Helena Groot de Restrepo (Bogotá, 1947) is a Colombian

microbiologist A microbiologist (from Ancient Greek, Greek ) is a scientist who studies microscopic life forms and processes. This includes study of the growth, interactions and characteristics of Microorganism, microscopic organisms such as bacteria, algae, f ...

and

geneticist A geneticist is a biologist or physician who studies genetics, the science of genes, heredity, and variation of organisms. A geneticist can be employed as a scientist or a lecturer. Geneticists may perform general research on genetic processe ...

. She is a full professor in the Biological Sciences Department and the Medicine School at Universidad de los Andes. Since 1984 she has been the Human Genetics Laboratory director and her research has focused on cancer

molecular epidemiology Molecular epidemiology is a branch of epidemiology and medical science that focuses on the contribution of potential genetic and environmental risk factors, identified at the molecular level, to the etiology, distribution and prevention of disease ...

, genetic toxicology and environmental

mutagenesis Mutagenesis () is a process by which the genetic information of an organism is changed by the production of a mutation. It may occur spontaneously in nature, or as a result of exposure to mutagens. It can also be achieved experimentally using la ...

. She is one of the eight women members of the Colombian Academy of Sciences (ACCEFyN).

Biography

Groot finished her school studies in 1965 in the Marymount school. She graduated from a B.Sc. in microbiology at Universidad de los Andes in 1970 and completed a M.Sc. in human genetics in 1984. Currently, Groot is a titular professor in the

Biological Sciences Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary ...

department at Universidad de los Andes and she is the Human Genetics Laboratory director.

Research field

The Human Genetics Laboratory has the highest classification (A1) in the Colombian Research Centers and Groups from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (

Colciencias The Administrative Department of Science, Technology and Innovation ( es, Departamento Administrativo de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación), also known as Colciencias, is a Colombian government agency that supports fundamental and applied researc ...

) since 2013.

Genetic toxicology

In 1984, Groot replaced Maria Victoria Monsalve and became the Human Genetics Laboratory director. Initially she focused on citoxicity and citogenetics, determining the genetic effects of

heavy metals upright=1.2, Crystals of osmium, a heavy metal nearly twice as dense as lead">lead.html" ;"title="osmium, a heavy metal nearly twice as dense as lead">osmium, a heavy metal nearly twice as dense as lead Heavy metals are generally defined as ...

pesticide Pesticides are substances that are meant to control pests. This includes herbicide, insecticide, nematicide, molluscicide, piscicide, avicide, rodenticide, bactericide, insect repellent, animal repellent, microbicide, fungicide, and lampri ...

solvent A solvent (s) (from the Latin '' solvō'', "loosen, untie, solve") is a substance that dissolves a solute, resulting in a solution. A solvent is usually a liquid but can also be a solid, a gas, or a supercritical fluid. Water is a solvent for ...

s and

particulates Particulates – also known as atmospheric aerosol particles, atmospheric particulate matter, particulate matter (PM) or suspended particulate matter (SPM) – are microscopic particles of solid or liquid matter suspended in the air. The ter ...

Population genetics

Using mitocondrial and

chromosomal A chromosome is a long DNA molecule with part or all of the genetic material of an organism. In most chromosomes the very long thin DNA fibers are coated with packaging proteins; in eukaryotic cells the most important of these proteins are ...

DNA, the laboratory has aimed to understand the

population dynamics Population dynamics is the type of mathematics used to model and study the size and age composition of populations as dynamical systems. History Population dynamics has traditionally been the dominant branch of mathematical biology, which has ...

of American colonizers. The lab has also made progress on the detection of population polymorphisms and its influence on

DNA repair DNA repair is a collection of processes by which a cell identifies and corrects damage to the DNA molecules that encode its genome. In human cells, both normal metabolic activities and environmental factors such as radiation can cause DNA dam ...

and

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

Cell lines

Since 1998, the laboratory has established

cell culture Cell culture or tissue culture is the process by which cells are grown under controlled conditions, generally outside of their natural environment. The term "tissue culture" was coined by American pathologist Montrose Thomas Burrows. This te ...

practices to understand

phenomena, citotoxicity and to explore cell matrix benefits in

biomedical research Medical research (or biomedical research), also known as experimental medicine, encompasses a wide array of research, extending from "basic research" (also called ''bench science'' or ''bench research''), – involving fundamental scientif ...

