Instituto Nacional De Investigaciones Nucleares | Mexico
Erika Patricia Azorín Vega is a distinguished researcher at the Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares, specializing in radiopharmaceuticals and their applications in cancer diagnosis and therapy. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Experimental Biology from Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, a Master’s in Sciences, and a Ph.D. in Bio-Physiology and Neurosciences from CINVESTAV-IPN, with research focused on cellular interactions with extracellular matrices and tumor cell biology. Since 2013, she has led pioneering work in radiopharmaceutical development, resulting in four international patents and over 80 scientific publications with nearly a thousand citations. Her academic contributions include directing multiple undergraduate and graduate theses, reviewing projects for national and international funding agencies, and participating in thesis evaluations globally. She has served as a professor and invited lecturer at several universities, delivering specialized courses in radiobiology, dosimetry, and medical physics, both nationally and internationally. Her research interests encompass radiopharmaceutical design, cancer radiotherapy, metabolomics, and radiation protection. Recognized for her excellence in scientific communication, she has delivered numerous conferences and outreach presentations to advance knowledge in nuclear medicine. Erika’s work continues to shape the field of radiopharmaceutical research and the training of highly skilled professionals in medical physics and biotechnology.
Featured Publications
Jiménez-Mancilla, N., Ferro-Flores, G., Santos-Cuevas, C., & et al. (2013). Multifunctional targeted therapy system based on 99mTc/177Lu-labeled gold nanoparticles-Tat(49–57)-Lys3-bombesin internalized in nuclei of prostate cancer. Journal of Labelled Compounds and Radiopharmaceuticals, 56(13), 663–671.
Ferro-Flores, G., Luna-Gutiérrez, M., Ocampo-García, B., Santos-Cuevas, C., & et al. (2017). Clinical translation of a PSMA inhibitor for 99mTc-based SPECT. Nuclear Medicine and Biology, 48, 36–44.
Mendoza-Nava, H., Ferro-Flores, G., Ramírez, F. M., Ocampo-García, B., & et al. (2016). 177Lu-dendrimer conjugated to folate and bombesin with gold nanoparticles in the dendritic cavity: A potential theranostic radiopharmaceutical. Journal of Nanomaterials, 2016(1), 1039258.
Azorín-Vega, A. V. E., Ferro-Flores, G., & Ocampo-García, B. E. (2014). Multifunctional radiolabeled nanoparticles for targeted therapy. Current Medicinal Chemistry, 21(1), 124–138.
Mendoza-Nava, H., Ferro-Flores, G., Ramírez, F. M., Ocampo-García, B., & et al. (2017). Fluorescent, plasmonic, and radiotherapeutic properties of the 177Lu–dendrimer-AuNP–folate–bombesin nanoprobe located inside cancer cells. Molecular Imaging, 16, 1536012117704768.