Dr Veronica is an Advance Queensland Industry Research Fellow, under the supervision of Associate Professor Esteban Marcellin and Professor Lars Nielsen. She received her Biotechnology Engineering degree at the University of Chile in 2007 and completed her Ph.D. in Systems Biology at The University of Queensland in 2014. After completing her Ph.D. she performed 2 years of postdoctoral training at The University of Queensland, as part of a collaboration project with Universidad de Chile. Both Ph.D. studies and postdoctoral training were financially supported by the Chilean Government, under a competitive scholarship and fellowship, respectively. Later she worked as Postdoctoral Research Fellow- Biopharmaceutical Upstream Bioprocessing at the ARC Training Centre for Biopharmaceutical Innovation (CBI), The University of Queensland.
She has some teaching experience. She had performed tutorial teaching in several courses at Universidad de Chile and the University of Queensland. In 2016 she was in charge of the Beer and Biofuels practical, part of the subject: Biomolecular Engineering (CHEE4020) of the chemical engineering department at The University of Queensland. In 2023 she gave an invited speaker lecture about cell culture optimization at the Biologics course (BIOT7018) at The University of Queensland.
Her research focuses on the improvement of biopharmaceutical production using mammalian cells. She is specifically interested in (1) the development of computational tools for metabolic systems biology, and (2) the improvement of upstream bioprocess. On the tools side, she has worked on the integration of thermodynamic principles and omics datasets into genome-scale models to estimate metabolic flux distributions; and developed a method for the estimation of dynamic metabolic fluxes. She has used these tools to describe experimental mammalian cells data and to guide the improvement of biopharmaceutical production processes. She has also been involved in the development of the latest human and CHO genome-scale models. On the process side, sheworked on the improvement of a high cell density culture, using systems biology tools to develop a cell line adapted to high cell density and to develop an improved upstream bioprocess.
Her current project focuses on the development of a platform to generate good producer cell factories of difficult-to-express proteins.
Journal Article: The topology of genome-scale metabolic reconstructions unravels independent modules and high network flexibility
Martínez, Verónica S., Saa, Pedro A., Jooste, Jason, Tiwari, Kanupriya, Quek, Lake-Ee and Nielsen, Lars K. (2022). The topology of genome-scale metabolic reconstructions unravels independent modules and high network flexibility. PLoS Computational Biology, 18 (6) e1010203, e1010203. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010203
Journal Article: Engineering death resistance in CHO cells for improved perfusion culture
MacDonald, Michael A., Nöbel, Matthias, Martínez, Verónica S., Baker, Kym, Shave, Evan, Gray, Peter P., Mahler, Stephen, Munro, Trent, Nielsen, Lars K. and Marcellin, Esteban (2022). Engineering death resistance in CHO cells for improved perfusion culture. mAbs, 14 (1) e2083465, 1-13. doi: 10.1080/19420862.2022.2083465
Journal Article: Modelling apoptosis resistance in CHO cells with CRISPR‐mediated knock‐outs of Bak1, Bax, and Bok
MacDonald, Michael A., Barry, Craig, Groves, Teddy, Martínez, Verónica S., Gray, Peter P., Baker, Kym, Shave, Evan, Mahler, Stephen, Munro, Trent, Marcellin, Esteban and Nielsen, Lars K. (2022). Modelling apoptosis resistance in CHO cells with CRISPR‐mediated knock‐outs of Bak1, Bax, and Bok. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 119 (6), 1380-1391. doi: 10.1002/bit.28062
Biopharmaceutical 4.0: Designing cellular factories for difficul to express proteins
(2023–2026) Advance Queensland Industry Research Fellowships
Dr Veronica Martinez Salazar - AQ WRAP
(2021–2023) Advance Queensland Women's Research Assistance Program
(2023) Doctor Philosophy
Modelling and characterising life and death of mammalian suspension cultures
(2023) Doctor Philosophy
(2022) Doctor Philosophy
NExT: integration of thermodynamic constraints and metabolomics data into a metabolic network
