Esther Orozco
María Esther Orozco Orozco | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 18, 1945 San Isidro Pascual Orozco, Chihuahua, Mexico |
| Occupation(s) | Chemist, bacteriologist, parasitologist, educator, science administrator |
| Known for | Research on Entamoeba histolytica pathogenic mechanisms; Minister of International Cooperation in Science and Technology at the Mexican Embassy in France |
María Esther Orozco Orozco (born 18 April 1945 in San Isidro Pascual Orozco, Chihuahua, Mexico) is a distinguished Mexican expert in chemistry, bacteriology, parasitology, and education. Her scientific investigations concentrate on elucidating the pathogenic mechanisms of Entamoeba histolytica. Presently, she holds the position of Minister of International Cooperation in Science and Technology at the Mexican Embassy in France.
Education
Esther Orozco earned her undergraduate degree in chemistry from the Autonomous University of Chihuahua and completed both her master's and doctoral studies in cell biology at CINVESTAV-IPN.
Research areas
Her work at CINVESTAV-IPN centers on the molecular biology and genetics of Entamoeba histolytica, particularly focusing on genes and proteins that contribute to its pathogenicity, with the aim of creating vaccines and enhancing therapies for amoebiasis. Her primary research themes include:
- Molecular biology related to virulence factors in E. histolytica
- Genetic basis of multidrug resistance
- Organization of the amebic genome
- Genes implicated in phagocytosis
- The involvement of ESCRT machinery in pathogenicity
Academic background
Since 1982, Orozco has been affiliated with the Department of Infectomics and Molecular Pathogenesis at CINVESTAV-IPN in Mexico City. She dedicated ten years to research at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and was awarded fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and Fogarty International Center. Her expertise has been sought at numerous global institutions, including Harvard University and the Weizmann Institute of Science.
She played a pivotal role in founding the Research Center of Applied Science and Technology (CICATA) at IPN and launched the Postgraduate Program in Genomic Sciences at the Autonomous University of Mexico City in 2003, where she also contributed as a member of its Advisory Council.
Awards and honors
Orozco was honored with the Pasteur Medal by the Pasteur Institute and UNESCO for uncovering how amoebae cause infections prevalent in tropical regions. Additionally, she earned the prestigious L’Oréal UNESCO for Women in Science Award. For a decade, she was an international fellow at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
She holds membership in both the Mexican Academy of Sciences (AMC) and the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS). In 2011, she received recognition as an Emeritus Researcher from CINVESTAV-IPN, where her tenure began in 1981. The following year, she was named an Emeritus National Researcher by Conacyt’s National System of Researchers (SNI), an honor bestowed upon only 462 individuals (including 102 women) out of 36,714 Mexican researchers.
Her achievements have also been acknowledged by legislative bodies in Chihuahua, her native state, as well as by Mexico City's Assembly.
Selected distinctions include:
- Miguel Otero National Award from the Ministry of Health (1985)
- Louis Pasteur Medal awarded by UNESCO and Pasteur Institute (1997)
- Woman of the Year in Health by Master Card Corporation and Glamour magazine (2004)
- L'Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science Award (2006)
- Medal for Citizen Merit in Science from Mexico City Legislative Assembly (2006)
- Omeccíhuatl Medal from Mexico City Women’s Institute (2009)
- Prominent Chihuahua Women's Award in science named after her by Chihuahua State Congress and Women's Institute
- Emeritus Researcher designation at CINVESTAV-IPN (2011)
- National Emeritus Researcher title by Conacyt's SNI (2012)
- Included among Líderes Mexicanos magazine’s 300 most influential Mexican leaders (2020)
Political and administrative roles
Between 1990 and 1994, she held the position of Secretary of Planning at CINVESTAV-IPN.
During the 1998 electoral process, she was the external candidate for Governor representing the Party of the Democratic Revolution. Her campaign experiences are recounted in her publication Si la mujer está: Chihuahua, abriendo caminos en la lucha por la democracia.
She established and led the Institute of Science and Technology of Mexico City (ICyTDF) from 2006 until 2010 under Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon's leadership. The ICyTDF was created to advance scientific and technological initiatives aimed at resolving Mexico City's issues, encourage regional scientific progress, and facilitate collaboration between governmental bodies, research institutions, educational entities, and the private sector.
From 2010 to 2013, Dr. Orozco served as Rector at the Autonomous University of Mexico City.
In her capacity as a scientific advisor to Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Affairs from June 2019 to September 2021, she managed the coordination of Mexico’s technical-scientific team within the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). Through this role, she secured international funding to expedite national efforts focused on COVID-19 diagnostic tools and vaccine research.
Her current appointment began on September 7, 2021, when she was named Minister of Cooperation in Science and Technology at the Mexican Embassy in France.
Selected publications
- Debnath, A., Parsonage, D., Andrade, R. M., He, C., Cobo, E. R., Hirata, K., Chen, S., García-Rivera, G., Orozco, E., Martínez, M. B., Gunatilleke, S. S., Barrios, A. M., Arkin, M. R., Poole, L. B., McKerrow, J. H., & Reed, S. L. (2012). Identification of a novel lead and target through a high-throughput drug screening against Entamoeba histolytica. Nature medicine, 18(6), 956–960.
- Orozco, E., Guarneros, G., Martinez-Palomo, A., Sanchez, T. (1983). The role of phagocytosis as a virulence mechanism in Entamoeba histolytica. J Exp Med, 158(5), 1511–1521.
- Garcia‐Rivera, G., Rodriguez, M. A., Ocadiz, R., Martinez‐Lopez, M. C., Arroyo, R., Gonzalez‐Robles, A., Orozco, E. (1999). Characterization of a new cysteine protease and an adhesin forming the 112kDa surface protein in Entamoeba histolytica. Molecular Microbiology, 33(3), 556–568.
- Keene, W. E., Hidalgo, M. E., Orozco, E., McKerrow, J. H. (1990). Correlating the cytopathic effects of virulent Entamoeba histolytica trophozoites with cysteine proteinase secretion. Experimental Parasitology, 71(2), 199–206.
- Arroyo, R., Orozco, E. (1987). Identification and localization of an adhesin in Entamoeba histolytica. Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology, 23(2), 151–158.
Complete list of Esther Orozco's scientific works