
Neurodegeneration in ageing and neurodegenerative diseases
We focus our research in the study of the molecular mechanisms involved in behavioral abnormalities and cognitive decline, by using…

Dr. Mercè Pallàs
pallas@ub.edu
Section of Pharmacology and Toxicology
Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences
University of Barcelona
Tel. 93 4024531
ORCID: 0000-0003-3095-4254
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3095-4254
Scopus Author ID: 7003835718
Researcher ID: H-3129-2016
Neuropharmacology, neurodegeneration and ageing group is devoted to study molecular pathways implicated in neurodegenerative processes and to perform early preclinical studies in vitro and in vivo studying new compound to fight against Alzheimer’s disease and senescence. After working several years with non-pharmacological (Diet, exercise, caloric restriction) and pharmacological strategies (melatonin, resveratrol, sEH inhibitors, NMDA antagonist, Imidazoline I2 receptors ligands) in the context of aging, senescence and neurodegenerative diseases, as Alzheimer’s disease or Niemann-Pick C, the research group is currently interested in discern the precise mechanisms of action and the molecular pathways implicated of new drugs synthetized by ChemMedPharm group or other medical chemistry collaborators. Some of the pharmacological targets where we are looking for new drugs are soluble epoxide hydrolase and imidazoline 2 receptors.
Mercè Pallàs is Full Professor in Pharmacology in the Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences of the University of Barcelona (UB). He is also a founder member of the Institute of Neuroscience of the Universitat de Barcelona (NeuroUB). She has over 25 years’ experience working on preclinical pharmacology, with focus on cognitive decline in ageing and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). After her PhD in the UB (1991), she spent one year (1992-93) at the Instituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri (Italy) working within the group of Prof. Daniela Corda on GPCR. He returned to Barcelona in 1993 as Associate Professor and was later promoted to Full Professor in 2011.
She has participated as PI in several research projects from public funding agencies and in some research contract with Spanish pharmaceutical companies. She is co-inventor in several patent and patent applications, both in new chemical entities with biological activity. So far she has supervised 18 PhD Thesis, and several MSc Research projects.
Her teaching activities have been mainly focused on topics related to Pharmacology, Neuropharmacology, Pharmacology in R+D+I and Ageing.

Ramón y Cajal Researcher at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Science of the University of Barcelona (UB) since 2023. She completed her PhD in Molecular Medicine at the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), and held postdoctoral positions at the MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences (MRC LMS, Imperial College London, UK) and the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI at University College London, The Francis Crick Institute, UK). Her postdoctoral research explored the potential of cellular senescence as a therapeutic target, leading to the identification of novel pharmacological modulators of senescence, including senolytic compounds (Guerrero et al. 2019, Nature Metabolism; Guerrero et al. 2020, Aging Cell) and drugs alleviating senescence (Guerrero et al. 2022, Nature Aging). Her current research programme explores the contribution of cellular senescence and ageing to neurodegeneration, with a particular focus on Alzheimer´s Disease.
ORCID es 0000-0002-4622-9201

I am a Pharmacy graduate by the University of Barcelona. As an undergraduate student, I spent time in the Neurosciences group led by Dr. M. Pallàs and Dr. C. Griñán-Ferré participating in different research projects. After graduating, I had the opportunity to do an internship in the Neurosciences Group in Maciel Group (Universidade do Minho, Braga), where I learned to work with C. Elegans through the study of new targets for Machado Joseph disease. In October 2020, I started my PhD studying the role of the histone methyltransferase G9a/GLP in neurodegeneration using C. elegans and mice as experimental models.

She successfully completed her PhD in Molecular Biology, Biomedicine and Clinical at the University of Seville (US). During her PhD, she investigated the subcellular localization dynamics of the transcription factor HLH-30, the Caenorhabditis elegans orthologue of TFEB/TFE3. In September 2025, she joined the Neuropharmacology of Aging and Neurodegeneration group as a postdoctoral researcher. Her current studies explore the molecular pathways involved in neurodegenerative diseases using C. elegans as a model organism.
ORCID: 0000-0002-8290-6070

