Dr. Diego Muñoz-Torrero

dmunoztorrero@ub.edu
Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry
Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences
University of Barcelona
Tel. 93 4024533
@DMunozTorrero

ORCID: 0000-0002-8140-8555
Scopus Author ID: 6604023002
Researcher ID: K-9787-2014
Google Scholar Profile

Diego Muñoz-Torrero

Diego Muñoz-Torrero graduated in Pharmacy at the University of Barcelona (1989), where he received the PhD degree (Medicinal Chemistry) in 1994 under the supervision of Prof. Pelayo Camps. For 2 years (Jan 1996 to Dec 1997) he was a postdoctoral researcher at the Institut für Organische Chemie of the Georg-August Universität (Göttingen, Germany), under the supervision of Prof. Reinhard Brückner.

In 2001 he was appointed Associate Professor of Organic and Medicinal Chemistry at the Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, University of Barcelona (UB) and since July 2022 he is Full Professor at the same department.

He was Vice-Dean of Research of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences (UB) from November 2009 until March 2018. He is currently Head of the Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry of his faculty and member of the Governing Board of the Institute of Biomedicine of the UB (IBUB) since its founding in 2007.

He is a member of the Spanish Society of Medicinal Chemistry (SEQT) and the Spanish Royal Society of Chemistry (RSEQ), Organic Chemistry Division.

He has authored 118 papers, 11 patents, and 8 book chapters, and guest-edited 20 special issues in medicinal chemistry journals and 9 E-books.

He currently serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the Medicinal Chemistry Section of the MDPI journal Molecules and belongs to the editorial advisory board of several medicinal chemistry journals.

Team

Dr. Ana Mallo-Abreu

PostDoc

Noemí Martínez-Conde

PhD Student

Aldrick Verano

PhD Student

Anna Sampietro

PhD Student

Javier Sánchez

PhD Student

Dimitrios Moianos

PhD Student

Marc Granje

Undergraduated Student

Ana Buj

Undergraduated Student

Selected Projects

A first-in-class anti-Alzheimer lead that blocks multiple early disease mechanisms. Feb 2024-Jul 2025. Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR) (2023 PROD 00079). 150,000 €. PI: Diego Muñoz-Torrero

A novel class of compounds that block multiple early mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases. 2022-2023. Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR) / FEDER (2021 LLAV 00082). 20,000 €. PI: Diego Muñoz-Torrero

Synthesis of compounds with innovative mechanisms against neurodegenerative diseases and neuropathic pain. Sept 2021-Aug 2024. Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación / Agencia Estatal de Investigación / FEDER (PID2020-118127RB-I00). 225,000 €. PI: Diego Muñoz-Torrero and Santiago Vázquez

Novel dual acting compounds for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders. 2020-2021. Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR) / FEDER (2019 LLAV 00017). 20,000 €. PI: Diego Muñoz-Torrero

Synthesis of compounds with innovative mechanisms against neurodegenerative diseases. 2018-2020. Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (SAF2017-82771-R). 100,000 €. PI: Diego Muñoz-Torrero and Santiago Vázquez

Development of novel routes of synthesis of intermediates and optimization of organic synthesis processes of intermediates and active pharmaceutical ingredients. 2018. Medichem S.A. (FBG309659). 20,000 €. PI: Diego Muñoz-Torrero

Medicinal chemistry and pharmacology of neurodegenerative diseases. 2017-2020. Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR) (2017SGR106). 20,000 €. PI: Diego Muñoz-Torrero

Exploration of novel targes and multitarget strategies for the design of compounds against infective and prevalent diseases. 2015-2017. Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (SAF2014-57094-R). 180,000 €. PI: F. Javier Luque and Diego Muñoz-Torrero

Collaboration between the University of Barcelona and Genoma España for the development of anti-Alzheimer disease-modifying compounds and actions for the development, industrial exploitation and commercialization of the patent ES201000016. 2010-2013. Fundación para el desarrollo de la investigación en genómica y proteómica (Genoma España) (FBG 306351). 105,213 €. PI: Diego Muñoz-Torrero

Patents

Compounds for use in the treatment of hyperproliferative disorders
García Palmer, H.; Puig, I.; Tabernero, J.; Galdeano, C.; Muñoz-Torrero, D.; Barril, X.; Ruiz, S.
Patent WO 2022/223704 A1
National phases: EP22723682.5; US18/556456; IL307868; JP2023564537; BR112023021959-0; KR10-2023-7040063; MX/a/2023/012457; AU2022260529; ZA202310716; IN202317078748; CA3216090
Date of priority: 2021
Main institution: Fundació Privada Institut d’Investigació Oncològica de Vall d’Hebron (VHIO) / Universitat de Barcelona / Fundació Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA)
Companies that are exploiting the patent: Oniria Therapeutics S.L.

Compounds for the treatment of malaria
Fernàndez Busquets, X.; Biosca, A.; Bouzón, I.; Muñoz-Torrero, D.; Arce, E.M.; Reolid, P.
Patent WO 2023/067170 A1
Date of priority: 2021
Main institution: Fundació Institut de Bioenginyeria de Catalunya (IBEC) / Fundació ISGlobal – Institut de Salut Global Barcelona / Universitat de Barcelona

Multitarget compounds for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease
Muñoz-Torrero, D.; Vázquez, S.; Pont, C.; Codony, S
Patent WO 2020/193448 A1
Date of priority: 2019
Main institution: University of Barcelona

Multi-target drug compounds for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders
Muñoz-Torrero, D.; Ferrer, I.; Sola, I.; Aso, E.
Patent WO2014206877 A1
Date of priority: 2014
Main institution: University of Barcelona / IDIBELL

Beta-amyloid-directed multitarget compounds for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease
Muñoz-Torrero, D.; Inestrosa, N.C.; Viayna, E.; Sola, I.; Vázquez, S.
Patent WO2013EP59683; US 9,238,626 B2
Date of priority: 2013
Main institution: Universitat de Barcelona / Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile

 

Collaborations

Xavier Fernández-Busquets, Fundació Institut de Bioenginyeria de Catalunya (IBEC) / Fundació ISGlobal – Institut de Salut Global Barcelona (in vitro, cell-based and in vivo studies with antiparasitic drug candidates)
Carles Galdeano / Jordi Juárez-Jiménez, Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology and Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, University of Barcelona (biophysical, biochemical and computational studies)
Héctor García-Palmer / Isabel Puig-Borreil, Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO), Barcelona (in vitro, cell-based and in vivo studies with TET2 modulators)
F. Javier Luque, Department of Nutrition, Food Sciences and Gastronomy, Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, University of Barcelona (computational studies)
Raimon Sabaté, Department of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Technology and Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, University of Barcelona (amyloid aggregation studies in E. coli)
Belén Pérez, Department of Pharmacology, Therapeutics and Toxicology, Autonomous University of Barcelona (PAMPA-BBB and PK studies)
Manuela Bartolini, Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna (cholinesterase inhibition studies, in vitro amyloid aggregation)
Vincenza Andrisano / Angela De Simone, Department for Life Quality Studies, University of Bologna (BACE-1 inhibition studies)
Manuela Prokesch, Scantox (formerly QPS Austria Neuropharmacology), Grambach, Austria (in vitro, cell-based and in vivo studies)
Bruce D. Hammock / Christophe Morisseau, Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California Davis (soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibition studies)