Group Leader/s
Head of lab
intro
The Translational medicinal and biological chemistry group is focused on the design, synthesis, biological evaluation, study and further optimization of pharmacokinetic properties of structurally diverse chemical entities for drug discovery. The efforts of our group are focused on the discovery of innovative drugs with novel mechanism of action as disease-modifying agents for unmet severe pathologies such as neurodegenerative and infectious diseases. Our group applies medicinal chemistry programs combining classical and computational medicinal chemistry.
For the design of our drugs (mainly small heterocyclic molecules with MW<500), different strategies will be used. These include computer-aided drug design, multifunctional compounds bearing different pharmacophore moieties in the same molecule to interact with different targets, and improving ADME properties of the candidates, among others. The group has developed an in-house chemical library (called MBC library) containing over 3000 compounds with privileged scaffolds which is continuously growing and extensively used in our directed biological and computational screening programs.
Our research is applied with a high content of translational research. The group's research programs are designed from the early stages of drug discovery to proof of efficacy in representative animal models. Scientific collaborations and technology transfer to companies in the pharmaceutical sector are key tasks in achieving our goals.
We are members of different national and international excellent research networks and infrastructures such as EU-OPENSCREEN (https://www.eu-openscreen.eu/) and CIBERNED (https://ciberned.es/). Furthermore, we have found two spin-offs focused on drug discovery and development: AnkarPharma and Molefy Pharma.
Members
| Carmen Gil Ayuso-Gontan |
| Ana Martinez Gil |
| Loreto Martínez González |
| Elnaz Aledavood |
| Sandra Ramos Inza |
| Alfonso García Rubia |
| Eva Maria Perez Cuevas |
| Kayla Merrigan |
| Savumiga Shamuagamani |
| Daniel Bausela Perez |
Funding
ON-GOING
A translational investigation of chronomodulatory drugs in models of Parkinson’s Disease (MJFF-025202). Parkinson's Disease Therapeutics Pipeline Program – Pre-Clinical. Michael J. Fox Foundation. 1-2025/04-2027. PI: Sridhar Vasudevan (University of Oxford), Ana Martinez (CIB-CSIC).
Improving user experience, long-term sustainability, and services of EU-OPENSCREEN - IMPULSE (GA 101132028). European Union HORIZON-INFRA-2023-DEV-01-03 4-2024/3-2027. Coordinator: Wolfang Fecke (EU-OS-ERIC). CIB-CSIC PI: Ana Martínez
Targeting TDP-43 in neurodegenerative diseases (BILAT23016). Bilateral 2023 CSIC-NSTC Taiwan. 1-2024/12-2025. PI: Ana Martínez, Che-Kun James Shen.
From fragments to high affinity binders interfacing integrated structural biology, medicinal chemistry and artificial intelligence - Fragment-Screen (GA 101094131). European Union HORIZON-INFRA-2022-TECH-01-01. 2-2023/1/2026. Coordinator: Harald Schwalbe (INSTRUCT-ERIC). CIB-CSIC IP: Ana Martínez
Integrated Services for Infectious Disease Outbreak Research - ISIDORe (GA 101046133). European Union HORIZON-INFRA-2021-EMERGENCY-02. 1-2022/12-2024. Coordinator: ERINHA
Integrated Services supporting a sustainable AGROecological transition - AgroServ (GA 101058020). European Union HORIZON-INFRA-2021-SERV-01-02. 9-2022/8-2027. Coordinator: CNRS
Rescuing MAM dysfunction and TDP-43 pathology by protein kinase inhibitors. Ayudas Unzúe-Luzón. 1-2024/12-2025. PI1: Estela Area-Gomez, PI2: Ana Martinez
Broad-spectrum antiviral drug discovery focused on kinases targeting viral entry (PID2021-122223OB-I00). AEI, Proyectos de Generación de Conocimiento. 9-2022/8-2025. PI: Carmen Gil
