Dr. Rafael Medina
Adjunct Investigador
P. Universidad Católica de Chile
Dr. Rafael A. Medina is an Assistant Professor at the School of Medicine at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Dr. Medina obtained his Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences at the University of New Mexico (USA), where he studied the ecology, evolution and diversity of Andes Hantavirus, and performed in vivo studies to elucidate the inhibitory effects of Ribavirin and other experimental treatment options against Sin Nombre Hantavirus. During his Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Microbiology Department at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (USA), Dr. Medina performed pivotal studies to characterize the antigenic properties of the 2009 H1N1 Influenza A pandemic virus, and its similarity to the highly pathogenic 1918 Influenza A virus, as well as the molecular factors affecting its virulence.
Investigations in the Medina Lab aims at understanding the underlying molecular basis of pathogenesis of zoonotic and emerging infectious disease that produce human illness, particularly in the area of negative strand RNA viruses. His current research focuses on: the development of a translational research program to study the molecular factors contributing disease severity produced by human influenza viruses, studying the antigenic properties of the hemagglutinin protein of influenza virus and its role in pathogenesis, and developing and establishing diagnostic and subtyping tools for swine and avian influenza viruses to perform longitudinal animal surveillance activities in Chile.
