The emphasis of my current work has focused on the mechanisms involved in the generation of insulin resistance and HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorders (HAND) in a population of HIV-seropositive patients. In addition, we investigated the role of inflammatory cytokines and the Renin Angiotensin System (RAS) in HIV and cardiovascular diseases using Flow Cytometry. I have extensive experience in Flow Cytometry and have spent more than 22 years working with this revolutionary technique. In addition, I have a broad background in molecular biology and fluorometric techniques, with specific training and expertise in molecular cloning, DNA, mRNA, and protein isolation, RT-PCR, stable transfection in cells, western blot, and cytofluor analysis.

• 1. Gerena Y, Menendez-Delmestre R, Delgado-Nieves A, Velez J, Mendez-Alvarez J, Sierra JE, Skolasky RL, Henderson L, Nath A, Wojna V. (2019). The Release of Soluble Insulin Receptor from Neurons by Cerebrospinal Fluid from Patients with Neurocognitive Dysfunction and HIV Infection. Front Neurol. Accepted. Front Neurol.10:285. PMCID: PMC6443904.
  2. Gerena Y, Lozada JG, Collazo BJ, Méndez-Álvarez J, Méndez-Estrada J, De Mello WC. (2017). Losartan counteracts the effects of cardiomyocyte swelling on glucose uptake and insulin receptor substrate-1 levels. Peptides. 96:38-43.
  3. De Mello WC, Gerena Y, Ayala-Peña S. (2017). Angiotensins and Huntington’s Disease: A Study on Immortalized Progenitor Striatal Cell Lines. Front Endocrinol . 24;8:108.
  4. T Humphries-Bickley, L Castillo-Pichardo, E Hernandez-O’Farrill, L Borrero-Garcia, I Forestier-Roman, Y Gerena, LA Cubano, CP Vlaar, S Dharmawardhane. Characterization of a Dual Rac/Cdc42 Inhibitor MBQ-167 in Metastatic Cancer. Molecular Cancer Therapeutics. 16(5):805-818.
  5. Ferrario CM, Frohlich ED, Gerena Y. (2017). Walmor C. De Mello: “Your Heart Is Still With Us”. Hypertension. 2017 Jun;69(6):992-993.
  6. De Mello WC, Gerena Y. (2017). Measurement of Cardiac Angiotensin II by Immunoassays, HPLC-Chip/Mass Spectrometry, and Functional Assays. Methods Mol Biol. 1527:127-137.
  7. Rivera Rivera A, Castillo-Pichardo L, Gerena Y, Dharmawardhane S. (2016). Anti-Breast Cancer Potential of Quercetin via the Akt/AMPK/Mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) Signaling Cascade. PLoS One. 11(6): e0157251.
  8. Delgado-Vélez M, Báez-Pagán CA, Gerena Y, Quesada O, Santiago-Pérez LI, Capó-Vélez CM, Wojna V, Meléndez L, León-Rivera R, Silva W and Lasalde-Dominicci JA. (2015). The α7-nicotinic receptor is upregulated in immune cells from HIV-seropositive women: consequences to the cholinergic anti-inflammatory response. Clinical & Translational Immunology. 4, e53.
  9. Gerena Y, Menendez-Delmestre R, Skolasky RL, Hechavarria RM, Perez S, Hilera C, Gonzalez C, Nath A, Wojna V. (2015). Soluble Insulin Receptor as a Source of Insulin Resistance and Cognitive Impairment in HIV-seropositive Women. J Neurovirol. 21(2):113-9.
  10. Cantres-Rosario Y, Plaud-Valentin M, Gerena Y, Skolasky RL, Wojna V, Melendez LM. (2013). Cathepsin B and cystatin B in HIV-seropositive women are associated with infection and HIV-1-associated neurocognitive disorders. AIDS. 27(3):347-56.

For a complete list of publications, please go to:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/myncbi/1Pip7LH5HO05t/bibliography/47558450/public/?sort=date&direction=ascendin