Casado, M.; Rojo, Pablo; Alba, Palacios Cuesta; Orive, Francisco Javier Pilar; Tubert, Carla Pintos; Urabayen, Diego García; Sanchez, Esteban Gomez; Ramos, Juan Valencia; López-Herce, Jesús; Alvarez, Débora Sanz; Calvo, Cristina; Alcolea, Sonia; Sánchez, Rocio; Atucha, Jorge; Hurtado, Jara; Fernández, Ana López; González, Clara Gil; López, Teresa González; Vázquez, Delfina Suarez; Vázquez, Ángela Vázquez; García, Susana Rey; Sande, Nathalie Carreira; Pérez, Nuria Romero; Lozano, Diego Bautista; Jose, Alcaraz Romero Andres; Martin, Sara Guillen; Aragón, Ana Pérez; Paredes, Catalina Ortiz; Ferreiro, María Teresa Rives; Salgado, Jose Luis Moreno; Leiva, Olalla Moyano; Rubinos, Carla Taboada; Miranda, Ana Capilla; Contreras, Jorge; Torre, Andrés Concha; del Castillo Navío, Elena; Tejada, Ana Grande; García, Alfredo Tagarro; Herreros, María Luisa; del Valle, Rut; Galarraga, Laura Moreno; Iturbe, Enrique Bernaola; Álvarez, Jorge; Herranz, Mercedes; Gil, Francisco; Gembero, Eva; Rodríguez, Jorge; García, María Luz García; Rey, Cristina Calvo; Arnal, Iciar Olabarrieta; Rincón, Adelaida Fernández; Reyes, Susana Beatriz; León, María Cruz León; Alfayate, Santiago; Mercader, Beatriz; Sánchez, Francisco Giménez; Salas, Elvira González; De Miguel, Sira Fernández; García, Alfredo Tagarro; Sanchidrián, María Concepción Zazo; García-Fontecha, Esteban; Lorenzo, Marta González; Esteban, Mariano; Castello, María Carmen Vicent; Requena, Lorena Moreno; Martín, César Gavilán; Franco, Monterrat López; Bravo, Mª Nieves Glez; Cabero, María Jesús; Pareja, Marta; Carretero, Adriana Navas; Vazquez, Elvira Cobo; Perez, Patricia Flores; del Prado, María Yolanda Ruiz; Gianzo, José Antonio Couceiro; Perez, Nazareth Fuentes; Piñeiro, Roi; Abancens, Belen Joyanes; de Liria, Carlos Rodrigo Gonzalo; Méndez, Maria; Sánchez, Francisco Giménez; Forte, Miguel Sánchez; Ortega, María José Cilleruelo; Golmayo, Luz; Azorín, Francisca Portero and GENDRES Consortium (2025). DNA methylation signatures of severe RSV infection in infants: evidence from non-invasive saliva samples. Epigenetics & Chromatin; 18(1):25. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13072-025-00587-5
  • 2023
    • Alberto Gómez-Carballa, Laura Navarro, Jacobo Pardo-Seco, Xabier Bello, Sara Pischedda, Sandra Viz-Lasheras, Alba Camino-Mera, María José Currás, Isabel Ferreirós, Narmeen Mallah, Sara Rey-Vázquez, Lorenzo Redondo, Ana Dacosta-Urbieta, Fernando Caamaño-Viña, Irene Rivero-Calle, Carmen Rodriguez-Tenreiro, Federico Martinón-Torres & Antonio Salas (2023). Music compensates for altered gene expression in age-related cognitive disorders. Scientific Reports; 13(1):21259. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-48094-5
    • Jacobo Pardo-Seco, Sandra Viz-Lasheras, Xabier Bello, Alberto Gómez-Carballa, Alba Camino-Mera, Sara Pischedda, María José Currás-Tuala, Irene Rivero-Calle, Ana Dacosta, Fernando Caamaño-Viña, Carmen Rodríguez-Tenreiro, Isabel Cifuentes, Cristina Méndez, Chiea Chuen Khor, Federico Martinón-Torres, Antonio Salas, the CAPPRIC study group (2023). Whole exome sequencing identifies new susceptibility candidates underlying community-acquired pneumonia. Genes & Diseases. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gendis.2023.101170
    • Alberto Gómez-Carballa, María José Currás-Tuala, Sara Pischedda, Miriam Cebey-López, José Gómez-Rial, Irene Rivero-Calle, Jacobo Pardo-Seco, Xabier Bello, Sandra Viz-Lasheras, Antonio Justicia-Grande, Julián Montoto-Louzao, Alba Camino-Mera, Isabel Ferreirós-Vidal, Máximo Fraga, José R. Antúnez, Rodolfo Gómez, Federico Martinón-Torres and Antonio Salas (2023). Multi-tissue transcriptomics of a unique monozygotic discordant twin case of severe progressive osseous heteroplasia. Genes & Diseases. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gendis.2023.05.001
  • 2022
    • Cebey-López, Miriam, Currás-Tuala, María José, Gómez-Rial, Jose, Rivero-Calle, Irene, Pardo-Seco, Jacobo, Mendez-Gallart, Roberto, Sara Pischedda, Gómez-Carballa, Alberto, Barral-Arca, Ruth, Justicia Grande, Antonio José, Viz Lasheras, Sandra, Rodríguez-Tenreiro, Carmen, Gómez, Rodolfo, Salas, Antonio and Martinón-Torres, Federico. (2022). Everolimus reduced bone turnover markers but showed no clinical benefit in a patient with severe progressive osseous heteroplasia. Frontiers in Pediatrics. https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2022.936780
    • Alberto Gómez-Carballa, Irene Rivero-Calle, Jacobo Pardo-Seco, José Gómez-Rial, Carmen Rivero-Velasco, Nuria Rodríguez-Núñez, Gema Barbeito-Castiñeiras, Hugo Pérez-Freixo, Miriam Cebey-López, Ruth Barral-Arca, Carmen Rodriguez-Tenreiro, Ana Dacosta-Urbieta, Xabier Bello, Sara Pischedda, María José Currás-Tuala, Sandra Viz-Lasheras, Federico Martinón-Torres and Antonio Salas (2022). A multi-tissue study of immune gene expression profiling highlights the key role of the nasal epithelium in COVID-19 severity. Environmental Research; 210(1):112890. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2022.112890
