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Lorena Diaz, PhD

Associate Professor
Universidad El Bosque
Bogota, Cundinamarca, Colombia

Lorena Diaz, PhD
Associate Professor, Molecular Genetics and Antimicrobial Resistance Unit (UGRA), Vicerrectoría de investigaciones, Universidad El Bosque. Bogotá, Colombia.
Co-Director, International Center of Microbial Genomics, Universidad El Bosque, Bogotá, Colombia.

Education:
Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia. January 2010 – September 2013. Universidad El Bosque.
Degree: PhD in Biological Sciences, 2013
Universidad Colegio Mayor de Cundinamarca, Bogotá, Colombia. January 2000 – December 2004.
Degree: B.Sc in Bacteriology, 2004.

Employment:
Associate Professor, Molecular Genetics and Antimicrobial Resistance Unit (UGRA), Vicerrectoria de investigaciones, Universidad El Bosque, Bogotá, Colombia: January 2015 – present.
Co-Director, International Center of Microbial Genomics, Universidad El Bosque, Bogotá, Colombia: January 2015 – present.
Visiting Scientist, Dr. Paul Planet Lab. Columbia University, New York, NY, USA. Training in Next Generation Sequence and Microbial Genomics: Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, New York Genome Center, New York, NY, Genomics core facility at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. May 2014- Oct 2014.
Visiting Scientist, Dr. George Weinstock, The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA. Training in Next Generation Sequence (illumina workflow). Sep 2014- Oct 2014.
Assistant Professor, Molecular Genetics and Antimicrobial Resistance Unit (UGRA), Viverrectoria de investigaciones, Universidad El Bosque, Bogotá, Colombia: July 2013 – December 2014.
Visiting Scientist, Laboratory for Antimicrobial Research, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Houston TX, USA. June 2010- Sept 2012.
Associate Assistant, Molecular Genetics and Antimicrobial Resistance Unit (UGRA), División de investigaciones, Universidad El Bosque, Bogotá, Colombia: January 2006 – July 2013.

