Throughout July and August 2026, the Laboratory for Biological Assays and Diagnostics (ENBIDIA) hosted Milene Vera Sánchez, an undergraduate student from the Universitat de Vic - Universitat Central de Catalunya (UVic-UCC), Spain. Upon her arrival at the faculty, she was formally welcomed by FLS Associate Dean Ana Tirapé Bajaña, Ph.D., and Romina Cueva, External Relations Analyst at ESPOL.
The research internship was conducted under the direct supervision and guidance of Washington Cárdenas Medranda, Ph.D., research professor at FLS and head of the ENBIDIA laboratory. During her training period, the intern actively engaged in experimental protocols focused on biomedical and biotechnological research, including nucleic acid extraction (DNA/RNA), PCR amplification, molecular cloning, and genetic construct analysis. Additionally, she contributed to recombinant protein and viral vector design, as well as the maintenance of primary cell cultures and cell lines under rigorous biosafety standards.
In parallel, the laboratory provided technical support for her undergraduate thesis in agricultural ecology and crop protection: a comparative field study evaluating soil arthropod diversity and abundance across pesticide-treated farms versus chemical-free plots.
This collaboration reaffirms the commitment of ESPOL and the Faculty of Life Sciences to academic internationalization, hands-on scientific training of excellence, and cross-border inter-institutional partnerships.
