Miguel Macias Contreras

Silicon-Based Benzene | English

Miguel Macias-Contreras was born in Saltillo, a city in the northern part of Mexico. From a very young age he developed an interest for sciences, eventually he pursued a career in chemistry earning a B.Sc. in Pharmaceutical and Biological Chemistry (Universidad Autonoma de Coahuila, 2009) and a M.Sc. in Chemical Science (Universidad de Guanajuato, 2012). He moved to Tallahassee, FL in Fall 2014 to start his PhD studies in Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Florida State University. He is currently a PhD candidate working under the supervision of Dr. Lei Zhu. His research lies in the boundary of organic chemistry and cell biology. His work involves the design and synthesis of new substrates for the self-labeling enzyme SNAP-tag®. Transiently transfected mammalian cells expressing the SNAP-tag protein can take such substrates. Once taken, the substrates can be subsequently reacted in situ with a suitable fluorophore via a bioorthogonal reaction with the purpose of imaging specific organelles using laser scanning confocal microscopy. Outside the lab, Miguel likes hanging out with friends, listening to alternative rock music, retrogaming and supporting his favorite soccer and hockey teams.