Martínez, Veronica Sofía and Nielsen, LK (2014). NExT: integration of thermodynamic constraints and metabolomics data into a metabolic network. Metabolic Flux Analysis: Methods and Protocols. (pp. 65-78) edited by Jens O. Kromer, Lars K. Nielsen and Lars M. Blank. New York, NY United States: Humana Press. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-1170-7_4
Martínez, Verónica S., Saa, Pedro A., Jooste, Jason, Tiwari, Kanupriya, Quek, Lake-Ee and Nielsen, Lars K. (2022). The topology of genome-scale metabolic reconstructions unravels independent modules and high network flexibility. PLoS Computational Biology, 18 (6) e1010203, e1010203. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010203
Engineering death resistance in CHO cells for improved perfusion culture
MacDonald, Michael A., Nöbel, Matthias, Martínez, Verónica S., Baker, Kym, Shave, Evan, Gray, Peter P., Mahler, Stephen, Munro, Trent, Nielsen, Lars K. and Marcellin, Esteban (2022). Engineering death resistance in CHO cells for improved perfusion culture. mAbs, 14 (1) e2083465, 1-13. doi: 10.1080/19420862.2022.2083465
Modelling apoptosis resistance in CHO cells with CRISPR‐mediated knock‐outs of Bak1, Bax, and Bok
MacDonald, Michael A., Barry, Craig, Groves, Teddy, Martínez, Verónica S., Gray, Peter P., Baker, Kym, Shave, Evan, Mahler, Stephen, Munro, Trent, Marcellin, Esteban and Nielsen, Lars K. (2022). Modelling apoptosis resistance in CHO cells with CRISPR‐mediated knock‐outs of Bak1, Bax, and Bok. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 119 (6), 1380-1391. doi: 10.1002/bit.28062
Perfusion culture of Chinese Hamster Ovary cells for bioprocessing applications
MacDonald, Michael A., Nöbel, Matthias, Roche Recinos, Dinora, Martínez, Verónica S., Schulz, Benjamin L., Howard, Christopher B., Baker, Kym, Shave, Evan, Lee, Yih Yean, Marcellin, Esteban, Mahler, Stephen, Nielsen, Lars Keld and Munro, Trent (2021). Perfusion culture of Chinese Hamster Ovary cells for bioprocessing applications. Critical Reviews in Biotechnology, 42 (7), 1-17. doi: 10.1080/07388551.2021.1998821
‘Omics driven discoveries of gene targets for apoptosis attenuation in CHO cells
Orellana, Camila A., Martínez, Verónica S., MacDonald, Michael A., Henry, Matthew N., Gillard, Marianne, Gray, Peter P., Nielsen, Lars K., Mahler, Stephen and Marcellin, Esteban (2020). ‘Omics driven discoveries of gene targets for apoptosis attenuation in CHO cells. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 118 (1) bit.27548, 481-490. doi: 10.1002/bit.27548
Attenuating apoptosis in Chinese hamster ovary cells for improved biopharmaceutical production
Henry, Matthew N., MacDonald, Michael A., Orellana, Camila A., Gray, Peter P., Gillard, Marianne, Baker, Kym, Nielsen, Lars K., Marcellin, Esteban, Mahler, Stephen and Martinez, Veronica S. (2020). Attenuating apoptosis in Chinese hamster ovary cells for improved biopharmaceutical production. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 117 (4) bit.27269, 1187-1203. doi: 10.1002/bit.27269
Engineering CHO cells galactose metabolism to reduce lactate synthesis
Jiménez, N., Martínez, V. S. and Gerdtzen, Z. P. (2019). Engineering CHO cells galactose metabolism to reduce lactate synthesis. Biotechnology Letters, 41 (6-7), 779-788. doi: 10.1007/s10529-019-02680-8
Averesch, Nils J. H., Martínez, Verónica S., Nielsen, Lars K. and Krömer, Jens O. (2017). Toward Synthetic Biology Strategies for Adipic Acid Production: An in Silico Tool for Combined Thermodynamics and Stoichiometric Analysis of Metabolic Networks. ACS Synthetic Biology, 7 (2), 490-509. doi: 10.1021/acssynbio.7b00304
Quantification of microbial phenotypes
Martinez, Verónica S. and Kromer, Jens O. (2016). Quantification of microbial phenotypes. Metabolites, 6 (4) 45, 45. doi: 10.3390/metabo6040045
A consensus genome-scale reconstruction of Chinese hamster ovary cell metabolism
Hefzi, Hooman, Ang, Kok Siong, Hanscho, Michael, Bordbar, Aarash, Ruckerbauer, David, Lakshmanan, Meiyappan, Orellana, Camila A., Baycin-Hizal, Deniz, Huang, Yingxiang, Ley, Daniel, Martinez, Veronica S., Kyriakopoulos, Sarantos, Jimenez, Natalia E., Zielinski, Daniel C., Quek, Lake-Ee, Wulff, Tune, Arnsdorf, Johnny, Li, Shangzhong, Lee, Jae Seong, Paglia, Giuseppe, Loira, Nicolas, Spahn, Philipp N., Pedersen, Lasse E., Gutierrez, Jahir M., King, Zachary A., Lund, Anne Mathilde, Nagarajan, Harish, Thomas, Alex, Abdel-Haleem, Alyaa M. ... Lewis, Nathan E. (2016). A consensus genome-scale reconstruction of Chinese hamster ovary cell metabolism. Cell Systems, 3 (5), 434-443.e8. doi: 10.1016/j.cels.2016.10.020
