Ricardo Valladares PhD

Ricardo is an accomplished microbiologist with a diverse background in research and industry, focused on microbial communities and their impact on human health. Ricardo began his research as a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow at the University of Florida, studying molecular mediators of probiotic bacteria. His early research includes significant work on Lactobacillus species and their influence on immune responses, specifically in mitigating autoimmune diseases like Type 1 diabetes. This work built the foundation for human clinical trials using novel live biotherapeutics in individuals with Type 1 diabetes (Clinical Trial NCT02349360, Clinical Trial NCT03961347).

As an inventor of Siolta’s technology, Ricardo brings both academic and industry expertise to our team. As a National Institutes of Health research fellow at the University of California San Francisco, Ricardo focused on understanding how early-life microbiota impacts disease risk in childhood and beyond. Work profiling the gut, lung, and upper airway microbiota of infants and children aimed to understand how these microbial communities influence immune development and metabolism. In his previous role as Director of R&D at Medical Neurogenetics Laboratories (acquired by Labcorp) he led the development of NGS-based diagnostic tests in a CAP and CLIA certified laboratory for rare inherited disorders, focusing on neurology and mitochondrial DNA. At Siolta Therapeutics, Ricardo leads an interdisciplinary scientific team toward developing multistrain live biotherapeutic products for infant and women’s health indications. Throughout his career, Ricardo has demonstrated a strong ability to translate bench science into clinical applications, particularly in the areas of microbiome-based therapeutics and diagnostics.