    • Heather Jackson, Irene Rivero Calle, Claire Broderick, Dominic Habgood‑Coote, Giselle D’Souza, Samuel Nichols, Ortensia Vito, Jose Gómez‑Rial, Carmen Rivero‑Velasco, Nuria Rodríguez‑Núñez, Gema Barbeito‑Castiñeiras, Hugo Pérez‑Freixo, Manuel Barreiro‑de Acosta, Aubrey J. Cunnington, Jethro A. Herberg, Victoria J. Wright, Alberto Gómez‑Carballa, Antonio Salas, Michael Levin, Federico Martinon‑Torres, Myrsini Kaforou, PERFORM consortium & GEN-COVID (www.gencovid.eu) study group (2022). Characterisation of the blood RNA host response underpinning severity in COVID‑19 patients. Scientific Reports; 12(1):12216. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-15547-2
    • Sara Pischedda, Irene Rivero-Calle, Alberto Gómez-Carballa, Miriam Cebey-López, Ruth Barral-Arca, Jose Gómez Rial, Jacobo Pardo-Seco, María José Currás Tuala, Sandra Viz Lasheras, Xabier Bello, Ana B. Crujeiras, Angel Diaz-Lagares, Teresa María, Federico Martinon-Torres and Antonio Salas (2022). Role and diagnostic performance of host epigenome in respiratory morbidity after RSV infection: the EPIRESVi study. Frontiers in Immunology; 13:875691. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2022.875691
  • 2021
    • Antonio José Justicia-Grande, Jose Gómez-Rial, Irene Rivero-Calle, Sara Pischedda, María José Currás-Tuala, Alberto Gómez-Carballa, Miriam Cebey-López, Jacobo Pardo-Seco, Roberto Méndez-Gallart, María José Fernández-Seara, Antonio Salas, Federico Martinón-Torres (2021). Case Report: Two Monochorionic Twins With a Critically Different Course of Progressive Osseus Heteroplasia. Frontiers in Pediatrics; 9:508. https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2021.662669
    • Alberto Gómez-Carballa, Ruth Barral-Arca, Miriam Cebey-López, Maria José Currás-Tuala, Sara Pischedda, José Gómez-Rial, Dominic Habgood-Coote, Jethro A Herberg, Myrsini Kaforou, Federico Martinón-Torres, Antonio Salas (2021). Host Transcriptomic Response Following Administration of Rotavirus Vaccine in Infants' Mimics Wild Type Infection.. Frontiers in Inmunology; 11(1):3517. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2020.580219
  • 2020
    • Gómez-Rial Jose, Currás-Tuala Maria José, Rivero-Calle Irene, Gómez-Carballa Alberto, Cebey-López Miriam, Rodríguez-Tenreiro Carmen, Dacosta-Urbieta Ana, Rivero-Velasco Carmen, Rodríguez-Núñez Nuria, Trastoy-Pena Rocio, Rodríguez-García Javier, Salas Antonio, Martinón-Torres Federico (2020). Increased serum levels of sCD14 and sCD163 indicate a preponderant role for monocytes in COVID-19 immunopathology. Frontiers in Immunology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2020.560381
    • Barral-Arca R, Gómez-Carballa A, Cebey-López M, Currás-Tuala MJ, Pischedda S, Viz-Lasheras S, Bello S, Martinón-Torres F, Salas A (2020). RNA-Seq data-mining allows the discovery of two long non-coding RNA biomarkers of viral infection in humans. International Journal of Molecular Sciences; 21(8):2748. http://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21082748
    • Bermúdez de León M, León-Cachón RBR, Silva-Ramírez B, González-Ríos RN, Escobedo-Guajardo B, Leyva-Parra R, Tovar-Cisneros B, González-González E, Alvarado-Díaz A, Vázquez-Monsiváis O, Mata-Tijerina V, Puente-Lugo L, Álvarez- Galván E, Currás-Tuala MJ, Aguado-Barrera M, Castorena-Torres F, Alcocer-González JM, Elizondo G, Salinas-Martínez AM (2020). Association study of genetic polymorphisms in proteins involved in oseltamivir transport, metabolism, and interactions with adverse reactions in Mexican patients with acute respiratory diseases. The Pharmacogenomics Journal; 20(4):613-620. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41397-020-0151-8
  • 2018
    • Salas A, Pardo-Seco J, Barral-Arca R, Cebey-López M, Gómez-Carballa A, Rivero-Calle I, Pischedda S, Currás-Tuala M, Amigo J, Gómez-Rial J, Martinón-Torres F, GENDRES Network (2018). Whole Exome Sequencing identifies new host genomic susceptibility factors in empyema caused by streptococcus pneumoniae in children: A pilot study. Genes; 9:240. http://doi.org/10.3390/genes9050240
  • 2017
    • Salas A, Pardo-Seco J, Cebey-López M, Gómez-Carballa A, Obando-Pacheco P, Rivero-Calle I, Currás-Tuala M, Amigo J, Gómez-Rial J, Martinón-Torres F, GENDRES network (2017). Whole Exome Sequencing reveals new candidate genes in host genomic susceptibility to Respiratory Syncytial Virus Disease. Scientific reports; 7:15888. http://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-15752-4