Regular biography
Alex Cantó-Pastor is an Assistant Professor in Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology at Yale University. He obtained his B.Sc. in Biotechnology at Universitat Politècnica de València and his Ph.D. in Plant Sciences at the University of Cambridge, where he worked in Prof. David Baulcombe’s lab on the regulation of plant disease resistance genes by small RNAs. He was a Postdoctoral Scholar at the University of California, Davis, in the laboratory of Prof. Siobhan Brady, studying cell type specific regulatory networks in plant development. His current research focuses on how plants allow beneficial soil microbes into their roots while keeping pathogens at bay, using computational and molecular approaches to identify key genes in plant-microbe interactions.
Scholar-generated biography
Alex Cantó-Pastor is an Assistant Professor at Yale University, specializing in Plant Sciences, Disease Resistance, Plant Pathology, RNA, and Development. His research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying plant defense against pathogens, including bacterial and oomycete infections, and the role of RNA in disease resistance. He investigates how RNA molecules, such as short tandem target mimics and miRNAs, modulate plant immunity and susceptibility to RNA viruses. Additionally, his work explores the genetic regulation of root cell type development and the function of root barriers, such as the suberized exodermis, in drought tolerance and nutrient uptake. His studies also include the use of bioinformatic tools and genetic transformation techniques in model plants like Arabidopsis and Lemna minor.