Latin American Microscopists – Ecuador

Home to the highly diverse Galapagos islands, Ecuador’s biological history is revered by many biologists. Ecuador’s small size belies the remarkable contributions that Ecuadorian topography has had on biology. The dichotomy of the Ecuadorian landscape merits its distinction as a highly diverse ecosystem home to many endemic species. Yet one thing that seems to be lost in the veneration of Ecuadorian topography is the great impact the country’s own contributions have had to biological research. Of particular note, Dr. Fernanda Latorre Barragán began her budding interest in biology as a child, studying metamorphosis in frogs that she gathered from her local pond. This fascination developed into an obsession for Fernanda, and she began her career studying biology at Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador. Throughout her degree, she refined her research and focussed on microscopy, and by her PhD Fernanda was studying actomyosin A motor complex, a vital component in cellular movement and contraction. Fernanda’s Ecuadorian background allowed her to make incredible use of her resources when she did her PhD in Europe, such as making “home-made” kit for her team when they were missing certain items. This excellent use of initiative highlights Ecuadorian resourcefulness and shows why the country is at the forefront of Latin American microscopy. In this blog, we hear from Ecuadorian microscopists whose research covers biological disciplines such as parasitology, super-resolution microscopy and fluorescent microscopy.