Susana Pastor Benito

Susana Pastor Benito is an academic at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) in the Department of Genetics and Microbiology. She is part of the Grup de Recerca de Mutagènesi (Mutation Research Group). Her research focuses on genetic toxicology, environmental health, and molecular epidemiology, particularly in assessing genotoxic risks from pollutants and medical devices. She has been actively involved in projects since 2000, with recent grants addressing micro- and nanoplastics exposure risks and orthodontic aligner safety.

Education

• Ph.D. in Biology (UAB, 2003)
• Masters in Genetics (UAB, 1999)
• Postgraduate in Pedagogy (UAB, 1999)
• Bachelor of Biology (UAB, 1997)

Research Interests

Dr. Pastor Benito’s work examines DNA damage mechanisms, micronucleus formation, and the impact of environmental and medical exposures on human health. Her recent projects explore nanoplastic toxicity, orthodontic aligner genotoxicity, and biomarkers for carcinogenic risk assessment. She employs in vitro models and molecular epidemiological approaches to study host factors influencing DNA repair capacity.

Projects

• Principal Investigator: 'IMPROVING KNOWLEDGE OF MICRO/NANOPLASTICS EXPOSURE RISKS' (2024–2027)
• Co-PI: 'EVALUACIÓN DEL DAÑO GENOTÓXICO DE LOS ALINEADORES DENTALES' (2022–2025)

Labs/Teams

She leads the Mutation Research Group at UAB, collaborating with multidisciplinary teams on topics like genotoxicity assessment and environmental health threats.