Molecular Neuropharmacology
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biomedicine
Faculty of Biology, UB
Vicent Casadó Burillo
ORCID ID: 0000-0002-1764-3825
Tel +34 934039279
Principal investigator: • Vicent Casadó Burillo Associated Investigators: • Estefanía Moreno Guillén
Emeritus Professor: • Enric Canela
Postdoctoral Researcher: • Verònica Casadó Anguera
PhD Students: • Natàlia Llopart Jiménez • Aràntzazu Alonso Carrasco
Current
Research
Our research activity focuses on Molecular Neuropharmacology, where we study the physiological function of membrane receptors of the central nervous system, mainly neuronal cell GPCRs and their involvement in neurotransmission and control of it. GPCRs are target for more than one third of existing drugs and it has been discovered that most interact with each other and with other receptors, forming homomers and heteromers with new biochemical, pharmacological and physiological properties. Thus, our current objectives focus on the identification, by biochemical, biophysical, pharmacological and molecular biology techniques, of new heteromers of these receptors as therapeutic targets of neurological and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Huntington, ADHD, RLS, pain, and addiction to drugs and food. We also work on the evaluation of new molecules that interact selectively with certain heteromers of these receptors.
Selected
Publications
Casadó-Anguera, V.; Moreno, E.; Sánchez-Soto, M.; Cai, N-S.; Bonaventura, J.; Homar-Ruano, P.; Rubinstein, M.; Cortés, A.; Canela, E. I.; Ferré, S.; Casadó, V. Heteromerization between α2A adrenoceptors and different polymorphic variants of the dopamine D4 receptor determines pharmacological and functional differences. Implications for impulsive-control disorders. Pharmacological Research. 170, 105745, 2021. doi.org/10.1016/j.phrs.2021.105745
Gallo, M.; Moreno, E.; Defaus, S.; Ortega-Alvaro, A.; Gonzalez, A.; Robledo, P.; Cavaco, M.; Neves, V.; Castanho, MARB.; Casadó, V.; Pardo, L.; Maldonado, R.; Andreu, D. Orally active peptide vector allows using cannabis to fight pain while avoiding side effects. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. 64(10), 6937–6948, 2021. doi.org/10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c00484
Cai, N. S.; Quiroz, C.; Bonaventura, J.; Bonifazi, A.; Cole, T. O.; Purks, J.; Billing, A. S.; Massey, E.; Wagner, M.; Wish, E. D.; Guitart, X.; Rea, W.; Lam, S.; Moreno, E.; Casadó-Anguera, V.; Greenblatt, A. D.; Jacobson, A. E.; Rice, K. C.; Casadó, V.; Newman, A. H.; Winkelman, J. W.; Michaelides, M.; Weintraub, E.; Volkow, N. D.; Belcher, A. M.; Ferré, S. Opioid-galanin 1 receptor heteromers mediate dopaminergic effects of opioids. Journal of Clinical Investigation. 129(7):2730-2744, 2019. doi.org/10.1172/JCI126912
Navarro, G.; Cordomí, A.; Casadó-Anguera, V.; Moreno, E.; Cai, N. S.; Cortés, A.; Canela, E. I.; Dessauer, C. W.; Casadó, V.; Pardo, L.; Lluís, C.; Ferré, S. Evidence for functional pre-coupled complexes of receptor heteromers and adenylyl cyclase. Nature Communications. 28;9(1):1242, 2018. doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-03522-3
Pulido, D.; Casadó-Anguera, V.; Pérez-Benito, L.; Moreno, E.; Cordomí, A.; López, L.; Cortés, A.; Ferré, S.; Pardo, L.; Casadó, V.; Royo, M. Design of a true bivalent ligand with picomolar affinity for a G protein-coupled receptor homodimer. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. 61(20):9335-9346, 2018. doi.org/10.1021/acs.jmedchem.8b01249
Selected
Publications
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