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Meet Copal Scientific, our new member. We talked to its Mercedes Iriarte Cela, CEO.
AseBio. What does your company’s work bring to the table and what is its strength?
Mercedes Iriarte. Copal Scientific is a company with a particular business model. We make basic applied research to achieve new products or devices. Our goal is patent or industrial secrecy, to sell this knowledge and keep on going on new projects. Our strength is our objective: biotech basic research.
The alma mater of Copal Scientific is research in human and animal welfare and environment conservation. We develop antimicrobial bioproducts, nanotechnology applied to biosensors for ultralow detection, and new bio-friendly materials. We work in a Technological Center with three chemical laboratories, one of physics, and equipment of AFM (Atomic Force Microscope) Bruker, Raman Renishaw Invia, UV-VIS-NIR Shimadzu, fluorimeter, etc.
We work in our projects and for third companies, making basic applied research where other companies or foundations do not do it, because of a lack of qualified professionals or scientific facilities, or because is more profitable for them. With these third companies we stablish agreements for the intellectual properties or industrial secrecy.
AseBio. What is AseBio for you?
Mercedes Iriarte. AseBio is the perfect platform for company collaboration, research synergies, agreements and potential investment. Besides, we have the opportunity to disseminate our projects and make them available, and, thus, find professional to collaborate with.
AseBio. When did you first hear about AseBio?
Mercedes Iriarte. In the FPCM, Fundación Parque Científico de Madrid, through Carmen Gilabert, Responsible of Communication of the Foundation. She told us about the association as an excellent platform for partnerships, information, and communication.
AseBio. What do you expect from being part of an association like AseBio?
Mercedes Iriarte. Find and collaborate with a professional network of companies and professionals to work with in combined projects, share knowledge and get in touch with investors interested in biotechnology for our patents or industrial secrecy. We would like also to offer our capabilities to other companies interested in basic research.
AseBio. What is the biggest challenge facing the biotech sector (or your company)?
Mercedes Iriarte. There are few challenges in the biotech sector, but preventive medicine seems a great challenge to solve with huge benefits for human and animal welfare. Early-stage detection of aggressive diseases with biosensors or the prevention of fungi infections, which effects can be very hazardous, seems to us two important issues to deal with, where Copal is addressing now.
Chief Operating Officer
José Miguel is an accomplished aeronautical engineer with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering Technology from the University of New York and a degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. He has held several key positions in Airbus, including Head of Production in Seville, Spain and General Manager of MRO in Mobile, Alabama, USA. José Miguel has also been awarded a merit badge in Aeronautical R.D. and has worked as a Flight Test Engineer.
José Miguel’s career in aeronautical engineering began with his studies at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, where he earned his degree in Aeronautical Engineering. He then went on to obtain a Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering Technology from the University of New York. After completing his education, José Miguel joined Airbus, where he held several key positions, including Head of Production in Seville, Spain and General Manager of MRO in Mobile, Alabama, USA. He has also been awarded a merit badge in Aeronautical R.D. and has worked as a Flight Test Engineer.
José Miguel’s contributions to the field of aeronautical engineering have been significant, and his work has helped shape the industry in many ways. His expertise in technological company strategies and production is a priceless value for COPAL Scientific.
Chief Operating Officer
Javier is a lawyer with more than 25 years of experience in the professional practice of Technology Law and Intellectual and Industrial Property as chief auditor in compliance audits and professor at the Instituto de Empresa and ICAM.
As an expert in regulatory and forensic risk management of the digital environment, he has a different way of understanding support and accompaniment to clients, always aiming to find solutions that add value by optimizing their business and their time.
His professional career allowed him to dedicate himself to what he enjoys most, supporting new projects, new ideas and their launch to the market.
He has an extraordinary ease of getting involved in each project and a high capacity to work as a team member, always contributing with his strategic vision and knowledge in favor of future economic and social development.
Chief Operating Officer
For 12 years, she has worked at the National University of Distance Education (UNED) in Madrid, as a teacher-tutor in different Chemistry Degree subjects, such as Physical Chemistry I: Atomic Molecular Structure (Principles of Quantum Mechanics), Physicochemical Instrumental Techniques o Physical Chemistry II: Spectroscopy and molecular statistics, among others. There, she was co-director of the course “Chemistry to Teach” within the platform of the University of Continuous Training Courses and continues to collaborate on the subject of Biospectroscopy within the Master of Chemical Science and Technology.
She has carried out studies on the absorption of polluting molecules in the environment, in collaboration with the Environmental Biology and Toxicology Group of the UNED Faculty of Sciences, using UV spectroscopy of 4-methylbenzyliden camphor (4-MBC) and 2 -Hydroxy-4-methoxy-benzophenone (BP-3) in biological saline culture.
She has worked as a scientific researcher for the University of Alcalá de Henares and carried out the analysis of pigments and substrates using Raman micro-spectroscopy in the project “Contextual study of the paleolithic graphic manifestations of the Los Casares cave” (reference number: SBPLY/18/180801/000080).
Mercedes Iriarte has carried out numerous research projects at the Higher Scientific Research Council (CSIC), where she has also managed to synthesize metal nanoparticles for their application in molecular detection and has developed different types of nano-sensors for the detection of organic pollutants at low concentrations. persistent (POP), as well as a liquid nano-sensor for the detection of potentially carcinogenic solvents.