Recon 2.2: from reconstruction to model of human metabolism
Swainston, Neil, Smallbone, Kieran, Hefzi, Hooman, Dobson, Paul D., Brewer, Judy, Hanscho, Michael, Zielinski, Daniel C., Ang, Kok Siong, Gardiner, Natalie J., Gutierrez, Jahir M., Kyriakopoulos, Sarantos, Lakshmanan, Meiyappan, Li, Shangzhong, Liu, Joanne K., Martinez, Veronica S., Orellana, Camila A., Quek, Lake-Ee, Thomas, Alex, Zanghellini, Juergen, Borth, Nicole, Lee, Dong-Yup, Nielsen, Lars K., Kell, Douglas B., Lewis, Nathan E. and Mendes, Pedro (2016). Recon 2.2: from reconstruction to model of human metabolism. Metabolomics, 12 (7) 109, 109. doi: 10.1007/s11306-016-1051-4
Martinez, Verónica S., Buchsteiner, Maria, Gray, Peter, Nielsen, Lars K. and Quek, Lake-Ee (2015). Dynamic metabolic flux analysis using B-splines to study the effects of temperature shift on CHO cell metabolism. Metabolic Engineering Communications, 2, 46-57. doi: 10.1016/j.meteno.2015.06.001
Reducing Recon 2 for steady-state flux analysis of HEK cell culture
Quek, Lake-Ee, Dietmair, Stefanie, Hanscho, Michael, Martinez, Veronica S., Borth, Nicole and Nielsen, Lars K. (2014). Reducing Recon 2 for steady-state flux analysis of HEK cell culture. Journal of Biotechnology, 184, 172-178. doi: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2014.05.021
Network thermodynamic curation of human and yeast genome-scale metabolic models
Martinez, Veronica S., Quek, Lake-Ee and Nielsen, Lars K. (2014). Network thermodynamic curation of human and yeast genome-scale metabolic models. Biophysical Journal, 107 (2), 493-503. doi: 10.1016/j.bpj.2014.05.029
Martínez, Verónica S., Dietmair, Stefanie, Quek, Lake-Ee, Hodson, Mark P., Gray, Peter and Nielsen, Lars K. (2013). Flux balance analysis of CHO cells before and after a metabolic switch from lactate production to consumption. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 110 (2), 660-666. doi: 10.1002/bit.24728
Martinez, V., Gerdtzen, Z. P., Andrews, B. A. and Asenjo, J. A. (2010). Viral vectors for the treatment of alcoholism: Use of metabolic flux analysis for cell cultivation and vector production. Metabolic Engineering, 12 (2), 129-137. doi: 10.1016/j.ymben.2009.09.003
Andrews, Barbara A., Martinez, Veronica, Asenjo, Juan A. and Gerdtzen, Ziomara P. (2008). A comparative study of cell growth and adenovirus production using suspension and stationary cell culture. 13th International Biotechnology Symposium and Exhibition, Dalian, China, 12-17 October 2008 . Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier . doi: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2008.07.285
Media optimization and metabolic flux analysis of HEK293 cells for adenovirus production
Martinez, Veronica, Gerdtzen, Ziomara P., Asenjo, Juan A. and Andrews, Barbara A. (2007). Media optimization and metabolic flux analysis of HEK293 cells for adenovirus production. 13th European Congress on Biotechnology (ECB 13), Barcelona, Spain, 16-19 September 2007. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Elsevier . doi: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2007.07.360
Using network thermodynamics and metabolomics for the study of dynamic mammalian cell metabolism
Martinez Salazar, Veronica (2013). Using network thermodynamics and metabolomics for the study of dynamic mammalian cell metabolism. PhD Thesis, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland.
Biopharmaceutical 4.0: Designing cellular factories for difficul to express proteins
(2023–2026) Advance Queensland Industry Research Fellowships
Dr Veronica Martinez Salazar - AQ WRAP
(2021–2023) Advance Queensland Women's Research Assistance Program
(2023) Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
Other advisors:
Modelling and characterising life and death of mammalian suspension cultures
(2023) Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
(2022) Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors: