Marta Alonso-Hearn

Marta Alonso has a BS degree in Biological Sciences from the University Complutense of Madrid (Spain) and a Ph.D. in Science from the Department of Molecular Biology, University Autonóma of Madrid. In 1999, she received a postdoctoral fellowship from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Education and she started working as an Assistant Professor at the Microbiology Department, College of Agricultural Sciences, Oregon State University (OSU). With funds that she obtained from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA, 2000-2001) and the Oregon SeaGrant Program in Biotechnology (2002-2005), she worked in the development of innovative vaccines and developed a “suicide” DNA vaccine. For this invention, she filed a patent application with OSU that it is currently being exploited in the United States. In 2005, she joined the Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Science (OSU). With funds obtained from the paratuberculosis (PTB) integrative program (USDA), she focused on the study of the biology and pathogenesis of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP). In 2008, Dr. Alonso joined the Department of Animal Health of NEIKER with a contract from the National Institute for Agricultural Research (INIA-CCAA). In 2013, Dr. Alonso obtained the Certificate of Research Proficiency from the Spanish Agency of Research Evaluation (ANECA, I3 Program). She is certified as University Assistant Professor by the ANECA. She has participated in 20 research projects, 43 scientific articles, 80 national and international conferences, and she is the first inventor of two international patents. In the last 10 years, she has supervised 4 doctoral and 5 Master theses. In June 2021, she was selected as a member of the academic committee of the International Society of Animal Genetics. She is a member of the Mycobacteria research group of NEIKER that in 2020 received the Zendal International award in Animal Health. Dr. Alonso´s current research focuses on the characterization of how both the infected host and MAP contribute to bovine paratuberculosis (PTB). An in-depth characterization of the complex molecular and immunological interplay between MAP and the host is essential for the development of novel vaccines, diagnostic tools, and breeding programs to enhance genetic resistance to bovine PTB. Dr. Alonso has been principal investigator in five research projects funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation designed to elucidate several issues regarding MAP-host interaction with specific emphasis on 1) the characterization of the virulence mechanisms involved in the bacterium´s ability to invade and survive within the host macrophages, 2) the assessment of the factors influencing this interplay, and 3) the identification of immunological and genetic markers capable of distinguishing distinct outcomes of infection and hosts with a susceptible or resilient genotype, respectively.