Maria De Las Mercedes Barrero Asencio, PhD
Postdoctoral Scholar
Urology
School of Medicine

I’m a biomedical scientist passionate about stem cells, epigenetics and cell fate. I obtained my PhD in the Centre for Genomic Regulation (Barcelona), where I studied mechanisms controlling pluripotency acquisition and X-chromosome reactivation during iPSC reprogramming. Currently as a postdoc in UCSF, I am using genome engineering and synthetic biology to create human iPSC-derived immune cells for disease treatment.

Education & Training

Show all (3) Hide

• PhD Biomedicine Centre for Genomic Regulation / Pompeu Fabra University 03/2023
• MSc Genetics and Genomics University of Barcelona 09/2018
• BSc Biomedicine University of Seville 06/2017

Websites

Show all (2) Hide

• LinkedIn (linkedin.com)
• Google Scholar (scholar.google.com)

Publications (3)

Top publication keywords:
Cell LineageEpigenesis, GeneticInduced Pluripotent Stem CellsCCCTC-Binding FactorDNA MethylationX ChromosomeCellular ReprogrammingSTAT3 Transcription FactorMouse Embryonic Stem CellsMyelopoiesisInterferon-gammaMesodermHematopoietic Stem CellsCell DifferentiationSignal Transduction

• An unbiased genomewide screen uncovers 7 genes that drive hematopoietic stem cell fate from mouse embryonic stem cells.
  Blood 2025 Palma LG, Kartha GM, Maqueda M, Barrero M, Canton E, Iglesias A, González J, Herrero-Molinero P, Torres-Ruiz R, Payer B, Bueno C, Menéndez P, Espinosa L, Bigas A
• The interferon γ pathway enhances pluripotency and X-chromosome reactivation in iPSC reprogramming.
  Science advances 2024 Barrero M, Lazarenkov A, Blanco E, Palma LG, López-Rubio AV, Bauer M, Bigas A, Di Croce L, Sardina JL, Payer B
• CTCF is dispensable for immune cell transdifferentiation but facilitates an acute inflammatory response.
  Nature genetics 2020 Stik G, Vidal E, Barrero M, Cuartero S, Vila-Casadesús M, Mendieta-Esteban J, Tian TV, Choi J, Berenguer C, Abad A, Borsari B, le Dily F, Cramer P, Marti-Renom MA, Stadhouders R, Graf T