Meet The BLUES Researchers: Marcela Loy Martinez

Growing up on the northern coast of Spain, Marcela has always been fascinated by the ocean's hidden wonders. Through her bachelor’s and master’s studies in biotechnology, she nourished her knowledge and found her true calling in this field. To complement her studies, she interned at the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, part of Florida Atlantic University in the USA. This experience increased her interest in the potential of in vitro sponge cell cultures for producing bioactive compounds.

Today, the talented researcher advances her academic pathway by contributing to the BLUES project:

“Being part of BLUES and learning from the different partners and experts, is the best opportunity I could have as the start of my scientific career,” says the PhD candidate, whose focus in the project is developing marine sponge cell lines for the production of bioactive metabolites.