Álvaro Santana Garrido

I'm a postdoctoral researcher in Retina research group at the St. Erik Eye Hospital (Karolinska Institutet) funded by the Alfonso Martín Escudero Foundation. I earned a double degree in Pharmacy and Optics-Optometry, as well as a master's in Physiology and Neuroscience, from the University of Seville in Spain. Additionally, I completed my PhD with international distinction at the same institution.

My PhD research yielded promising findings on the use of acebuchina oil as a retinoprotective nutraceutical agent in arterial hypertension, and the development of an ophthalmic formulation of this oil in the form of nanoemulsions. The Spanish research state plan funded my predoctoral stage. During this period, I completed two predoctoral mobilities at the St. Erik Eye Hospital of the Karolinska Institutet and a short stay at the University of Alcalá (Madrid). These experiences allowed me to incorporate cutting-edge techniques into our research group and initiate a new line of research focused on visual physiology. My early postdoctoral stage was funded by a Project of Excellence from the Junta de Andalucía in Spain, focusing on using extracellular vesicles to understand and treat vascular retinopathies. Currently, I am developing a project on cell therapies for macular degeneration, focusing on the modulation of the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF).

Regarding teaching, I participated in the Physiology Department at the University of Seville. During that time, I co-supervised master’s theses, published teaching articles, presented educational communications at conferences, and taught in courses agreed upon with foreign universities.

As the person responsible for teaching innovation projects, I was awarded the Innovation in Teaching Physiology 2022 Award from the SECF for the social network project (@fisiofarma_us).