I am an environmental microbiologist especially interested in how endophytes - both Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes - interact with their plant hosts and the surrounding environment. I am the co-founder and research director of Endófita Biotechnology a start-up company based in Colombia, one of the most biodiverse countries on Earth. At Endófita, our objectives are to 1) unravel the beneficial interactions microbes naturally establish with plants, 2) optimize these interactions to improve both key metabolic processes inside the plants, plant health and yield, and 3) this way reduce the need for harmful pesticides and chemical fertilizers and promote sustainable agricultural practices. Endófita currently has a culture collection of more than 300 endophytic strains isolated from various crops and native Colombian plants. We are currently partnering with The University of Los Andes and the National University of Colombia, and together with these institutions we are looking for existing projects or European partners interested in applying for future calls (e.g. BiodivNBS). Relevant/most recent publications: Addis SD et al. 2022 Alterations of endophytic microbial community function in Spartina alterniflora as a result of crude oil exposure. Biodegradation 33(1): 87-98 Lefèvre et al. 2020 A novel PCR clamping assay reducing plant host DNA amplification significantly improves prokaryotic endo-microbiome community characterization. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 96(7) doi: 10.1093/femsec/fiaa110.
I am the co-founder and research director of Endófita Biotechnology a start-up company based in Colombia, one of the most biodiverse countries on Earth. At Endófita, our objectives are to 1) unravel the beneficial interactions microbes naturally establish with plants, 2) optimize these interactions to improve both key metabolic processes inside the plants, plant health and yield, and 3) this way reduce the need for harmful pesticides and chemical fertilizers and promote sustainable agricultural practices. Endófita currently has a culture collection of more than 300 endophytic strains isolated from various crops and native Colombian plants. We are currently partnering with The University of Los Andes and the National University of Colombia, and together with these institutions we are looking for existing projects or European partners interested in applying for future calls (e.g. BiodivNBS).