Mario Escobar, assistant research professor at Rice University’s Department of Bioengineering, has been appointed assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine, effective July 1.
“I am thrilled to join the Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery at Baylor to continue my research on developing gene therapies for cardiac and metabolic diseases,” said Escobar. The department is home to many leading experts in cardiac biology, and I am incredibly excited to collaborate with them.”
While at Rice, Escobar worked in the lab of Isaac Hilton, where he established new ways to apply synthetic biology and CRISPR-based engineering to control mitochondrial biology. His research has opened up innovative pathways for treating heart diseases and metabolic disorders.
“Mario has been an exceptional scientist, mentor and colleague, and it has been incredibly rewarding to watch his growth into an independent faculty member,” said Hilton, associate professor of bioengineering. “He has also helped shape the culture of our lab through his generosity, creativity and mentorship of younger scientists. Baylor is gaining a thoughtful, rigorous and highly collaborative investigator who is poised to make major contributions to the field.”
Escobar has led high-impact research collaborations between Rice and Baylor College of Medicine, including a recent project using a CRISPR-based technique to fine-tune mitochondria production in a study published in Molecular Therapy.
“I look forward to maintaining my strong ties with Rice University’s bioengineering and biosciences departments,” said Escobar. “My ultimate goal is to help strengthen our current partnerships and build new research bridges between Rice and Baylor College of Medicine.”
Escobar received his doctoral degree in biochemistry and cell biology from Rice University.