Julio Camperio
Graduate Student and Researcher, Aquaculture and Nutrition
jfc146@miami.edu
Julio Camperio’s human health and disease research is centered on advancing marine derived, sustainable wound healing therapeutics through insect biotechnology, directly aligning with the mission of the Glassell Family Center for Marine Biomedicine to solve serious and critical medical problems from the ocean. Chronic and non-healing wounds, including diabetic ulcers, pressure injuries, and burn wounds, remain a major clinical challenge due to persistent inflammation, biofilm formation, and rising antimicrobial resistance. Julio’s work explores black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens) as a programmable bio-platform that links marine resources to biomedical innovation. A core focus of this research is the use of marine and coastal raw materials, including seafood by products, algae, and other ocean derived biomolecules, as larval feed inputs. Through controlled dietary formulation and immune priming, these marine substrates enable black soldier fly larvae to accumulate and biotransform desirable bioactive compounds, including antimicrobial peptides, lauric acid rich lipid fractions, chitin and chitosan, enzymatic debridement agents, and antioxidant polyphenols. These larval derived compounds will be subsequently extracted, characterized, and evaluated for antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and pro-regenerative effects relevant to chronic wound healing. By integrating marine science, insect biotechnology, and dermatological research, this work establishes a novel ocean to clinic pipeline that transforms marine resources into scalable, biologically active wound care solutions for human health.
Keywords: marine-derived bioactive compounds, chronic wound healing, inflammation, black soldier fly larvae, antimicrobial resistance, anti-inflammatory
