María Ángeles Pedreño has taken office as a member of the Academy of Sciences of the Region of Murcia. In the morning news we have interviewed this professor of Plant Physiology at the University of Murcia. She is the third number academic researcher of the Academy. He chose for his inauguration a speech entitled ‘Biotechnology applied to the study of plant physiology’.
His research group at the UMU works on obtaining proteins and natural bioactive principles that can be used in medicine, pharmacy, cosmetics or nutrition. “Right now, for example, we have licensed two lines, one carrot, one green and the other orange, which produce a large amount of carotenoids and phytosterols; We have it licensed to a cosmetic company. He uses it as ingredients, in turn, to sell to other buyers who formulate the cosmetic product. And we also have a line of pomegranates licensed to that same company”, Pedreño detailed. “They are almost stem cells”, she specified.
The researcher has also said that the group has done some specific work on juices and on increasing the natural defenses of broccoli. What they do at the university is stimulate plant cells, they study the defense mechanisms of plants. A group in which currently, Pedreño is only in charge of “young people”, biologists, biochemists and an environmentalist.
