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 1200 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 AItenea biotech.
Members
| Ana Martinez Gil |
| Carmen Gil Ayuso-Gontan |
| Nuria Eugenia Campillo Martin |
| Loreto Martínez González |
| María Eugenia Ulzurrun de Asansa Vega |
| Alfonso García Rubia |
| Mikel Etxebeste Mitxeltorena |
| Tiziana Ginex |
| Javier Recio Ramos |
| Eva Maria Perez Cuevas |
| Savumiga Shanmugamani |
Funding
ON-GOING
CSIC’s Global Health Platform (PTI Global Health). WP4 (Mutations), WP9 (Antivirals) and WP11 (Integration). European Commission – NextGenerationEU (Regulation EU 2020/2094). 1-2021/12-2022. Coordinators: Drs. Margarita del Val and Iñaki Comas
CSIC’s Neuroaging Platform (PTI Neuroaging). WP4 (Development of Neuroaging). European Commission – NextGenerationEU (Regulation EU 2020/2094). 1-2021/12-2022. Coordinators: Drs. Juan Lerma and Rosario Moratalla
Targeting TDP-43 with protein kinase inhibitors: a effective and measurable therapy for ALS (HR21-00931). “La Caixa” Banking Foundation Health Research 2021 Call. 11-2021/10-2024. Coordinator: Dr. 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. 9-2021/8-2024. Coordinator: Dr. Margarida Saravia, i3S Portugal. PI (CIB): Dr. Carmen Gil
Modulation of the CB2 cannabinoid receptor as a new therapeutic strategy to protect against TAU-induced neurodegeneration. Tatiana Pérez de Guzmán El Bueno Foundation. 2021-2023. PI: Dr. Isabel Lastres
Aging and neurodegeneration targeting by protein kinase small molecules inhibitors (PID2019-105600RB-I00). AEI, RETOS Program. 6-2020/5-2023. PI: Dr. Ana Martinez
Multi-target drug design against neurodegenerative diseases (REDES190074). CONICYT, Chile. 01.01.2020 - 31.12.2023. PI: Dr. David Mauricio Ramirez. PI (CSIC): Dr. Ana Martínez
Ensuring long-term sustainability of excellence in chemical biology within Europe and beyond EU-OPENSCREEN-DRIVE (GA 823893). European Union H2020-INFRADEV-2018-2020. 2-2019/2-2023. Coordinator: Prof. Wolfgang Fecke (FMP Berlin). PI (CSIC): Dr. Ana Martínez
Locking cells against Ebola virus (HR18-00469). “La Caixa” Banking Foundation Health Research 2019 Call. 9-2019/9-2023. Coordinator: Dr. 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: Dr. Ana Martínez
Myogenic alterations in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: etiological and therapeutic implications (PIER-0006-2019). Consejería de Salud y Familias 2019. Fundación Pública Andaluza Progreso y Salud. 1-2020/12-2023. PI: Dr. Carmen Paradas. PI (CSIC): Dr. Ana Martínez
Combination of computational, biological and synthetic strategies to be applied in drug development (RTI2018-096100B-100). MINECO, RETOS Program. 1-2019/9-2022. IP: Dra. Nuria E. Campillo
DRIVE: Driving next generation autophagy researchers towards translation (MSCA-ITN-ETN GA: 765912). European Union H2020. 11-2017 / 10-2021. Coordinator: Dr. Fulvio Regiori. PI (CSIC): Dr. Ana Martínez
Design and Synthesis of broad-spectrum antivirals (PIE-201980E024). CSIC, Proyectos Intramurales Especiales. 1-2019/6-2023. PI: Dr. Carmen Gil
PAST
Development of PIKfyve inhibitors as broad-spectrum antivirals (CSIC-COV19-222). CSIC. 12-2020/12-2021. PI: Dra. Carmen Gil
Target- and ligand-based drug repurposing to control SARS-CoV-2 (CSIC-COVID19-015). CSIC. 4-2020/4-2021. PI: Dr. Carmen Gil
Consolidation and strategic positioning of the Spanish node in the ERIC EU-OPENSCREEN network (ES-OPENSCREEN RED2018-102785-E). AEI, Acciones de dinamización Redes de Investigación. 1-2019/12-2020. PI: Dr. Mabel Loza. PI (CSIC): Dr. Ana Martínez
Multitarget-designed small molecules targeting protein kinase and BACE1: A new approach for prevention and treatment of cognitive disorders (SAF2016-76693-R). MINECO, RETOS Program. 1-2017/12-2020. PI: Dr. Ana Martinez
Strengthening the druggability of protein kinases of Leishmania. Drug discovery of specific parasite protein kinase inhibitors (SAF2015-65740-R). MINECO, RETOS Program. 1-2016/12-2020. PIs: Drs. Carmen Gil and Luis Rivas
Chemoinformatics to discover multitarget drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (CTQ2015-66313-R). MINECO, RETOS Program. 1-2016/9-2019. PIs: Drs. Nuria E. Campillo and Ángeles Martín Requero
Parasite-specific cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase inhibitors to target neglected parasitic diseases-PDE4NPD (GA 602666). UE, FP7-Health Program. 3-2014/2-2018. Coordinator: Prof. Rob Leurs (VUA). PI (CSIC): Dr. Carmen Gil
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
Title: ¿Qué sabemos de cómo se fabrica un medicamento?
Nuria E. Campillo y María del Carmen Fernández
Editorial: CSIC y Catarata ISBN: 978-84-00-10324-8.
https://editorial.csic.es/publicaciones/libros/13003/0/como-se-fabrica-un-medicamento.html
Title: Nuevos usos para viejos medicamentos
Nuria E. Campillo, María del Carmen Fernández and María Mercedes Jiménez
Editorial: CSIC and Catarata ISBN: 978-84-1352-298-2.
http://editorial.csic.es/publicaciones/libros/13651/978-84-00-10853-3/nuevos-usos-para-viejos-medicamentos.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.