DrPaula Ordonez Suarez

Paula is a biomedical research scientist in the field of virology with focus on retrovirus-host interactions, HIV/AIDS, antiviral and anticancer therapy, and drug discovery. Early work included diagnostics and antiviral therapy for the retroviruses HTLV-I and HIV-1. Doctoral research at Kagoshima University, Japan, involved molecular epidemiology and antiviral therapy for Epstein-Barr virus associated with gastric carcinoma. Postdoctoral training in Japan focused on anti-HIV-1 therapy and the study of host factors involved in HIV-1 latency. Further postdoctoral training at the MRC National Institute for Medical Research in London, now the Francis Crick Institute, integrated the molecular study of the HIV-1 restriction factor and anticancer drug response biomarker SAMHD1, and the development of cell-based screens for SAMHD1 in collaboration with GSK. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Paula joined the Crick-COVID-19 Consortium to develop a testing pipeline.

Additional Interests
Paula’s interests also include building strategies to improve Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), science funding and policy, scientific collaborations, international relations, public engagement, and outreach. Paula has participated in a variety of events including New Scientist Live, Big Bang Science Fair and Blue Dot Festival, and contributed developing the event World AIDS Day at the Crick aiming at putting together scientists, clinicians, policy makers, charities and people living with HIV to discuss current breakthroughs and issues related to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Paula has also supported strategies to develop collaborations between the UK and Latin America in areas related to science, technology and innovation.