Relevant publications
• Rincon S, Carvajal LP, Gomez-Villegas SI, Echeverri AM, Rios R, Dinh A, Pedroza C, Ordoñez KM, Nannini E, Sun Z, Fowler VG, Murray BE, Miller WR, Palzkill T, Diaz L, Arias CA, Reyes J. A Test for the Rapid Detection of the Cefazolin Inoculum Effect in Methicillin-Susceptible Staphylococcus aureus.J Clin Microbiol. 2021 Mar 19;59(4):e01938-20. doi: 10.1128/JCM.01938-20
• Rada AM, De La Cadena E, Agudelo C, Capataz C, Orozco N, Pallares C, Dinh AQ, Panesso D, Ríos R, Diaz L, Correa A, Hanson BM, Villegas MV, Arias CA, Restrepo E. Dynamics of bla KPC-2 Dissemination from Non-CG258 Klebsiella pneumoniae to Other Enterobacterales via IncN Plasmids in an Area of High Endemicity. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2020 Nov 17;64(12):e01743-20. doi: 10.1128/AAC.01743-20.
• Camargo N, Casadiego GK, Fernandez DA, Millan LV, Hernandez AK, Vargas S, Rios R, Marin-Osorio A, Salcedo S, Rodriguez DL, Bayuelo-Charris IV, Arias CA, Diaz L, Reyes J. A Young Diabetic Patient With Sepsis After Gardening. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2020 May 15;7(5):ofaa159. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofaa159. eCollection 2020 May.
• Castro BE, Berrio M, Vargas ML, Carvajal LP, Millan LV, Rios R, Hernandez AK, Rincon S, Cubides P, Forero E, Dinh A, Seas C, Munita JM, Arias CA, Reyes J and Diaz L. Detection of Heterogeneous Vancomycin Intermediate Resistance in Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Isolates from Latin-America. Journal Of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. J Antimicrob Chemother. 2020 Sep 1;75(9):2424-2431. doi: 10.1093/jac/dkaa221.
• Rios R, Reyes J, Carvajal LP, Rincon S, Panesso D, Echeverri AM, Dinh A, Kolokotronis SO, Narechania A, Tran TT, Munita JM, Murray BE, Planet PJ, Arias CA, Diaz L. Genomic Epidemiology of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm) in Latin America: Revisiting The Global VRE Population Structure. Sci Rep. 2020 Mar 27;10(1):5636. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-62371-7.
• Carvajal LP, Rincon S, Echeverri AM, Porras J, Rios R, Ordoñez KM, Seas C, Gomez-Villegas SI, Diaz L, Arias CA, Reyes J. Novel Insights into the Classification of Staphylococcal β-Lactamases in Relation to the Cefazolin Inoculum Effect. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2020 Apr 21;64(5). pii: e02511-19. doi: 10.1128/AAC.02511-19.
• Posada-Perlaza CE, Ramírez-Rojas A, Porras P, Adu-Oppong B, Botero-Coy AM, Hernández F, Anzola JM, Díaz L, Dantas G, Reyes A, Zambrano MM. Bogotá River anthropogenic contamination alters microbial communities and promotes spread of antibiotic resistance genes. Sci Rep. 2019 Aug 13;9(1):11764. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-48200-6.
• Rincon S, Panesso D, Miller WR, Singh KV, Cruz MR, Khan A, Dinh AQ, Diaz L, Rios R, Shamoo Y, Reyes J, Tran TT, Garsin DA, Arias CA. Disrupting Membrane Adaptation Restores In Vivo Efficacy of Antibiotics Against Multidrug-Resistant Enterococci and Potentiates Killing by Human Neutrophils. J Infect Dis. 2019 Apr 2. pii: jiz131. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiz131.
• Miller WR, Tran TT, Diaz L, Rios R, Khan A, Reyes J, Prater AG, Panesso D, Shamoo Y, Arias CA. LiaR-independent pathways to daptomycin resistance in Enterococcus faecalis reveal a multilayer defense against cell envelope antibiotics. Mol Microbiol. 2018 Dec 24. doi: 10.1111/mmi.14193.
• Tran TT, Mishra NN, Seepersaud R, Diaz L, Rios R, Dinh AQ, Garcia-de-la-Maria C, Rybak MJ, Miro JM, Shelburne SA, Sullam PM, Bayer AS, Arias CA. Mutations in cdsA and pgsA Correlate with Daptomycin Resistance in Streptococcus mitis and S. oralis. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2019 Jan 29;63(2). pii: e01531-18. doi: 10.1128/AAC.01531-18. Print 2019 Feb.
• Abbo L, Shukla BS, Giles A, Aragon L, Jimenez A, Camargo JF, Simkins J, Sposato K, Tran TT, Diaz L, Reyes J, Rios R, Carvajal LP, Cardozo J, Ruiz M, Rosello G, Cardona AP, Martinez O, Guerra G, Beduschi T, Vianna R, Arias CA. Linezolid and Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus faecium in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients: Infection Control and Antimicrobial Stewardship Using Whole Genome Sequencing. Clin Infect Dis. 2018 Oct 18. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciy903.
