New imidazoline I2-receptor ligands to face neurodegenerative diseases
Humanity is facing a vast prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases, with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) being the most dominant, without efficacious drugs,…
Dr. Carmen Escolano
cescolano@ub.edu
Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry
Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences
University of Barcelona & Institute of Biomedicine (IBUB)
Tel. 93 4024542
@CarmenEscolano3
ORCID: 0000-0002-9117-8239
Scopus Author ID: 6603704436
Researcher ID: F-3073-2016
Carmen Escolano
is a Full professor at the Unit of Medicinal Chemistry in the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences in the University of Barcelona. She received her PhD from this University in 1993. Then, she spent four months stay in the University College of London as Honorary Fellow and two years funded by a Marie Curie Research Training Contract in Kingston University (UK) working in the synthesis of complex molecules with biological interest. In 2003, was awarded with a Ramon y Cajal contract and in 2007 was appointed as associate professor. In 2016 funded by a Salvador de Maradiaga grant she spent three months in the Institute of Cancer Research (UK).
Her present research is aimed to face multidisciplinary projects within chemistry and biology. She is involved in the design and synthesis of organic entities to be used as pharmacological tools for the discovery of molecular mechanisms of action. The team is also developing new chemical entities that face health problems with high social impact. In particular, in unmet medical needs such as cancer (glioblastoma), neuropathic pain and neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer Disease, AD).
Her teaching activities at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences have been related to the subjects Organic Chemistry and Medicinal Chemistry.
Team
Maria-Eleni Kouridaki
PostDocMaria-Eleni Kouridaki
PostDocMaria-Eleni Kouridaki is a Post-doc researcher in Prof. Carmen Escolano’s group, focusing on the project on a Multicomponent Reaction Platform for New Biomed Compounds. With a PhD in organic chemistry, a Msc in Medicinal and Biological Chemistry from the University of Edinburgh, and a Biochemistry degree from Dundee University, she brings expertise from her previous work in antibacterial drug development at NKUA Athens. Passionate about scientific research and science communication, she is dedicated to her field
Paula Romero Peña
Undergraduated StudentPaula Romero Peña
Undergraduated StudentUndergraduate student in her fourth year of Pharmacy and Human Nutrition and Dietetics Degree at the University of Barcelona. She has been working in Prof. Carmen Escolano’s group since summer 2024 on a project about the synthesis of imidazoline I2 receptors ligands for Alzheimer’s Disease treatment.
Fernando Romero Becerra
PhD StudentFernando Romero Becerra
PhD StudentIs a 1st year PhD student from Prof. Escolano’s group. Fernando Romero holds a Chemistry degree from the Alcalá de Henares University (UAH) and a master’s degree in Organic Chemistry by the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM). Over the last year he worked as a Research Associate at Eurofins Villapharma Research and General Organic Chemistry Institute (IQOG), gaining experience in drugs discovery projects.
Ainoa Sánchez Arfelis
PhD StudentAinoa Sánchez Arfelis
PhD StudentAinoa Sánchez Arfelis
I graduated with a degree in Pharmacy at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences (UB). I am a 3rd year PhD student interested in the development of innovative drug candidates to find more effective therapeutic cancer treatment, such as the use of PROTACS approach on “undruggable oncoproteins” as a novel drug modality.
Joel Muixi
Undergraduated StudentJoel Muixi
Undergraduated StudentIs an undergraduate student in his fourth year of the Pharmacy Degree at the University of Barcelona. He has been working in Prof. Carmen Escolano’s group since summer 2023 on a project involved in the synthesis of new G9a inhibitors for treating Alzheimer’s Disease.
Alumni:
Alberto Deplano (Erasmus,2024)
Priscila Paola Dario (Visiting PhD Student)
Carla Barbaraci (PostDoc, 2024)
Andrea Bagán Polonio (PhD, 2022)
Judit Pujol Turró (M.S, 2022)
Sergio Rodríguez Arévalo (PhD, 2021)
Alice Cavallo (Erasmus, 2023)
Elisa Murgioni (Erasmus, 2023)
Selected Projects
Progression of an innovative antiglioblatoma drug. 2024 PROD 00007_Ajuts d’Indústria del Coneixement per a l’any 2024.132.000 euros. PI: C. Escolano.
Preclinical progression of a structurally new anti-glioblastoma drug. 2023 LLAV 00050_Ajuts d’Indústria del Coneixement per a l’any 2023. 20.000 euros. 2023-2024. PI: C. Escolano.
Preclinical progression of a structurally new anti glioblastoma drug. Ajusts Prova de Concepte (PdC) dins del Fons per a l’impuls de la Innovació (F2I). F2I PdC_2023-003. 25.000 euros. PI: C. Escolano.
Multicomponent reaction platform for reaction discovery and generation of new biomed compounds (PID2022-13918OB-I00). Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades. 212.000 euros. 2023-2026. PI: C. Escolano/R. Lavilla.
Phosphoiminoproline LPIP, a Disease-Modifying Drug for Alzheimers Disease (2022-2024) Prueba de concepto Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación. Spain. PDC2022-133441-I00. 130.000 euros. PI: Carmen Escolano/Rodolfo Lavilla.
Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology of Neurodegenerative diseases. Ajuts per donar suport a l’activitat científica dels grups de recerca de Catalunya (SGR-Cat 2021). 2021 SGR 00357. 60.000 euros. PI: Carmen Escolano.
Patents
Synthetic I2 Imidazoline Receptor Ligands for Prevention or Treatment of Human Brain Disorders. Escolano, C.; Pallás, M.; Griñán-Ferré, C.; Abás, S.; Callado, L.-F.; García-Sevilla, J. A. WO 2019/121853 A1, June 27, 2019.
G9a inhibitors. Griñán-Ferré, C.; Pallàs, M.; Bellver, A.; Escolano, C.; Vázquez, S.; Barbaraci. C. EP23382641, June 22, 2023.
Dual G9a/GSK-3β inhibitors. Griñán-Ferré, C.; Pallàs, M.; Bellver, R. Marta.; A.; Escolano, C.; Vázquez, S.; S. Ainoa. EP24382375, April 10, 2024.
Collaborations
- Mercè Pallàs (University of Barcelona, Spain)
- Luis F. Callado (University of the Basque Country, Spain)
- Jesús A. García Sevilla and M. Julia García-Fuster (University of the Balearic Islands, Spain)
- Katarina Nikolic (University of Belgrade, Serbia)
- Mabel Loza and José M. Brea (Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Spain)
- Javier Luque (Universitat de Barcelona, Spain)
- Lieve Naesens, Dirk Daelemans and Steven de Jonghe (KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium)
- Manuel Vázquez-Carrera (University of Barcelona, Spain)
- Jose C. Perales (University of Barcelona, Spain)
- Elies Molins (Institut of Material Sciences, Spain)
- Belén Pérez (Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain)
- José Ángel Morales-García (Complutense University of Madrid, Spain)
- Sergio Casas Tintó (Instituto de Investigación de Enfermedades Raras (IIER-ISCIII)
- Caridad Díaz, Rosario Fernández and Olga Genilloud (Fundación Medina)
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