Analytical Biochemistry Unit

School of Science. Universidad de la República (Uruguay)PI: Juan Pablo Tosar, PhD

We are a research group at the School of Science of The University of the Republic of Uruguay (UdelaR). Our research is focused on the development of new nucleic acids / protein detection techniques in biological samples. Our aim is to harness the power of extracellular RNAs and extracellular vesicles for non-invasive disease monitoring in liquid biopsies. We also perform basic research on RNA-mediated intercellular communication and RNA delivery. We are partnered with the Functional Genomics Laboratory at the Pasteur Institute of Montevideo, where a substantial part of our research is performed. Many of our lab members are shared between both institutions.

Group members

* Members at large (graduate students from the Functional Genomics Laboratory, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo)

Juan Pablo Tosar

Group Leader  E-mail

Bruno Costa, B

MSc Student


Julio Berbejillo, MSc


Mariana Pereyra, Ph.D. 



Mauricio Castellano, M.Sc. 

PhD Student*


Ernesto Cuevasanta, Ph.D.



Marco Li Calzi, M.Sc.

PhD Student*


Pablo Fagúndez, B.Sc.

PhD Student

Valentina Blanco, M.Sc.

PhD Student*


Featured research

JANUARY 2023: Read our article on nicked tRNAs recently published in PNAS, or the published commentary by Ebru Kaymak and Oliver Rando

April, 2021


Our PI was featured again in the journal Nature, this time in the backpage (section: where I work). Text by: Sara Reardon and photograph by: Pablo Albarenga (Nature 592, p.808, 2021)

December, 2020: 


Our article Fragmentation of extracellular ribosomes and tRNAs shapes the extracellular RNAome was selected for the cover of Nucleic Acids Research!

June 17 2020

An essay and interview by Roxanne Khamsi on our lab's recent description of extracellular ribosomes. This article is part of a supplement on Extracellular RNAs published in the outlook section of the journal (Nature 582, S6-S8, 2020)