Prof. Dr. Santi Vázquez

svazquez@ub.edu
Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry
Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences
University of Barcelona & Institute of Biomedicine (IBUB)
Tel. +34 934024533 / +34 670235455

ORCID: 0000-0002-9296-6026
Scopus Author ID: 57034307500
Researcher ID:  R-3551-2016

Santiago Vázquez

Santiago Vázquez is a Full Professor in Organic and Medicinal Chemistry in the Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences o the University of Barcelona (UB). He is also a founder member of the Institute of Biomedicine of the Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB). He has over 25 years of experience working on organic and medicinal chemistry, with focus on the synthesis of new compounds with potential biological activity. After his PhD in the UB (1996, PhD Extraordinary Prize of the UB), he spent two years (1998-2000) at the University College London working as a Marie Curie Research Fellow of the European Union within the group of Prof. William B. Motherwell. He returned to Barcelona in 2000 as Assistant Professor, he was “Investigador Ramón y Cajal” for four years and was later promoted to Associate Professor in 2005. So far he has supervised 13 PhD Thesis, and several MSc Research projects.

After working several years in pure organic chemistry -novel synthetic methodology, chemistry of polycyclic hydrocarbons-, more recently his research has focused on the synthesis of novel channel blockers -human NMDA and P2X7, M2 channel of the influenza virus- and novel enzyme inhibitors, including 11b-HSD1 inhibitors and soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitors. For his medicinal chemistry programs he has established successful collaborations with several biological and computational groups.

He has participated as PI in several research projects from public funding agencies and in several research contracts with Spanish and international chemical and pharmaceutical companies. He is co-inventor in several patent and patent applications both in new chemical entities with biological activity and in the new processes for the manufacturing of generic active pharmaceutical ingredients (API).

His teaching activities have been mainly focused on topics related to Medicinal Chemistry and Synthesis of Drugs, being the coauthor of some textbooks on these topics.

Our research revolves around the design, synthesis and characterization of new polycyclic compounds of therapeutic interest. The biological activity of these compounds is evaluated by several collaborators with expertise in each specific biological target (see “research” and “collaborations”).

Within our group, a particular emphasis is placed on providing our PhD students with outstanding training not only in experimental research but also in teaching, scientific writing, communication and social skills, etc. Four former PhD students were awarded the “Extraordinary Price for PhD of the Universitat de Barcelona” and two of them were subsequently funded by the prestigious “Marie Curie Fellowship”. We are proud of the prominent positions that the former members of our group currently hold in private chemical and pharmaceutical companies.

Team

Dr. Eugènia Pujol

Assistant Professor

Dr. Andreea L. Turcu

Adjunct Professor

Dr. Sandra Codony

Adjunct Professor

Celia Escriche

PhD Student

Javier Sánchez

PhD Student

Alba López

PhD Student

In memoriam     Dr. Oscar Lozano
                               Assistant Professor, mentor, and a wonderful friend.

Selected Projects

I have been involved in more than 40 research projects, funded either from public calls or from private chemical and pharmaceutical companies. It follows a list of the research projects from the last six  years (2018-2023).

Participation in funded R+D+I projects from public calls:

First-in-class dual molecule for the treatment of pain. INNOVADORS. Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR), 2023 INNOV 00010, 84.000,00 €. 13/05/2024 – 12/11/2025.

Proof of concept of the targeted degradation of the main protease (wild-type and mutant subtypes) as treatment for drug-resistant coronavirus infections. LLAVOR (AGAUR; Generalitat de Catalunya), 2024 LLAV 00021, 20.000,00 €. 2024-2025.
Síntesis de candidatos a fármacos innovadores contra enfermedades neurodegenerativas y dolor. Ministry of Science and Innovation (SPAIN). PID2023-147004OB-I00, 275.000 €. 2024-2027.

Dual-acting molecules as an innovative analgesic strategy to treat pain. CC22-10176CONSOLIDATE. Fundació Caixa de Pensions ‘La Caixa’, 300.000 €. 22/12/2022 – 21/12/2024.

Noves molècules duals: una estratègia innovadora pel tractament del dolor crònic. 2021PROD00181 . Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR), 99.986,25 €. 19/10/2022 – 18/04/2024.

Una nova classe de compostos que bloquegen múltiples mecanismes inicials de malaltiesneurodegeneratives. 2021LLAV00082. Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR), 20.000 €. 19/10/2022 – 18/09/2023.

A new pan-coronavirus therapeutic concept to address present and future infections: targeted degradation of the conserved 3CLpro. Fundació La Marató de TV3, 300.000,00 €. 01/09/2021 – 31/08/2023.

Synthesis of compounds with innovative mechanisms against neurodenegerative diseases and neuropathic pain (InnoNeurox2). Ministerio de ciencia e innovación, 272.250,00 €. 01/09/2021-31/08/2024.

Ca2+-Dependent block by memantine and selective inhibition of overactive NMDA. National Institutes of Health (NIH, USA), 187.580 USD (subaward of a NIH Project of Prof. Jon W. Johnson, University of Pittsburgh, USA, 11R01AG065594-01A1). 15/09/2020-31/05/2025.

Channel block and gating of NMDA receptors. National Institutes of Health (NIH, USA) 71.376 USD (subaward of a NIH Project of Prof. Jon W. Johnson, University of Pittsburgh, USA). 2R01GM128195-26A1. 01/01/2019 – 31/12/2022.

