Juan Carlos Romero-Benavides Ph.D. is currently a Professor of Organic Chemistry, Green Chemistry and Chemistry of Natural Products and a researcher in the Department of Chemistry at Universidad Tecnica Particular de Loja, Ecuador, since October 2002. He is the head of the Natural Products: cancer and parasitism research group (PNCyP). His main research interests focus on natural products (biochemistry and chemistry), synthetic methodology, and natural product derivatization with the goal of discovering leads from natural sources and optimization of novel anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and anti-parasitic drugs

Tatiana Añazco Loayza is a pharmaceutical biochemist from the Universidad Particular de Loja UTPL. She did her undergraduate thesis in the Department of Chemistry researching on the phytochemical study of Geranium diffusum. She completed her fourth-level studies in Biological Analysis and Laboratory Diagnostics at the Universidad Particular de Loja UTPL. She is also a part-time teacher of Basic Chemistry classes. Currently she is a public servant working at the Hospital Básico de Pedernales in the city of Manabí and is responsible for the management of medicines and medical supplies. She aspires to pursue her next master's degree in public health.

She studied biochemistry and pharmacy at the Technical University of Loja (UTPL), graduating in 2020 with her thesis titled “Cytotoxicity of extracts from Picramnia magnifolia, Tragia volubilis, Geranium diffusum, Bauhinia tarapotensis, and Simira ecuadorensis in human tumor cell lines.” Her research focused on observing the antiproliferative effect of 23 extracts from five different plants on three human colon cancer cell lines: RKO, SW613-B3, and HCT-116, using the MTS colorimetric assay technique. Recently, she has completed her second degree in English Language Pedagogy at UTPL and continues to pursue ongoing education, always seeking new learning opportunities.

Andrea Álvarez-Ruiz is a pharmaceutical biochemist from the Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL). She graduated in 2020, and her undergraduate thesis was about the investigation of “Genotoxicity of extracts of Geranium diffusum, Bauhinia tarapotensis, Tragia Volubilis and Picramnia magnifolia in CHO K-1 cells”. She is currently working as a clinical laboratorist, technical representant of pharmacies, and she is a postgraduate student of the Master in Management of Health Institutions at UTPL.

Luis Miguel Guaman Ortiz is a researcher in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL). He holds a degree in biochemical pharmacy from UTPL and a Ph.D. in genetics, cell biology, and molecular biology from the University of Pavia, Italy. He is a professor in courses such as genetics, molecular biology, and other related subjects. His research activities focus on exploring plant extracts, isolated molecules, and synthetic compounds with potential antitumor activity, and determining the molecular pathways of cell death induced by these substances. Currently, he is a member of the research group on non-communicable chronic diseases at UTPL.

Rodrigo Duarte-Casar is a lecturer and researcher at Pontificia Universidad Católica - Sede Manabí, where he teaches in the School of Gastronomy and conducts research on gastronomy, cuisine, bioactive plants, and functional foods. He collaborates actively with Worldchefs in culinary sustainability matters and is the Editor-in-Chief of Revista de Gastronomía y Cocina, a journal devoted to advancing research on cuisine, gastronomy, and food.

She holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry and pharmacy from the University of Cuenca, Ecuador. She pursued her doctoral studies in niomedical sciences at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, where she earned her Ph.D. with honors, supported by a scholarship from SENESCYT. In addition to her role as a professor in the biochemistry and pharmacy program, she also teaches in the master's program in biological analysis and laboratory diagnosis at the Technical University of Loja (UTPL). Currently, she serves as the director of the Biomedicine and Environment Research Group and works as a teaching researcher in the Department of Health Sciences at UTPL.