Professor Hugo Alberto Barrera Saldaña is Secretary for Research Regulation of the office of the Associate Dean for Research, Head of the Genomic Sciences Laboratory, and Head of the Medical Biotechnology Unit of the Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon’s (UANL) Medical School.

He holds a BS degree in Biochemistry (UANL, 1979), a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences with specialization in Molecular Biology (University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, 1982; Laboratory of Dr. Grady F. Saunders), and received a postdoctoral training from Prof. Pierre Chambon at LGME-CNRS, Strasbourg, France (1984). He is a Specialist in Science and Technology Commercialization (IC² Institute-UT-Austin and ITESM, 1999).

In Latin America he pioneered molecular diagnosis of several diseases, clinical trials on cancer gene therapy (prostate cancer), and internationally-competitive research on the regulation, evolution, dysfunction and biotechnological use of growth hormone genes. Teaming with colleagues from Genentech, Inc and the Universities of Texas and Washington, in 1988 they established the world record for the largest human genes manually sequenced, considered evidence for the Human Genome Project feasibility.
Professor Barrera has founded and directed several research centers such as ULIEG and the Service Units of Molecular Diagnosis and Medical Biotechnology of UANL; the Center for Biotechnological Genomics (CBG) of IPN, in Reynosa (Mexico), and contributed to the modernization of human genetics research centers in Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela and Peru. Also, he has created two graduate programs, one Bachelor of Science degree and several courses.

He has been distinguished with the largest number (16) of Research Awards from UANL (triple in 1994 and doubles in 2003 and 2004), and more than 20 national, standing up the Food National Award, the Dr. Jorge Rosenkranz (Roche) Medical Research Award (in 1989 and 2005), the XVI GlaxoSmithKline Foundation Research Award, as well as several of CANIFARMA and CARPERMOR, among others.

In 1998 he received the Distinguished Ex-Alumnus award from the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences of the University of Texas at Houston. In July 2003 the prestigious international scientific magazine Nature Medicine published a profile of his career, while in February, 2006 the Latin American culture magazine Contenido did the same.
Professor Barrera is member of many national and international scientific societies, and he is author of more than 100 peer-reviewed research articles with over 1000 citations, of a book, of two biotechnology patents, and several technology transfers to the industry.