Epigenetics

The most recent research field in the laboratory is

epigenetics In biology, epigenetics is the study of stable phenotypic changes (known as ''marks'') that do not involve alterations in the DNA sequence. The Greek prefix '' epi-'' ( "over, outside of, around") in ''epigenetics'' implies features that are "o ...

effects in

complex disease Multifactorial diseases are not confined to any specific pattern of single gene inheritance and are likely to be associated with multiple genes effects together with the effects of environmental factors. In fact, the terms ‘multifactorial’ and ...

s, such as

Von Willebrand disease Von Willebrand disease (VWD) is the most common hereditary blood-clotting disorder in humans. An acquired form can sometimes result from other medical conditions. It arises from a deficiency in the quality or quantity of von Willebrand factor ( ...

haemophilia A Haemophilia A (or hemophilia A) is a genetic deficiency in clotting factor VIII, which causes increased bleeding and usually affects males. In the majority of cases it is inherited as an X-linked recessive trait, though there are cases which arise ...

and B,

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects joints. It typically results in warm, swollen, and painful joints. Pain and stiffness often worsen following rest. Most commonly, the wrist and hands are involv ...

dermatitis Dermatitis is inflammation of the skin, typically characterized by itchiness, redness and a rash. In cases of short duration, there may be small blisters, while in long-term cases the skin may become thickened. The area of skin involved can v ...

Friedreich's ataxia Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA or FA) is an autosomal-recessive genetic disease that causes difficulty walking, a loss of sensation in the arms and legs, and impaired speech that worsens over time. Symptoms generally start between 5 and 20 year ...

oculocutaneous albinism Oculocutaneous albinism is a form of albinism involving the eyes ('' oculo-''), the skin (''-cutaneous''), and the hair. Overall, an estimated 1 in 20,000 people worldwide are born with oculocutaneous albinism. OCA is caused by mutations in seve ...

and

Multiple sclerosis Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This d ...

Awards and honours

* Member of the Colombian Academy of Sciences, 2013. * "Women of Success 2013" Award in the Science and Technology category, 2013. * Associate member of the Colombian National Academy of Medicine, 2015.

Publications

Groot's most cited publications include: * HM Cann, C De Toma, L Cazes, MF Legrand, V Morel, L Piouffre. A human genome diversity cell line panel. (2002) ''Science'' 296 (5566), 261-262 * MC Bortolini, FM Salzano, MG Thomas, S Stuart, SPK Nasanen, CHD Ba. Y-chromosome evidence for differing ancient demographic histories in the Americas (2003) ''The American Journal of Human Genetics'' 73 (3), 524-539 * CM Monroy, AC Cortés, DM Sicard, HG de Restrepo. Citotoxicidad y genotoxicidad en células humanas expuestas in vitro a glifosato. (2005) ''Biomédica'' 25 (3), 335-345 * MM Torres, CM Bravi, MC Bortolini, C Duque, S Callegari‐Jacques. A revertant of the major founder Native American haplogroup C common in populations from northern South America. (2006) ''American Journal of Human Biology'' 18 (1), 59-65 * H Ossa, J Aquino, R Pereira, A Ibarra, RH Ossa, LA Pérez, JD Granda. Outlining the ancestry landscape of Colombian admixed populations. (2016) ''PLoS One'' 11 (10), e0164414

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Groot, Helena 1947 births Living people 20th-century Colombian women scientists Colombian women biologists Women microbiologists Women geneticists University of Los Andes (Colombia) alumni Academic staff of the University of Los Andes (Colombia)