A standard household disinfectant claims it can kill 99.99% of bacteria. We study the remaining 0.01%. In particular, our research focuses on studying the genetic and metabolic mechanisms that enable bacterial communities to implement collective strategies to survive - and thrive - in hostile and rapidly-changing environments.
We use data-driven mathematical models to understand how bacteria evolve. We run these models through computer simulations, and then use what we learn to design microbiology experiments.We value diversity in both scientific approaches and disciplines. We work collaboratively, blending skills in mathematics, computer science, and microbiology to get a well-rounded understanding of bacterial survival in fluctuating environments.
Specific projects in our lab can be grouped into the following general areas: 1) We study how environments with complex spatio-temporal structure modulate antibiotic-resistance fitness landscapes. 2) We study the gene regulatory mechanisms that produce phenotypic heterogeneity in a population of genetically-identical cells. 3) We study the interaction between mobile genetic elements, their bacterial hosts, and the environment.
rpm@ccg.unam.mx
penamiller
+52 (777) 313 4152
Centro de Ciencias Genómicas
Av. Universidad s/n.
Chamilpa, CP 62261.
Cuernavaca, Mexico.
bioRxiv (2022).
JCR Hernandez-Beltran, J Rodriguez-Beltran, B Aguilar-Luviano, J Velez-Santiago, O Mondragon-Palomino, RC MacLean, A Fuentes-Hernandez, A San Millan and R Peña-Miller
Molecular Biology and Evolution (2022).
S Cisneros-Mayoral, L Graña-Miraglia, D Pérez-Morales, R Peña-Miller, A Fuentes-Hernáandez
Royal Society Open Science, 9:5 (2022).
D Reyes-González, H De Luna-Valenciano, J Utrilla, M Sieber, R Peña-Miller & A Fuentes-Hernandez
Nature Communications (2021).
A Alonso-del Valle, R León-Sampedro, J Rodríguez-Beltrán, J DelaFuente, M Hernández-García, P Ruiz-Garbajosa, R Cantón, R Peña-Miller & A San Millan
PNAS (2020).
J Rodríguez-Beltrán, V Sørum, M Toll-Riera, C Vega, R Peña-Miller and A San Millan
Plasmid (2020).
JCR Hernandez-Beltran, J Rodriguez-Beltran, A San Millan, R Peña-Miller* & A Fuentes-Hernandez*
Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 16 (158), 20190363 (2019).
A. Fuentes-Hernández, A. Hernández-Koutoucheva, A.F. Muñoz, R. Domínguez Palestino, R. Peña-Miller
Nature Ecology and Evolution (2018).
J Rodriguez-Beltran, JCR Hernandez-Beltran, J DelaFuente, JA Escudero, A Fuentes-Hernandez, RC MacLean, R Peña-Miller & A San Millan
Behind the paper (Nature Ecology & Evolution Community):
What do pill-bugs and Escherichia coli have in common? »
Agustín B. Ávila wrote about this paper:
La diversidad es la mejor estrategia para sobrevivir »
Molecular Biology and Evolution, msw292 (2017).
R. E. Beardmore, R. Pena-Miller, F. Gori and J. Iredell
We wrote a blog for The Conversation:
Why hospitals have got it wrong when it comes to resistance »
Nature Communications, Vol. 5, No. 5208 (2014).
A San Millan, R Peña-Miller, M Toll-Riera, Z Halbert, A McLean, B Cooper and C MacLean
Highlighted in Nature Reviews Microbiology:
How to keep your plasmids. »
Galileo allegedly said, "Measure what is measurable, and make measurable what is not so". Following his advice, every once in a while, we turn our lab into a FabLab where we collectively design and build wet lab instrumentation using free and open-source software and open-source hardware.
We've built incubators, laminar hoods, chemostats, syringe pumps, image acquisition systems and hacked pipetting robots and 3D printers to extrude cells.
A 3D printable device for spatio-temporal quantification of fluorescently-tagged bacteria in agar plates.
Inaugural event of the Mexican Network for Biology and Mathematics (RedMexBioMate), focused on fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and research at the intersection of biology and mathematics. The network aims to build an inclusive community that promotes scientific innovation and diversity.
2nd interdisciplinary meeting focusing on the application and development of probability models in biology.
This event gathered students from diverse backgrounds and institutions across Mexico and Latin America. The agenda featured courses, workshops, and talks focused on the integration of mathematical tools in the fields of Genomics, Synthetic Biology, and Systems Biology.
qBio18:Summer School in Quantitative Biology was held at the Genomic Sciences Center of the UNAM in Cuernavaca, Morelos, from July 23 to August 3, 2018.
An international conference assembling a cross-disciplinary panel of internationally leading speakers presenting current research that uses a wide range of quantitative methodological approaches to understand the evolutionary processes by which living systems acquire resistance to chemotherapy.
More info
We welcome students and postdoctoral applicants with a biomedical or a quantitative background, interested in developing interdisciplinary research projects somewhere in the interface between experimental microbiology, mathematical modelling and computational biology.
We are committed to creating a lab environment that is diverse, inclusive, and welcoming to all. We strongly believe that the amalgamation of diverse perspectives contributes to scientific excellence and innovation. We encourage individuals from all ethnic backgrounds, genders, ages, abilities, and orientations to apply.
If you are interested in joining our lab as a postdoctoral fellow, graduate student, or undergraduate researcher, please send an email to rpm (at) ccg.unam.mx with a CV and a brief description of your research interests.
Cuernavaca Morelos
t: +52 (777) 313 4152
@: rpm@ccg.unam.mx
