Ines Ezcurra

Principal Investigator (PI) in the Plant Synthetic Biology group

Our research aims at establishing how different types of transcription factor regulatory circuits regulate plant biomass formation. We investigate the wiring, or circuitry, of regulatory networks involved in stress tolerance and secondary cell wall formation in angiosperms. The rationale for this idea is that evolution of traits in multicellular organisms is frequently caused by mutations that alter the wiring of regulatory networks, modifying network gene expression dynamics and, as a consequence, expression of the network’s target genes. Based on these studies, we draw inspiration on natural networks to design synthetic transcription circuits aiming at enhanced and/or altered growth, in a synthetic biology type of approach.

Current personnel

Graduate researchers

• Mathilda Adriasola, PhD student
• Dr Julia Wind, postdoc

Undergraduate researchers

          No undergrads currently. 

Alumni and theses

• Gea Guerriero, post-doctoral scientist, Sept 2006 - Jan 2008
• Yucheng Wang, post-doctoral scientist, Feb 2008 - Feb 2009
• Yiqiang Wang, guest researcher, Sept 2006 - May 2008
• Anders Winzell, post-graduate student, 2008 - 2010 (Ph.D. 2010)
• Clara Krantz, Diploma thesis student, Sept 2006 - May 2007
• Guillermo Ruano Blanco, Diploma thesis student, Jan 2009 - June 2009
• Camila Josefsson, Diploma thesis student, Aug 2010 - Dec 2010
• Prashanth Tamizhselvan, Diploma thesis student, Sept 2010 - June 2011
• Mathilda Lönnäs Duncranz, Diploma thesis student, Jan 2010 - June 2012
• Fredrik Johansson, Diploma thesis student, Jan 2012 - June 2012
• Jessica Svensson, Diploma thesis student, 2013
• Emil Filén, Diploma thesis student, 2014
• Julia Gonzalez, Diploma thesis student, 2015

Fundning Sources

• VINNOVA
• SSF
• Energimyndigheten
• FORMAS
• Carl Tryggers Stiftelse
• Marcus Borgströms Stiftelse

Collaborators

• Prof Ewa Mellerovicz, UPSC, Sweden
• Prof Björn Sundberg, UPSC, Sweden
• Prof Hannele Tuominen, UPSC, Sweden
• Dr Gea Guerriero, CRP - Gabriel Lippmann, Luxembourg
• Dr Malin Elfstrand, Uppsala BioCenter, Sweden
• Prof Peter Engström, Uppsala BioCenter, Sweden

Industrial Partners

• SweTree Technologies

Teaching

• BB2330 Plant Biotechnology, 7,5 credits, coordinator and main lecturer
  • Course plan
• Plant Fiber Resources, Biomime Graduate School, 4,5 credits, coordinator and main lecturer
• Gene Technology and Molecular Biology, 7,5 credits, lecturer