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Future biochemist fosters love for research at UTSA

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CLASS OF 2020

KAITLYN VARELA
B.S.  |  BIOCHEMISTRY
COLLEGE OF SCIENCES

PART OF UTSA TODAY’S SERIES ON SOME OF THE NEWEST ALUMNI OF ROADRUNNER NATION


MAY 20, 2020 — Graduating senior Kaitlyn Varela feels nothing but love for her UTSA community, and she’s showing that love through her hard work and effort.

The San Antonio native has been busy researching antimalarial drugs in Francis Yoshimoto’s chemistry lab.

“I work on artemisinin, an antimalarial drug,” Varela says. “We’re looking at elucidating the mechanism of its endoperoxide formation, which gives it its antimalarial properties. If we understand how it is being made in nature, we can understand how other antimalarial drugs are made in nature.” 


“It’s diverse [at UTSA], but we’re also really connected. We all support each other.”