Magdalena Rios

Universidad Nacional de Colombia / Ethnobotany and Natural Product Chemistry

Advisor: Prof. Germán Zuluaga

Magdalena Rios investigates the antifungal compound inventory of 14 Amazonian plant species used by Ticuna and Huitoto communities in Colombia's Caquetá and Amazonas departments against superficial and systemic fungal infections, specifically seeking activity against Candida auris — a drug-resistant emerging pathogen with high mortality in immunocompromised patients. At the Universidad Nacional de Colombia's Department of Pharmacy, supervised by Prof. Germán Zuluaga, Magdalena uses traditional use-guided collection, systematic solvent partitioning, and bioassay-directed chromatographic fractionation to isolate and characterise active constituents. She has isolated 11 novel or rare natural products from Caraipa densifolia and Connarus suberosus by preparative HPLC, with structures confirmed by 2D NMR (COSY, HMBC, NOESY) and high-resolution ESI-TOF-MS. Seven compounds inhibit C. auris reference strains at MICs of 0.5–4 µg/mL — comparable to fluconazole against sensitive strains — and three retain activity against three fluconazole-resistant clinical isolates. Molecular docking against C. auris Erg11 sterol demethylase suggests a binding mode distinct from azoles, raising the possibility of selectivity-by-mechanism. Magdalena's Colciencias national biodiversity grant and IOCD symposium presentation confirm the academic impact of her work, while her discussions with natural product pharmaceutical companies about extract supply agreements hint at commercial interest.