Natalia Castano Rodriguez

Associate Professor Natalia Castano Rodriguez is a Scientia Associate Professor at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences (BABS). She holds an NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellowship (2025-2030) and has previously held prestigious fellowships including the Cancer Institute NSW Early Career Fellowship (2020-2023) and NHMRC Early Career Fellowship (2016-2020). She serves as the Postgraduate Coordinator in the School of BABS and represents UNSW in the Early- and Mid-Career Researchers forum.

Dr. Castano Rodriguez earned her PhD in Molecular Genetics from UNSW Sydney in 2014, following an MD from Del Rosario University in Colombia (2007). Her international research experience includes work at the Biological Research Corporation in Colombia and the Occidental Biomedical Research Centre in Mexico.

Her research focuses on the interplay between host immunogenetic factors and gastrointestinal dysbiosis in gastrointestinal carcinogenesis, particularly stomach cancer, and chronic inflammatory conditions like inflammatory bowel diseases. Her work integrates molecular biology, microbiology, biostatistics, and bioinformatics to understand how host genetics and microbial communities interact to influence disease development and progression.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong emphasis on host-microbe interactions, particularly how the gastrointestinal microbiome influences cancer development and inflammatory conditions. Her work frequently examines genetic polymorphisms in immune-related pathways and their relationship to disease susceptibility, with a particular focus on autophagy mechanisms and pattern recognition receptors in the context of Helicobacter pylori infection.

• NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow (2025-2030)
• UNSW Scientia Associate Professor (2025-2030)
• Cancer Institute NSW Early Career Fellow (2020-2023)
• NHMRC Early Career Fellow (2016-2020)

Dr. Castano Rodriguez actively mentors the next generation of researchers, currently supervising multiple PhD students including Isidora Simovic, Karla Vinasco-Pacheco, Kostas Brook, and Arti Rattan. She has secured significant research funding that supports her laboratory's investigations into the genetic and microbial factors underlying gastrointestinal diseases. Her work bridges basic science with clinical applications, aiming to develop better diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for gastrointestinal cancers and inflammatory conditions.

She leads a research group dedicated to investigating the interplay between host immunogenetic factors and gastrointestinal dysbiosis, with particular focus on stomach cancer and inflammatory bowel diseases. Her lab employs advanced molecular and bioinformatic techniques to analyze host-pathogen interactions and identify potential therapeutic targets.