• Miller WR, Seas C, Carvajal LP, Diaz L, Echeverri AM, Ferro C, Rios R, Porras P, Luna C, Gotuzzo E, Munita JM, Nannini E, Carcamo C, Reyes J, Arias CA. The Cefazolin Inoculum Effect Is Associated With Increased Mortality in Methicillin-Susceptible Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2018 May 23;5(6):ofy123. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofy123. eCollection 2018 Jun 1.
• Kebriaei R, Rice SA, Singh KV, Stamper KC, Dinh AQ, Rios R, Diaz L, Murray BE, Munita JM, Tran TT, Arias CA, Rybak MJ. Influence of Inoculum Effect on the Efficacy of Daptomycin Monotherapy and in Combination with β-Lactams against Daptomycin-Susceptible Enterococcus faecium Harboring LiaSR Substitutions. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2018 Jul 27;62(8). pii: e00315-18. doi: 10.1128/AAC.00315-18. Print 2018 Aug.
• Rojas LJ, Weinstock GM, De La Cadena E, Diaz L, Rios R, Hanson BM, Brown JS, Vats P, Phillips DS, Nguyen H, Hujer KM, Correa A, Adams MD, Perez F, Sodergren E, Narechania A, Planet PJ, Villegas MV, Bonomo RA, Arias CA. An Analysis of the Epidemic of Klebsiella pneumoniae Carbapenemase-Producing K. pneumoniae: Convergence of Two Evolutionary Mechanisms Creates the "Perfect Storm". J Infect Dis. 2017 Dec 27;217(1):82-92.
• Saavedra SY, Diaz L, Wiesner M, Correa A, Arévalo SA, Reyes J, Hidalgo AM, de la Cadena E, Perenguez M, Montaño LA, Ardila J, Ríos R, Ovalle MV, Díaz P, Porras P, Villegas MV, Arias CA, Beltrán M, Duarte C. Genomic and Molecular Characterization of Clinical Isolates of Enterobacteriaceae Harboring mcr-1 in Colombia, 2002 to 2016. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2017 Nov 22;61(12). pii: e00841-17.
• Arias CA, Reyes J, Carvajal LP, Rincon S, Diaz L, Panesso D, Ibarra G, Rios R, Munita JM, Salles MJ, Alvarez-Moreno C, Labarca J, Garcia C, Luna CM, Mejia-Villatoro C, Zurita J, Guzman-Blanco M, Rodriguez-Noriega E, Narechania A, Rojas LJ, Planet PJ, Weinstock GM, Gotuzzo E, Seas C. A Prospective Cohort Multicenter Study of Molecular Epidemiology and Phylogenomics of Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia in Nine Latin American Countries. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2017 Sep 22;61(10). pii: e00816-17. doi: 10.1128/AAC.00816-17.
• Nigo M, Diaz L, Carvajal LP, Tran TT, Rios R, Panesso D, Garavito JD, Miller WR, Wanger A, Weinstock G, Munita JM, Arias CA, Chambers HF. Ceftaroline-Resistant, Daptomycin-Tolerant, and Heterogeneous Vancomycin-Intermediate Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Causing Infective Endocarditis. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2017 Feb 23;61(3). pii: e01235-16.
• Planet PJ, Diaz L, Rios R, Arias CA. Global Spread of the Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus USA300 Latin American Variant. J Infect Dis. 2016 Nov 15;214(10):1609-1610.
• Planet PJ, Diaz L, Kolokotronis SO, Narechania A, Reyes J, Xing G, Rincon S, Smith H, Panesso D, Ryan C, Smith DP, Guzman M, Zurita J, Sebra R, Deikus G, Nolan RL, Tenover FC, Weinstock GM, Robinson DA, Arias CA. Parallel Epidemics of Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus USA300 Infection in North and South America. J Infect Dis. 2015 Jun 5. pii: jiv320. PubMed PMID: 26048971.
• Panesso, D., Planet, PJ., Diaz, L., Hugonnet, JE., Tran, TT., Narechania, A Munita, JM, Rincon, S., Carvajal, LP., Reyes, J., Londono, A., Smith, H., Sebra, R., Deikus, G., Weinstock, GM., Murray, BE., Rossi, F., Arthur, M., Arias, CA. Vancomycin-resistant and methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus. Emerg Infect Dis. 2015 Oct;21(10):1844-8.
• Munita JM, Mishra NN, Alvarez D, Tran TT, Diaz L, Panesso D, Reyes J, Murray BE, Adachi JA, Bayer AS, Arias CA. Failure of high-dose daptomycin for bacteremia caused by daptomycin-susceptible Enterococcus faecium harboring LiaSR substitutions. Clin Infect Dis. 2014 Nov 1;59(9):1277-80. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciu642. PubMed PMID: 25107294
