Research

Projects

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Harnessing ALDH enzyme activity to develop highly selective drugs against cancer stem cells

Drug discovery, Medicinal chemistry

Cancer

SeleCStem aims to target the cancer stem cells responsible for therapy resistance and relapse. It will harness ALDH activity to deliver drugs selectively and inhibit tumours using light.

Smart pathology slide scanner for diagnosis and patient-specific treatment recommendations in oncology

Drug discovery

Cancer

Our vision is to create a smart digital pathology scanner that builds patient-specific tumour digital twins and simulates drug treatments. Using pancreatic cancer models, the project will integrate multi-omics, clinical data, AI and hardware design to help doctors personalize therapy.

+pinyoCAT

Stone pine management for pine nut production: an alternative for many drylands in Catalonia

Chemical ecology, One Health

This project aims to transfer new guidelines for appropriate stone pine management, including the use of semiochemicals for the management of Leptoglossus occidentalis.

TAME

Tau Immune Doctoral Training Network: Strategies for Diagnosis and Innovative Therapies in Dementia

Medicinal chemistry, Nanobiotechnology

Neurodegenerative

The first tau network in Europe, with the objective of better understanding tau-related diseases to develop safer, more personalized, and more effective diagnostic tools and treatments through the use of nanobodies. The project will train a new multidisciplinary generation of scientists in the field of molecular neuroscience.

UNLOCKING-QS

Bacterial Quorum Sensing: Connecting Diagnostics, Microbiota, and Therapy

Nanobiotechnology

Infectious

UNLOCKING-QS aims to develop diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for bacterial infectious diseases targeting quorum sensing. These innovative approaches are expected to contribute to curbing antimicrobial resistance and improving patient management for better care.

TOXBOX

Toxicological testing platform integrating immunocompetent in vitro/ex vivo modules with real-time sensors and machine learning-based in silico models for life cycle assessment and the SSbD approach

Nanobiotechnology, One Health

The "Safe and Sustainable by Design" approach requires monitoring throughout the entire life cycle of chemicals. TOXBOX aims to develop an instrument that provides reliable toxicity data under relevant conditions and enables the development of reliable in silico models.

PIMPEP

Photoimmunomodulation in glioblastoma using peptide-photosensitizer conjugates

Medicinal chemistry, Peptides

Cancer

This project aims to investigate new treatment modalities for glioblastoma, the brain tumor with the most unfavorable prognosis. It investigates a multi-pronged approach consisting of simultaneously attacking cancer cells through immunostimulatory photodynamic therapy and reprogramming tumor-associated macrophages/microglia using peptide conjugates and drugs selective for these cells.

PhotoVDR

Modulating Receptor Biology Function with Photocontrolled Molecular Tools: The Vitamin D Receptor as a Model

Drug discovery, Medicinal chemistry

A series of photoswitchable vitamin D receptor (VDR) agonist ligands are dynamically used to study the fundamental molecular mechanisms of receptor activation and its impact on biological responses.

PHOTOHEART

Light-controlled drugs to reduce the extent of myocardial infarction

Drug discovery, Medicinal chemistry

Cardiovascular

We are developing an innovative photopharmacological strategy to deliver drugs to the hearts of patients with acute myocardial infarction and activate them precisely with light. The main objective is to reduce infarct size, minimising its long-term consequences beyond current conventional therapies.

SIESCAB

Development of innovative and sustainable strategies to combat antimicrobial resistance based on biodegradable cationic amphiphiles

Lipids, One Health

Infectious

The main objective of the project is to develop innovative and sustainable strategies for the prevention and elimination of biofilms based on biodegradable cationic amphiphiles with antimicrobial activity. Their application as antimicrobial agents will be studied through two approaches: i) preventing biofilm formation through antimicrobial materials and ii) eliminating biofilms through effective delivery systems (nanoparticles and adjuvants).

ReachGLIO

Targeting the heterogeneous vascular landscape of glioblastoma with multifunctional nanomedicines

Nanomedicine

Cancer, Rare diseases

ReachGLIO is developing multifunctional nanomedicines to reach glioblastoma cells by crossing the blood–brain barrier and the blood–tumour barrier. By combining permeability-enhancing molecules with peptide-targeted nanoparticles, it aims to improve drug distribution in a highly heterogeneous brain tumour.

Oncolight

Photoactivatable molecules to improve the pharmacology of anti-cancer drugs

Drug discovery, Medicinal chemistry

Cancer

OncoLight proposes the design, synthesis and biological study of light-sensitive molecules that can be used to eliminate bladder cancer cells with high precision under external light control.

OCEANZYME

Metagenomic and enzymatic innovation for new marine litter recycling solutions

Nanobiotechnology, Theoretical and computational chemistry

OCEANZYME develops innovative biotechnological solutions for the recycling of marine litter through metagenomics and molecular simulations of plastic-degrading enzymes. The project combines marine environment protection, circular economy strategies, and technology transfer with a solid communication and outreach strategy.

NEOS

Neoteric formulations with stimulus-responsive phase transitions

Biophysics, Colloids

This project focuses on neoteric formulations that produce in situ, stimulus-responsive long-acting drug release systems.

mALGAHEALTH

Edible microalgae for maintaining energy homeostasis. Application to diet-induced metabolic syndrome, physical exercise, and hypoxia

Medicinal chemistry, Proteins

The mALGAHEALTH project demonstrates that the combination of the microalga Chlorella vulgaris and omega-3 fatty acids regulates the intestinal microbiota, muscle function, and glycemic response in animal stress models. These findings provide a scientific basis for using microalgae in functional foods aimed at promoting exercise and preventing obesity and diabetes.