The research activity focuses on studying complementary aspects of disease prevention by consuming bioactive compounds present in the diet, plant extracts, or nutraceuticals, mainly phenolic compounds. Using a comprehensive approach, an exhaustive characterization of the phytochemical compounds in the raw material is carried out, and their bioavailability and metabolism are evaluated through metabolomic analysis. Additionally, their effects on health are studied, with particular emphasis on cardiometabolic diseases.

The research group led by Dr. Ferrándiz is dedicated to understanding the various mechanisms responsible for chromosome segregation and exploring the causes of aneuploidy in cancer cells. They mainly study membrane dynamics during cell division to maintain genomic stability.

The cellular interior is not a mere Brownian soup of molecules; it is rather an exquisitely structured entity organized into hierarchical levels. Knowing how proteins assemble into different layers of organization, is thus fundamental to understanding the functioning of the cell. We recently demonstrated that proteins are a few mutations, sometimes even one mutation away, to form infinite polymers –aka supramolecular assemblies– (Garcia-Seisdedos, et al. Nature 2017, Empereur-Mot, Garcia-Seisdedos, et al Sci Data 2019, Garcia-Seisdedos, et al PNAS 2022).

As feature sizes decrease, their properties become more influenced by interface behavior, giving rise to novel exotic phenomena. To unlock the potential herein enclosed, our team possesses a broad expertise in characterizing and modeling surfaces and interfaces. Specifically, we focus on understanding their morphology, structure, and non-equilibrium properties across various systems, ranging from proteins and DNA to simple organic molecules and complex inorganic solids.

The main interest of the Pharmacogenomics and Tumor Biomarkers Group is understanding how genomic variation modifies drug treatment response, with the ultimate goal of using this knowledge to design more specific drug treatments. In cancer, drug therapy failure is a major clinical problem and developing safer and more effective anticancer drug treatment strategies is urgently needed. Our top priority is improving the survival and quality of life of cancer patients.

Development of novel targeting molecule-drug conjugates for the targeted drug delivery of drugs to tumor cells

Our group develops translational research focusing on the study of the pathogenesis and treatment of primary liver cancer, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). In particular, we are interested in better comprehending the crosstalk interactions between cancer and stromal cells from the tumor microenvironment. We apply our results to discover new therapeutic targets and to develop novel therapies that improve tumor progression.

We study host-pathogen interactions, with a special focus on Rickettsia. Rickettsia includes obligate intracellular pathogens that replicate in the host cell cytosol, where bacteria can polymerize host actin for motility and cell-to-cell dissemination. Despite Rickettsia are spreading worldwide and cause life-threatening infections in humans, the infection biology of these pathogens is poorly understood, mainly due to their genetic intractability.