New functional ingredients derived from the fruit of Argania spinosa and their potential use in the biotechnological and biomedical industry (CPP2022-009890). AEI Proyectos en Colaboración Público privada 2022. 11-2023/10-2026. Coordinator: Francisco José Bermúdez (Ceellbitech S. L.). CSIC-PI: Ana Martínez
Innovative small molecules for in vitro plant propagation of recalcitrant crop species - ISMoPP (CPP2021-008750). AEI, Proyectos de Colaboración Público privada 2021. 10-2022/09-2025. Coordinator: Francisco José Bermúdez (Seeds for Innovation S. L). CSIC-PI: Pilar S. Testillano
In vitro regeneration of resilient trees to recover agroforestry ecosystems threatened by the climate change: new strategies with small molecules - SMALLtoREFOREST (TED2021-129633B-I00). AEI, Proyectos estratégicos orientados a la transición ecológica y a la transición digital 2021. 12-2022/9-2025. PI: Pilar S. Testillano
Kinase inhibitors as pharmacological agents (PIE202380E207). CSIC, Proyectos Intramurales Especiales. 11-2023/10-2026. PI: Carmen Gil
Validation of a cellular model of host-pathogen interaction based on iPSCs for the screening of drugs that block this interaction (ProyExcel_00116). Plan Andaluz de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación (PAIDI 2020). Convocatoria 2021. «Proyectos de I+D+i» Universidades y Entidades Públicas de Investigación. Retos de la Sociedad Andaluza. 1-2023/12-2025. PI: Younes Smani
Targeting TDP-43 with protein kinase inhibitors: an effective and measurable therapy for ALS (HR21-00931). “La Caixa” Banking Foundation Health Research 2021 Call. 11-2021/10-2025. Coordinator: Ana Martínez
A multidisciplinary approach to understand host and pathogen interactions to develop new strategies to target tuberculosis (HR21-00415). “La Caixa” Banking Foundation Health Research 2021 Call. 9-2021/8-2025. Coordinator: Margarida Saravia, i3S Portugal. PI (CIB): Carmen Gil
PAST
TTBK1 inhibitors as a potential innovative treatment for frontotemporal dementia (DTS22/00119 I). ISCIII, Proyectos Desarrollo Tecnológico de Salud. “Prueba de Concepto 2022”. 1-2023/12-2024. PI: Ana Martínez
Fighting against Parkinson's Disease with SGK1 inhibitors (PDC2022-133774-I00). AEI. Proyectos Prueba de Concepto 2022. 12-2022/11-2024. PI: Ana Martinez
Aging and neurodegeneration targeting by protein kinase small molecules inhibitors (PID2019-105600RB-I00). AEI, RETOS Program. 6-2020/5-2024. PI: Ana Martinez
Ensuring long-term sustainability of excellence in chemical biology within Europe and beyond EU-OPENSCREEN-DRIVE (GA 823893). European Union H2020-INFRADEV-2018-2020. 2-2019/9-2023. Coordinator: Wolfgang Fecke (FMP Berlin). PI (CSIC): Ana Martínez
Locking cells against Ebola virus (HR18-00469). “La Caixa” Banking Foundation Health Research 2019 Call. 9-2019/9-2023. Coordinator: Carmen Gil
Design and development of innovative drug for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ELA-Madrid-CM) B2017/BMD3813. Programa de actividades de i+D entre grupos de investigación de la Comunidad de Madrid en Biomedicina. 01-2018/6-2022. Coordinator: Ana Martínez
More info
Published books
Outreach activities
Title: ¿Qué sabemos del Alzheimer?
Ana Martinez
Editorial: CSIC y Catarata ISBN: 978-84-00-08818-7
https://editorial.csic.es/publicaciones/libros/11689/978-84-00-08818-7/el-alzheimer.html
Title: ¿Qué sabemos del Parkinson?
Carmen Gil y Ana Martinez
Editorial: CSIC y Catarata ISBN: 978-0-470-95917-6.
https://editorial.csic.es/publicaciones/libros/12525/0/el-parkinson.html
Proyecto de fomento de la innovación I HACKATHON CSIC / Innovation project workshop
"FindELA: Trabajando por un mundo sin ELA." Runner-up in the I HACKATHON CSIC. An innitiative to increase the impact and the quality of the technological solutions from CSIC research groups.
Workshops
Science Week
"Paracetamol Synthesis" Workshops for secondary and high school students.