She is a Pharmacy graduated from National University of Asunción (Paraguay). At 2021, She finished MSc program in Pharmaceutical Sciences (National University of Asunción, Paraguay). During the career and the MSc program, she has been involved in research projects about medicinal drugs and their effect in CNS. Recently she joined at the Dr. M. Pallàs and Dr. C. Griñán team, as an PhD student at Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Science at the Universitat de Barcelona, in the Neuropharmacology of Aging and Neurodegeneration group, to search the molecular pathways involved in the Alzheimer Disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. She is interested in new drugs to face cognitive decline in ageing and neurodegenerative diseases that exert effect at the Imidazoline receptors (I2-IR) in mice and the molecular pathways involved in their effect.
ORCID: 0000-0002-9666-333X

In 2023, she completed her degree in Pharmacy at the Universitat de Barcelona (UB). She subsequently joined the research team led by Dr. M. Pallàs and Dr. C. Griñán-Ferré as a PhD student at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences of the same university. She is currently a member of the Neuropharmacology of Aging and Neurodegeneration research group, where her work focuses on investigating the molecular pathways involved in Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.
Alumni:
M Dolors Puigoriol-Illamola (PhD, 2020)
Foteini Vasilopoulou (PhD, 2021)
Júlia Companys-Alemany (PhD, 2022)
Júlia Jarné Ferrer (PhD, 2024)
New insights on I2 imidazoline receptors role in neuroinflammation. Identification and validation as a target for Alzheimer’s disease Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad PID2022-138079OB-100. Funds: 190.000,00 From 2022 to 2025. PI: Mercè Pallàs
Understanding the Contribution of Cellular Senescence to Alzheimer’s Disease Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad PID2022-138829OA-100 Funds: 170.000,00 From 2022 to 2025. PI Ana Guerrero Lopez
Validation of a first in class candidate of a soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitor to treat Alzheimer’s disease. Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad PDC2021-121096-C21. Funds: 150.000,00 From 2021 to 2023. PI: Mercè Pallàs
Soluble Epoxide hydrolase modulation in brain and peripheral tissues Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad. Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad PID2019-106285RB-C21. Funds: 133.100,00 From 2019 to 2022. PI: Mercè Pallàs
Estudio de una nueva diana farmacológica para la enfermedad de Alzheimer: modulación del estrés oxidativo y la función mitocondrial.SAF2016-77703-C2-1-R. Funds: 133.100,00 from: 2016 to:2019
Identificación de moduladores dietéticos del envejecimiento cognitivo y plasticidad cerebral, y evidencia del concepto de eficacia en la prevención/reversión del declive cognitivo. Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad. Universidad de Barcelona PCIN-2015-229 Funds: 120.000, from: 2016 from: 2018. PI: Mercè Pallas
Evaluación de la eficacia de inhibidores epigenéticos en modelos experimentales de patologías humana. Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad. Biomedicina (SAF) RETOS-COLABORACIÓN, dentro del Programa Estatal de Investigación, Desarrollo e innovación Orientada a los Retos de la Sociedad. Convocatoria 2015 ORYZON Genomics S.L./UB PI: Mercè Pallas /UAB de Barcelona. SRTC1500C003898XV0
Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology of Neurodegenerative Diseases SGRC – Ajuts de Suport als Grups de Recerca de Catalunya (SGR) – Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR) 2017SGR106 Funds 20.000,00 , from: 2017 from: 2020. PI. Diego Muñoz-Torrero López-Ibarra
Regulación epigenética de la respuesta inflamatoria (RETOS COLABORACION) 2016 – 2018. Ref.RTC-2016-4955-1. Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad . IF: Mercè Pallàs
Contracts
Products in cognitive decline by using the senescence-accelerated murine P8 model (SAMP8) Biosearch S.A. Funds:37.073,17 From 2019 to 2020. Merce Pallas Lliberia
