Marie Curie Actions: Inspiring Researchers - Imdea

chemically in various fashions. The molecules she created usingDOS are known as ring systems. Excitingly, similar moleculeshave been found in nature, and some of these naturally occurringchemicals have been shown to have useful properties. Themany and diverse molecules in Dr Díaz Gavilán’s library arenow being tested for antibacterial activity.Meanwhile, the young researcher succeeded in transformingone of her molecules into a chemical called myrrhine. Myrrhineis secreted by ladybirds to repel predators. As such, it couldturn out to be extremely useful for agricultural pest control. Themyrrhine acquired by Dr Díaz Gavilán was produced using fewersteps and in larger quantities than other attempts to producethe substance synthetically.Contributing to the fieldA particular focus of Mónica Díaz Gavilán’s research at Cambridgewas how DOS could be used to examine the chains of chemicalreactions through which the small, complex molecules in thelibrary are generated. Crucially, she contributed to her fi eldof study by improving upon the methodology used in theseexperiments. Most notably, she invented a new process thatenhances the technique used to prepare for the testing ofdifferent-sized structures. This new process can be appliedto different studies in the future.During her time in Cambridge, Dr Díaz Gavilán also developed apowerful biotechnology tool capable of screening compounds forthe chemical properties relevant to the drug-discovery process.A steep learning curveDr Díaz Gavilán describes her experience of working inthe team as feeling like part of a family: ‘Everyone wasvery friendly and helpful. Not speaking the languageperfectly was not a problem; there was always supportand I never felt stuck, even at the beginning,’ she says.Her work at the Department of Chemistry enabled her tobenefi t from the university’s outstanding level of knowledgeand infrastructure. Describing the scientifi c library at thecentre, she adds, ‘it is second to none; straight away I wasimpressed by it. It was not just a “normal” scientifi c library,but truly excellent.’154