She was director of the Department of Sensors and Biosensors of the IMM-CNM at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).
She has written more than 250 highly consulted scientific publications and she is the owner of 8 families of Patents – several has been transferred to the industry through the spin-off companies SENSIA, S.L.
[1] She studied chemistry at university, Universidad de Cádiz (Andalusia), where she was inspired to pursue a career in research.
[13] Her proposal came out of a rapid grant scheme that the European Commission established at the end of January 2020 in an effort to tackle the emerging pandemic.
[11] The test is based on a nanoscale optical sensor and includes a receptor protein (antibody) that is capable of detecting the coronavirus.
[18] If the saliva contains SARS-CoV-2, it will bind to the antibodies, and, in turn, change the transmission of a beam of light passing through the optical sensor.