María Esther Orozco Orozco (born 18 April1945 in San Isidro Pascual Orozco, Chihuahua, Mexico)[2] is a Mexican chemist, bacteriologist, parasitologist and teacher.
In 2011, Esther Orozco was designated Emeritus Researcher by the Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (Spanish: Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional or CINVESTAV-IPN), where she works since 1981.
In 2012, she was named Emeritus National Researcher by the Conacyt’s National System of Researchers (SNI). Up to 2022, there are only 462 members of the SNI (102 of them women) with this distinction of emeritus within the roster of 36,714 Mexican researchers members of the SNI.
Esther Orozco is a teacher and scientist. She received a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the Autonomous University of Chihuahua, a master's degree and a PhD in cell biology both from the CINVESTAV-IPN.[6]
Research areas
Molecular biology of virulence factors of Entamoeba histolytica
Molecular biology and molecular genetics of multidrug resistance in E. histolytica
Organization of the amebic genome
Molecules and genes involved in Entamoeba histolytica phagocytosis
The role of the ESCRT machinery in amoeba phagocytosis and virulence
She also established the Postgraduate Program in Genomic Sciences at the Autonomous University of Mexico City (2003), and was a member of the Advisory Council of the same university.
Awards and honors
Miguel Otero National Award from the Ministry of Health (1985)[citation needed]
UNESCO and Institute Pasteur Louis Pasteur Medal (1997)[citation needed]
2004 Woman of the Year Award in the area of health given by Master Card Corporation and Glamour 2021 magazine (2004)[citation needed]
L'Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science Award (2006)[9][10]
Medal for Citizen Merit in Science from the Federal District Legislative Assembly (2006)[15]
Omeccíhuatl Medal granted by the Women's Institute of Mexico City (2009)[17]
The Chihuahua State Congress and the Chihuahua Women's Institute created the Prominent Chihuahua Women's Award, given annually to reward “women whose activities have raised the name of the state where they were born”. In the scientific field, the award is named after María Esther Orozco Orozco[13][14]
Emeritus Researcher by the CINVESTAV-IPN (2011)[18]
National Emeritus Researcher by the Conacyt's National System of Researchers (2012)[19]
Líderes Mexicanos magazine ranked her among the 300 most influential Mexican leaders (2020)[20]
Political and administrative positions
She served as Secretary of Planning at the CINVESTAV-IPN (1990 to 1994).
In the 1998 elections, she ran as the Party of the Democratic Revolution's external candidate for Governor. Her memoirs during the campaign are narrated in her book Si la mujer está: Chihuahua, abriendo caminos en la lucha por la democracia (If the Woman is Present: Chihuahua, Opening Paths in the Struggle for Democracy).[21]
She was the founder and, from 2006 to 2010, General Director the Institute of Science and Technology of Mexico City (ICyTDF), during the administration of Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon (former Head of Government). The ICyTDF was conceived as a public body to “promote the use of science and technology for contribute to the solution of the problems of the Mexican capital and the welfare of the population; promote local science; act as an articulating link between the Mexico City government agencies and scientific and technological research groups, the social, educational and business sectors, as well as increase a scientific culture in society.[22][23]
From June 2019 to September 2021, Esther Orozco was scientific advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Mexican Government. During this period, she coordinated the technical-scientific group representing Mexico in the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), which was formed in collaboration with universities, research centers and national companies to face the COVID-19 pandemic. Through this consortium, funding was obtained from international cooperation resources to accelerate Mexican projects aimed to develop diagnostics methods and vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.[24][25][26]
On September 7, 2021, she was appointed Minister of Cooperation in Science and Technology at the Mexican Embassy in France, her current position.[7][8]
Selected publications
Debnath, A., Parsonage, D., Andrade, R. M., He, C., Cobo, E. R., Hirata, K., Chen, S., García-Rivera, G., Orozco, E., Martínez, M. B., Gunatilleke, S. S., Barrios, A. M., Arkin, M. R., Poole, L. B., McKerrow, J. H., & Reed, S. L. (2012). A high-throughput drug screen for Entamoeba histolytica identifies a new lead and target. Nature medicine, 18(6), 956–960. https://doi.org/10.1038/nm.2758
Orozco, E., Guarneros, G., Martinez-Palomo, A., Sanchez, T. (1983). Entamoeba histolytica. Phagocytosis as a virulence factor. J Exp Med, 158(5), 1511–1521. https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.158.5.1511
Garcia‐Rivera, G., Rodriguez, M. A., Ocadiz, R., Martinez‐Lopez, M. C., Arroyo, R., Gonzalez‐Robles, A., Orozco, E. (1999). Entamoeba histolytica: a novel cysteine protease and an adhesin form the 112kDa surface protein. Molecular Microbiology, 33(3), 556–568. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2958.1999.01500.x
Keene, W. E., Hidalgo, M. E., Orozco, E., McKerrow, J. H. (1990). Entamoeba histolytica: Correlation of the cytopathic effect of virulent trophozoites with secretion of a cysteine proteinase. Experimental Parasitology, 71(2), 199–206. https://doi.org/10.1016/0014-4894(90)90022-5
Arroyo, R., Orozco, E. (1987). Localization and identification of an Entamoeba histolytica adhesin. Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology, 23(2), 151–158. https://doi.org/10.1016/0166-6851(87)90150-2
^"Resumen curricular"(PDF). 3er Congreso (in Spanish). Centro de Investigación en Materiales Avanzados. Archived from the original(PDF) on January 29, 2007. Retrieved 7 March 2009.
^Mexican Academy of Sciences. "AMC's membership"(PDF). Academia Mexicana de Ciencias. Archived(PDF) from the original on 2020-10-25. Retrieved 2022-07-11.
^John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. "Esther Orozco/Fellow: Awarded 1987". John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Archived from the original on 2022-04-27. Retrieved 2022-07-11.