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Biography

Blanca Laffon is Professor of Psychobiology at the University of A Coruña (Spain). She accomplished her PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain) with honors and extraordinary award in 2001. Previous scientific activities include several predoctoral and postdoctoral fellows, and postdoctoral positions in different public institutions since 1996. Her area of scientific activity is the study of the effect of pollutants on the organisms, especially at the molecular and cytogenetic level, and on behaviour. She has conducted several studies aimed to evaluate the genotoxicity and cytotoxicity associated with exposure to chemical substances present in the environment. These studies were performed in vitro using established cell lines or human lymphocytes, in sentinel organisms of the environmental pollution, such as the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis, and also in human populations exposed to occupational or environmental agents. A wide range of analytical, cytogenetic and molecular techniques were used to evaluate the exposure intensity, the possible effects at the cellular level, and to determine the existence of possible genetic polymorphisms that may play a role as susceptibility biomarkers. Some of the research works conducted by her group were recognized with scientific awards from different entities. She is author or coauthor of over 80 scientific papers and several book chapters on these topics, being cited over 2500 times (h index = 31, Google scholar). Her academic activities include teaching Genetic Toxicology, Environmental Toxicology, Psychopharmacology and Congenital Alterations of Language, and supervising research PhD and Master thesis.

Research Interest

Genotoxicity, psychobiology, occupational health, biomarkers