Personal profile
Summary
I am biologist working with plastic-degrading enzymes in the engineering group of the Centre for Enzyme Innovation (CEI) at the University of Portsmouth. We are looking for solutions to tackle the environmental problematics produced by plastics, using biological catalysts. My expertise in biochemistry and molecular biology allows me to contribute with this important project, looking for new and optimized enzymes with new properties, that permit the recycling of different plastic materials including textiles.
My research interest includes biochemical analysis of enzymes and metabolism in eukaryotic microorganisms, with an emphasis in the studies of metabolic regulation. For this purpose, I use tools from classic biochemistry, synthetic biology, and metabolic engineering, these approaches being useful in our project about plastics.
Biography
After finishing my undergraduate studies in biology at the Universidad Central de Venezuela in Caracas, I moved to the mountains at the west of the country to work at the Universidad de los Andes, where I learn molecular biology in an important group in this theme in Latin-America. At this University, I started to be interested in the metabolism of eukaryotic organisms. This interest brought me to pursue my PhD studies in enzymology, at the Institut Jacques Monod, Université Paris-Diderot, studying the regulation of metabolism in algae by enzymes interactions. Posteriorly, at the Universidad de Los Andes, and at the Université Aix-Marseille, I continued studying enzymes of microorganisms, including kinetoplastids, green algae and diatoms. Finally, I joined the CEI In 2019 and 2024.
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Enhanced enzymatic hydrolysis of pretreated polyester textile at high solids loading through fusion with a carbohydrate binding module
Graham, R., Wain, B. H., Clark, R. A., Bemmer, V. L., Borin, G., Avilan, L., Rudge, E. M., Lahive, C. W., Shaver, M. P. & Pickford, A., 8 Feb 2026, (Early online) In: Bioresource Technology.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Impact of CP12 deletion on inorganic carbon acquisition and Rubisco partitioning in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
Gérard, C., Lebrun, R., Verthuy, C., Le Guenno, H., Kosta, A., Byrne, D., Zhang, Y., Guerard, F., Chang, K. S., Marchand, A., Avilan, L., Gakiere, B., Jin, E., Maberly, S. C., Gontero, B. & Launay, H., 29 Jan 2026, (Early online) In: Journal of Experimental Botany.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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CP12 controls ribulose 1, 5 bisphosphate recycling and carbon acquisition in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
Gerard, C., Lebrun, R., Verthuy, C., LeGuenno, H., Kosta, A., Guerard, F., Chang, K. S., Avilan, L., Gakiere, B., Jin, E., Marbely, S. C., Gontero, B. & Launay, H., 18 Jun 2025, 41 p. (bioRxiv).Research output: Working paper › Preprint
Open AccessFile26 Downloads (Pure) -
Assembling multiple fragments: the Gibson Assembly
Avilan, L., 1 Mar 2023, DNA Manipulation and Analysis. Scarlett, G. (ed.). 1st ed. New York: Humana Press, p. 45-53 9 p. (Methods in Molecular Biology; vol. 2633).Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review
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Concentration-dependent inhibition of mesophilic PETases on poly(ethylene terephthalate) can be eliminated by enzyme engineering
Avilan, L., Lichtenstein, B., Koenig, G., Zahn, M., Allen, M. D., Oliveira Pessoa, L., Clark, M. A., Bemmer, V. L., Graham, R., Austin, H. P., Dominick, G., Johnson, C. W., Beckham, G. T., McGeehan, J. & Pickford, A., 21 Apr 2023, In: ChemSusChem. 16, 8, 12 p., e202202277.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile63 Downloads (Pure)