Professor of Plant Metabolic Engineering, Director of Environmental Sciences and Molecular Biosciences

---

Education

• B.S. - 1992 - Biology, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
• Ph.D. - 1997 - Plant Physiology, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA

Professional Credentials

• American Council for Medicinally Active Plants
• Society for In Vitro Biology
• American Chemical Society

Courses Taught

• Specialized Biochemistry
• Biosafety and Ethics in Research
• Biology of the Cell Laboratory
• Plant Physiology
• Applications of Biotechnology
• Advanced Cell Biology (team taught)
• Independent Study: Hairy Roots 
• Independent Study: Phytochemical Methods
• Independent Study: Plant Tissue Culture
• Techniques in Molecular Biosciences: HPTLC and HPLC
• Techniques in Molecular Biosciences: Plant Transformation

Research Interests

Discovery and Production of Natural Products with Applications in Human Health

Dr. Medina-Bolivar's research is at the interface of plant biotechnology and medicine. His research involves the use of hairy roots for the production and discovery of natural products with applications in human health.

Hairy roots are “immortalized” plant tissue culture systems that reproduce the biosynthetic capacity of intact plants. His research team has developed strategies to increase the levels of selected bioactive natural products in hairy roots by more than 1,000 times when compared to the parental plant.  This patented technology allows for the sustainable production of compounds that are being tested for different bioactivities including anticancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and cardioprotective properties.

For more information about Dr. Medina-Bolivar’s laboratory, check his research, publications and patents at https://fabriciomedinabolivarlab.com

Current Research Projects

• Production of prenylated stilbenoids in hairy root cultures
• Metabolic engineering of muscadine grape, peanut and tobacco for the production of prenylated stilbenoids
• Prenylated stilbenoids as potential chemopreventive and therapeutic agents for breast cancer
• Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanism of prenylated stilbenoids
• Cardiprotective properties of prenylated stilbenoids (collaboration with Dr. Viswanathan Rajagopalan at New York Institute of Technology - College of Osteopathic Medicine)

Curriculum Vitae

Download >>