Aline Colonnello Montero

I am a PhD student in molecular Toxicology working mostly with effect-bassed assays as a tool to assess water quality and to identify potential adverse effects in water samples ranging from drking to surface water. My project is focused on developing a new "in situ" bioassay to detect very low concentrations of estrogen in water without having to perform solid phase extraction in the incoming water samples. The idea behind this project is to improve the water biomonitoring's accuracy and also to reduce the uncertainty of chemical and/or physical changes during  transportation from site to the laboratory. 

My current research focuses on the potential adverse effects that chemical mixtures in different water sources, including drinking water, may have on different molecular targets such as Nrf2, AhR, estrogen and androgen receptors and genetic material. I am especially interested in elucidating and understanding the specific mechanisms of action responsible for the activation of the aforementioned targets, but more particularly in the mechanisms causing genotoxicity. I strongly believe that cell paint and high-content imaging combined with morphological analysis are an excellent tool for identifying and classifying these genotoxic mechanisms in complex mixtures. In addition, I think that effect-based assays combined with cell paint and morphology analysis are a promising option to build an early warning system and biomonitoring tool for assessing water quality. 

Master's degree in Toxicology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm --- September 2019 – June 2021 

Bachelor's degree in Biology, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexico City --- August 2013 – August 2018