Research interests
Dr. Carolina Prado obtained her Bachelor's degree as a Biochemist from the Universidad de Santiago de Chile in 2008. Her undergraduate training was conducted in the Laboratory of Immunology in the biological sciences department at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.

Dr. Prado performed her PhD work in the Laboratory of Neuroimmunology with Dr. Rodrigo Pacheco at the Fundación Ciencia & Vida. Her thesis work focused on the role of dopamine as a modulator of adaptive immune cell function and their relevance in the development of a central nervous system autoimmunity. She was awarded her PhD degree in Biotechnology from Universidad Andrés Bello in 2013.

Following the completion of her PhD, Dr. Prado developed two postdoctoral degrees at the Fundación Ciencia & Vida, with her research focused on the study of neuroimmune regulation in the development of central nervous system autoimmune diseases.

She currently holds the position of Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the Universidad San Sebastián and is a Associated Researcher at the Centro Basal Ciencia & Vida. Her current line of research, carried out in the Laboratory of Autoimmunity, is geared toward deciphering microbial metabolites-mediated mechanisms involved in the regulation of autoimmune diseases. Specifically, the lab is studying the involvement of Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)-mediated immune communications in the context of central nervous system autoimmunity.