Morgridge postdoc aims to discover the molecular machinery that will paralyze a deadly parasite
Andrés Tibabuzo’s scientific curiosity was sparked as a child watching the movie “Jurassic Park” and grew to encompass the study of snake venom, the adhesion of marine creatures to underwater objects and the biology of parasites.
“I remember watching ‘Dexter’s Lab’ in Saturday morning cartoons and dreaming of having a secret lab that I could access through my closet,” recalls Tibabuzo, today a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Morgridge Institute for Research investigator Phillip Newmark.
Tibabuzo developed an interest in venomous snakes after studying them in high school. As a biology student at the Universidad de los Andes in his native Colombia, he focused understanding the mechanics of a compound in venom called phospholipase.
From there, Tibabuzo changed gears, entering a chemistry Ph.D. program at Purdue University, where he worked to understand the origins and chemistry of bioadhesion in shellfish.
“My plan going into a Ph.D. was to learn more techniques to translate basic science into something that could be useful in the future,” he says.
Mussels and oysters can adhere underwater, and the overarching goal of the research was to determine whether imitating that process could develop a material to help heal wounds and broken bones in humans.
After earning his doctorate in 2019, Tibabuzo was contacted by a postdoc friend at the University of Georgia who suggested he look into doing work for University of Wisconsin–Madison Professor Laura Knoll.
Tibabuzo landed the position and worked for a year studying the mechanisms that trigger the intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii to undergo sexual development in the guts of cats. But the COVID-19 pandemic derailed that job, as Tibabuzo encountered a multitude of visa issues that kept him out of the lab.
Eventually, the disruptions forced Tibabuzo and Knoll to part ways. But while he was in Knoll’s lab, he met his future wife, Gina Gallego-Lopez, who is now a postdoc in Morgridge investigator Melissa Skala’s biomedical optical imaging lab.
Finally, in August 2022, the immigration issues were settled and Tibabuzo jump-started his postdoc career with Morgridge regenerative biology investigator Phil Newmark.
As a member of the Newmark/Issigonis Lab, Tibabuzo is working to understand the biology of the flatworm Schistosoma mansoni. Schistosomes are parasites that cause schistosomiasis, a major and neglected tropical disease that affects hundreds of millions of people, especially in Africa.
These worms have a complex life cycle that requires the presence of a snail to produce the infective form of the parasite that affects humans. Previous research in the Newmark/Issigonis Lab showed that a small invertebrate that lives in the shell of the snails produces a compound that can paralyze the parasites.
Tibabuzo says the research is aimed at finding the mechanism involved in the paralysis of the parasite. “If we know the mechanism, then we can either develop drugs or other techniques to avoid the infection in the first place,” he says.
For students considering a doctoral track, Tibabuzo advises that they pursue research that fascinates them.
“It makes the whole difference when you’re highly motivated. It will help you get through the points in research when things are not working,” Tibabuzo says. “It’s really a powerful way to get you through.”
As for his own motivation, Tibabuzo points to curiosity, constant learning and a capacity to solve problems.“I love learning,” he says. “I love working with new systems, but I also find that I like troubleshooting and making things work.”
Rising Sparks: Early Career Stars
Rising Sparks is a monthly profile series exploring the personal inspirations and professional goals of early-career scientists at the Morgridge Institute.
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Working with investigators Melissa Skala and Darcie Moore, Farhadova will use cutting-edge imaging technologies to answer fundamental questions about neurogenesis – the process by which new neurons are generated in the brain – and stem cell biology.
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Morgridge alum Kayla Heumer helps accelerate healthcare access for underserved communities in Africa, powered by technology and the 'spirit of frugal innovation.’
Rising Sparks: Jose Ayuso, biomedical imaging alum
Morgridge alum Jose Ayuso is an assistant professor in UW–Madison’s Department of Dermatology, where his lab uses advanced biomedical engineering technologies to tap the promise of precision medicine.
Rising Sparks: Danielle Lohman, metabolism alum
Morgridge alum lands at the U.S. Department of State, shaping the intersection of science policy and foreign affairs.
Rising Sparks: Nick Arp, metabolism
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Rising Sparks: Raison Dsouza, structural biology
Raison Dsouza is developing new computational methods to analyze cryo-electron microscopy images, trying to find specific particles in “noisy,” corrupted data.
Rising Sparks: Lexi Menendez, regenerative biology
Lexi Menendez credits Morgridge and the PREP program for jump-starting her research career and graduate school future.
Rising Sparks: Kasia Wiech, biomedical imaging
Kasia Wiech, a graduate student in biomedical engineering, is on a mission to bring science out of the lab and into public spaces to highlight the impact of science in our everyday lives.
Rising Sparks: Roma Broadberry, biomedical imaging
Roma Broadberry, a biophysics graduate researcher in the Tim Grant Lab, is helping to illuminate the intricacy of viral replication using cryo-EM.
Rising Sparks: Andrés Tibabuzo, regenerative biology
From 'Jurassic Park' to snake venom to parasitic flatworms, Andrés Tibabuzo is motivated by the science that fascinates him.
Rising Sparks: Marcela Tabima, regenerative biology
Marcela Tabima has focused her fascination with human biology on two major research efforts in the Discovery Building — engineering synthetic arteries for surgery and finding new ways to treat inherited retinal diseases.
Rising Sparks: Katherine Overmyer, metabolism
Katie Overmyer collaborates with metabolism researchers to push the boundaries of mass spectrometry technology and uncover answers to important biological questions.
Rising Sparks: Joe Li, biomedical imaging
"You can always learn more": An unquenchable thirst for discovery guides Joe Li’s pursuit of cutting-edge light-sheet microscopy.
Rising Sparks: Odette Herrand, regenerative biology
Odette Herrand is drawn to the inherent creativity involved in answering complex scientific questions, which they use to study fertility in the fruit fly.
Rising Sparks: Peter Ducos, structural biology
Peter Ducos leans on his military training to solve complex problems and collaborate with other scientists by exploring molecular structures in exquisite detail.
Rising Sparks: Kim Huggler, metabolism
Kim Huggler believes science is fundamentally about creativity, and leverages an innovative cell culture media to reveal biological processes that conventional techniques cannot.
Rising Sparks: Ed Evans, biomedical imaging
Ed Evans sees every challenge as an opportunity to grow, and uses his passion for problem-solving to develop new imaging tools that will help other scientists.
