Maria Isabel a Trillas Gay

Professor at University of Barcelona

Maria Isabel Trillas Gay ( Barcelona , July 7, 1952) is a Catalan biologist specializing in the biological control of crop diseases. She is co-discoverer of the fungus Trichoderma asperellum strain T34 and shares the patent for the method for its use as a biological pesticide.Graduated in biology from the University of Barcelona in 1979, she later completed a master's degree in science at the Ohio State University in 1985. In 1990 she obtained her doctorate in biology from the University of Barcelona, and since 1995 she has been a professor owner

She specializes in plant physiology and phytopathology , and her research has been focused on the biological control of diseases in crops. In 2001 together with the doctoral student in charge, Lurdes Cotxarrera, they discover the substrates containing the T34 strain of Trichoderma asperellum for the biological control of Fusarium and Rhizoctonia .L , [4] and the following year they obtain the patent [5]

As a result of the discovery, a derivative company ( spin-off ) of the University of Barcelona, Biocontrol Technologies SL , [6] was formed, of which Trillas is a co-founder and partner. The main objective of this biotechnological company was to continue with the research and development of the T34 strain in order to produce a biological pesticide . [6] Trillas continues as full professor in the departmental section of Plant Physiology of the Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences of the University of Barcelona [7] and is a member of the board of directors and scientific advisor of Biocontrol Technologies, SL[8]

Finalist of the EU Prize for Women Innovators 2017 in recognition of her work in the discovery and development of a biogunficida based on the natural organism Trichoderma asperellum strain T34 (T34 from Biocontrol).