Products SDP on aging-hallmarks by using the Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) APC EUROPE, S.A. Funds:15.158,28. From 2020 to 2021. PI. Merce Pallas Lliberia; Christian Griñán Ferré
A New family of sEH inhibitors for AD. CI17-00053 Fundació Caixa de Pensions ‘La Caixa’ Funds: 57.851,24 , from: 2017 From: 2019 PI: Mercè Pallàs; Carlos Galdeano
Novel compounds for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders. CI18-00002 Fundació Caixa de Pensions ‘La Caixa’ Funds: 70.000 From: 2018 to: 2020 PI: Mercè Pallàs; Maria Carmen Escolano
Study of OG-S436 and OG-S437 effects on behavior. Cerebro espinal Fluid extraction in the senescence accelerated murine P8 model. Oryzon Genomics, S.A Funds: 69,907.75 , from: 2015 from: 2016 PI: Mercè Pallàs
Study of neuroprotective role of OG-S436 in the senescence accelerated murine P8 model. Oryzon Genomics, S.A Funds: 5.674,12, from: 2015 to: 2016 PI: Mercè Pallas
Study of anxiolytic activity of OG-S09 in the senescence accelerated murine P8 model. Oryzon Genomics, S.A Funds: 14.895, from: 2015 to : 2015 PI: Mercè Pallas
A New family of sEH inhibitors for AD. CI17-00053 Fundació Caixa de Pensions ‘La Caixa’ Funds: 57.851,24 , from: 2017 to: 2019 PI: Mercè Pallàs; Carlos Galdeano
Novel compounds for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders. CI18-00002 Fundació Caixa de Pensions ‘La Caixa’ Funds: 70.000 From: 2018 to: 2020 PI: Mercè Pallàs; Maria Carmen Escolano
Products in cognitive decline by using the senescence-accelerated murine P8 model (SAMP8). Biosearch S.A. Funds: 073,17 €1 From: 2019 to: 2020. PI: Mercè Pallàs
Efficacy study of compounds OG-S2323, OG-S2324 and OG-S2325 on memory and social behavior in SAMP8 mice. Oryzon Genomics, S.A. Funds: 464,50 € From: 2019 to: 2020 PI: Mercè Pallàs
Compounds as soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitors. Gisbert, Sandra; Griñán Ferré, Cristian Gaspar; Pallàs Lliberia, Mercè; Vázquez Cruz, Santiago. EP21382237.2. March 24, 2021.
G9a inhibitors. Griñán-Ferré, C.; Pallàs, M.; Bellver, A.; Escolano, C.; Vázquez, S.; Barbaraci. C. EP23382641, June 22, 2023.
Secreted splicing variant of klotho for treating bone disorders.Roig Soriano, Joan; Chillón Rodríguez, Miguel; Bosch Merino, Assumpció; Pallàs Lliberia, Mercè; Griñán Ferré, Christian Gaspar. EP21382465.9. May 25, 2021.
María Carmen Escolano, Mercè Pallàs Lliberia, Christian Gaspar Griñán Ferré, Sònia Abás, Luis-Felipe Callado Hernando, Jesús A. García Sevilla.
PCT/EP2018/085742.
Methods of treating behavior alterations.
Tamara Maes, David Rotllant Pozo, Christian Griñán-Ferré, Mercè Pallàs Lliberia, Roser Nadal Alemany, Antonio Armario García.
PCT/EP2019/071120.
Pub. NO.: WO/2019/025588
Composiciones para uso en el tratamiento de trastornos cognitivos.
Mónica Olivares Martín. Luis Pérez Martínez. Óscar Bañuelos Hortigüela. José Luís López Larramendi. Mercè Pallàs Lliberia. Cristian Gaspar Griñan Ferre.
PCT/ES2020/070005.
Dra. Gemma Navarro.Department of Biochemistry and Physiology. Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences. University of Barcelona and. CIBERNED
Dr Coral Sanfeliu Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona (IBB), CSIC and IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain. And CIBER Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.
Dr Daniel Ortuño Sahagún Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Biomédicas (IICB) Departamento de Biología Molecular y Genómica Centro Universitario de Ciencias de la Salud Universidad de Guadalajara. Mexico.
Dr Ana Coto Montes Departamento de Morfologia y Biología Celular. Universidad de Oviedo. España
Dr Gemma Casadesus Florida University. Gainsvilñe, USA
Dr B.D. Hammock and Dr. C. Morisseau Department of Entomology and Nematology and Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Davis, California, USA.

We focus our research in the study of the molecular mechanisms involved in behavioral abnormalities and cognitive decline, by using…

Dr Ana Guerrero lead this research line, as a Ramón y Cajal position in the University of Barcelona. Even though…

This constitutes a new research line initiated by Dr. Christian Griñán-Ferré, by using C. elegans, as well as several mice models…