R&D of new drugs for the treatment of neurological diseases, with high traslatational contens. Multidisciplinary group (chemistry, pharmacy and biology) with experience in chemoinformatics, organic synthesis, biological screening, ADMETox properties optimization and technology transfer. Our projects offer new candidates for medicines and knowledge on innovative targets with clear therapeutic potential for unmet diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), depression, stroke, etc.

Theoretical study of physico-chemical properties of molecules with biological interes

The Antiparasite Chemotherapy group develops the research line "New chemical entities for drug discovery" in the field of parasitic diseases, especially those produced by pathogenic protozoa. Since its creation in 2005, the group has developed several series of compounds that are highly active against various parasitic protozoa (T. cruzi, T. brucei spp., T. vaginalis, Leishmania spp., Plasmodium spp.). Several lead compounds also demonstrated in vivo efficacy in mouse models of trypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis, and malaria.

The research of the group is focused on the endocannabinoid system and / or related biological targets. This research requires a strong collaboration with national and international pharmacologists. In the last years, this research has been awarded several prizes [Honorific Mention Research Award of Esteve Foundation 2016; Finalist Lilly XXIII doctoral award (2015); Best Publication 2016 of SEIC; Award 2018 from RANF] and has been continuously financed by National Plan projects.

The research group, founded in 1989, is composed, among others, by 6 permanent staff members. Carries out highly innovative, multidisciplinary, and cutting-edge research in the field of Medical Chemistry.

Group of reference and pioneering in Spain in peptidomimetics. Our research requires coordinated use of molecular modeling, synthetic methodologies in solution and solid-phase (peptides/small molecules) and biological evaluation. Experience in enzymatic inhibitors, mimetics of analgesic and antitumor peptides, and of neuropeptides. Focused currently in the modulation of protein-protein modulators of therapeutic interest and of different ion channels and associated proteins (for new analgesic and cardiovascular).

Our work is aimed at identifying and characterizing the global regulatory networks that allow bacteria to modulate the expression of their genes in response to physiological and environmental signals, thereby helping to coordinate the metabolism of the cell. We seek to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying these regulatory processes.

Our group is interested in deciphering at a molecular and cellular level the mechanisms involved in infectious processes caused by intracellular bacterial pathogens as Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes. We put special emphasis in the study of non-productive infection models in which both the pathogen and the host coexist. These models can provide insights into teh basis of asymptomatic or peristent infections as well as chronic pathologies linked to microbial infections.

Nosocomial infections due to opportunistic pathogens are an important health problem. In our laboratory we are using Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia as models to study the mechanisms underlying the pathology caused by organisms remains. Our research is aimed at understanding the biology of the opportunistic pathogens, especially the regulatory networks that connect their resistance to antibiotics and their virulence . We are currently addressing this problem studying insertion mutants in P.

Our research is aimed to engineer E. coli bacteria for biomedical applications, including the selection of small recombinant antibodies and the design of bacteria for diagnostic and therapeutic use in vivo. We study protein secretion systems found in pathogenic E. coli strains and engineer them to develop protein nanomachines that can be applied for selection of recombinant antibodies and the delivery of therapeutic proteins by non-pathogenic E. coli strains. Among the recombinant antibodies, we employ single-domain antibodies (sdAbs) or nanobodies.