• Diaz L, Tran TT, Munita JM, Miller WR, Rincon S, Carvajal LP, Wollam A, Reyes J, Panesso D, Rojas NL, Shamoo Y, Murray BE, Weinstock GM, Arias CA. Whole-genomeanalyses of Enterococcus faecium isolates with diverse daptomycin MICs.Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2014 Aug;58(8):4527-34. doi: 10.1128/AAC.02686-14.Epub 2014 May 27. PubMed PMID: 24867964
• Rossi F, Diaz L, Wollam A, Panesso D, Zhou Y, Rincon S, Narechania A, Xing G, Di Gioia TS, Doi A, Tran TT, Reyes J, Munita JM, Carvajal LP, Hernandez-Roldan A,Brandão D, van der Heijden IM, Murray BE, Planet PJ, Weinstock GM, Arias CA.Transferable vancomycin resistance in a community-associated MRSA lineage. N EnglJ Med. 2014 Apr 17;370(16):1524-31. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1303359. PubMed PMID: 24738669; PubMed Central PMCID:PMC4112484.
• Tran TT, Panesso D, Mishra NN, Mileykovskaya E, Guan Z, Munita JM, Reyes J, Diaz L, Weinstock GM, Murray BE, Shamoo Y, Dowhan W, Bayer AS, Arias CA.Daptomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis diverts the antibiotic molecule fromthe division septum and remodels cell membrane phospholipids. MBio. 2013 Jul23;4(4). pii: e00281-13. doi: 10.1128/mBio.00281-13. PubMed PMID: 23882013;PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3735187.
• Diaz L, Kontoyiannis DP, Panesso D, Albert ND, Singh KV, Tran TT, Munita JM,Murray BE, Arias CA. Dissecting the mechanisms of linezolid resistance in aDrosophila melanogaster infection model of Staphylococcus aureus. J Infect Dis.2013 Jul;208(1):83-91. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jit138.
• Munita JM, Tran TT, Diaz L, Panesso D, Reyes J, Murray BE, Arias CA. A lia Fcodon deletion abolishes daptomycin bactericidal activity against vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2013Jun;57(6):2831-3. doi: 10.1128/AAC.00021-13.
• Tran TT, Panesso D, Gao H, Roh JH, Munita JM, Reyes J, Diaz L, Lobos EA,Shamoo Y, Mishra NN, Bayer AS, Murray BE, Weinstock GM, Arias CA. Whole-genomeanalysis of a daptomycin-susceptible enterococcus faecium strain and itsdaptomycin-resistant variant arising during therapy. Antimicrob Agents Chemother.2013 Jan;57(1):261-8. doi: 10.1128/AAC.01454-12.
• Munita JM, Panesso D, Diaz L, Tran TT, Reyes J, Wanger A, Murray BE, AriasCA. Correlation between mutations in liaFSR of Enterococcus faecium and MIC of daptomycin: revisiting daptomycin breakpoints. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2012 Aug;56(8):4354-9. doi: 10.1128/AAC.00509-12.
• Diaz L, Kiratisin P, Mendes RE, Panesso D, Singh KV, Arias CA. Transferable plasmid-mediated resistance to linezolid due to cfr in a human clinical isolateof Enterococcus faecalis. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2012 Jul;56(7):3917-22.doi: 10.1128/AAC.00419-12.
• Tran TT, Jaijakul S, Lewis CT, Diaz L, Panesso D, Kaplan HB, Murray BE,Wanger A, Arias CA. Native valve endocarditis caused by Corynebacterium striatum with heterogeneous high-level daptomycin resistance: collateral damage from daptomycin therapy? Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2012 Jun;56(6):3461-4. doi:10.1128/AAC.00046-12.
• Arias CA, Panesso D, McGrath DM, Qin X, Mojica MF, Miller C, Diaz L, Tran TT,Rincon S, Barbu EM, Reyes J, Roh JH, Lobos E, Sodergren E, Pasqualini R, Arap W, Quinn JP, Shamoo Y, Murray BE, Weinstock GM. Genetic basis for in vivo daptomycin resistance in enterococci. N Engl J Med. 2011 Sep 8;365(10):892-900. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1011138. PubMed PMID: 21899450; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3205971.
• Panesso D, Reyes J, Rincón S, Díaz L, Galloway-Peña J, Zurita J, Carrillo C, Merentes A, Guzmán M, Adachi JA, Murray BE, Arias CA. Molecular epidemiology ofvancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium: a prospective, multicenter study inSouth American hospitals. J Clin Microbiol. 2010 May;48(5):1562-9. doi:10.1128/JCM.02526-09.
• Reyes J, Rincón S, Díaz L, Panesso D, Contreras GA, Zurita J, Carrillo C,Rizzi A, Guzmán M, Adachi J, Chowdhury S, Murray BE, Arias CA. Dissemination of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus USA300 sequence type 8 lineage inLatin America. Clin Infect Dis. 2009 Dec 15;49(12):1861-7.

I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

Presentation(s):