First-in-class dual agents for neuropathic pain. F2I-FVal_2020-008. Fundació Bosch i Gimpera de la Universitat de Barcelona. 25.000 €. 07/01/2021 – 06/12/2021.

Tackling neuropathic pain with first-in-class dual agents. CI20-00147 (Caixaimpulse Validate). Fundació Caixa de Pensions ‘La Caixa’, 100.000,00 €. 16/12/2020 – 15/03/2022.

Discovery of innovative drugs against viral respiratory infections (MARATO TV3 201832-30). Fundació La Marató de TV3 199.175,00 €. 01/06/2019 – 31/05/2022.

New HRI activators for the treatment of type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. CI18-00006. Fundació Caixa de Pensions ‘La Caixa’, 100.000,00 €. 03/12/2018 – 02/03/2020.

Synthesis of compounds with innovative mechanisms against neurodegenerative diseases. Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad. SAF2017-82771-R, 121.000,00 €. 01/01/2018 – 31/12/2020.

Therapeutic and prophylactic effects of soluble Epoxide Hydrolase Inhibitors (sEHI) in acute pancreatitis (AP) and in Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)-induced AP (F2I-FVal-2017-015). Fundació Bosch i Gimpera de la Universitat de Barcelona, 25.000,00 €. 18/12/2017 – 17/12/2018.


Participation in R+D+I Contracts of special importance with companies:

Síntesis de impurezas de principios activos farmacéuticos e intermedios.
INKE, S.A. FBG 313089, 40.000 €. 01/01/2025 – 31/12/2025.
Determinación de la masa molecular y pureza de diferentes muestras procedentes de síntesis orgánica. Palobiofarma, S. L. FBG312602, 36.330 €. 15/01/2024 – 31/10/2024.
Treballs de síntesi orgànica i determinació estructural a la Unitat de Química Farmacèutica de la Universitat de Barcelona. Vitala Technologies, S. L., FBG312522. 12.000 €. 11/12/2023 – 10/06/2024.

Optimization of processes for the synthesis of intermediates and active pharmaceutical ingredients. Amino Chemicals Limited (Malta). FBG 311901, 27.700 €. 01/10/2022 – 31/01/2023.

Estudios sintéticos y analíticos. Advanced Sport & Nutritions Lab, S.L. FBG 311186, 16.380 €. 19/04/2021 – 18/07/2021.

Synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients intermediates and intermediates. Biopharma Synergies (BPS), S.L. UBAR 18648, 72.000 €. 01/01/2019 – 31/12/2024.

Consulting in organic chemistry. Menadiona, S.L. FBG 310144, 17.563,00 €. 01/01/2018 – 31/10/2019.

Optimization of the route of synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients. Biopharma Synergies (BPS), S.L. FBG 309658, 66.000,00 €. 15/01/2018 – 31/12/2018.

Optimization of the route of synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients. Biopharma Synergies (BPS), S.L FBG 309411   36.000,00 €. 01/07/2017 – 14/01/2018.

Patents

In addition to our academic interests, one of the main aims of our group is to generate Intellectual Property stemming either from our research projects or from join research projects with several chemical and pharmaceutical companies.

Below there is a list of recent selected patent and patent applications by our group. Their titles give an idea of the wide range of topics of our group.

patents
  1. Tile: G9a inhibitors.
    Inventors: Christian Griñan-Ferré, C.; Mercè Pallas, Aina Bellver, Carmen Escolano, Santiago Vázquez, Carla Barbaraci.
    Patent application: EP23382641 (priority date: Jun 22, 2023).
  2. Title: Combination for pain management.
    Inventors: Santiago Vázquez, Eugènia Pujol, Javier Sánchez Sánchez-Corral, Celia Escriche Molina, Enrique J. Cobos, Rafael Nieto, Míriam Santos-Caballero.
    Patent application: EP22383114 (priority date: Nov 18, 2022).
  3. Title: Compounds for pain management.
    Inventors: Santiago Vázquez, Eugènia Pujol, Enrique J. Cobos, José M. Entrena, María Carmen Ruíz-Cantero, Emanuele Amata, Maria Dichiara.
    Patent application: EP22383116 (priority date: Nov 18, 2022).
  4. Title: Compounds as soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitors.
    Inventors: Sandra Codony, Christian Griñan-Ferré, C.; Mercè Pallas, Santiago Vázquez, Yumin Oh.
    Patent application: WO2022/200105A1 (priority date: Mar 24, 2021).
  5. Title: Multitarget compounds for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
    Inventors: Diego Muñoz-Torrero, Santiago Vázquez, Katia Pont, Sandra Codony.
    Patent application: WO 2020/193448 A1 (priority date: March 8, 2019).
  6. Title: Polycyclic compounds soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitors.
    Inventors: Sandra Codony, Carlos Galdeano, Rosana Lleiva, Andreea Turcu, Elena Valverde, Santiago Vázquez.
    Patent application: WO2019/243414A1 (priority date: Jun 20, 2018).
  7. Title: HRI activators useful for the treatment of metabolic diseases.
    Inventors: Mohammad Zarei, Manuel Vázquez, Santiago Vázquez, Rosana Leiva, Eugènia Pujol.
    Patent application: WO2018/010856 (priority date: Jul 13, 2016).
  8. Title: Process for obtaining 3,14-diacetyloxymorphone from oripavine.
    Inventors: Melville Mitchell, Santiago Vázquez, Andrés E. Lukach, Oscar Lozano, Joan Castañé.
    Patent application: EP 3252055 B1 (priority date: May 31, 2016).
  9. Title: New aza-tetracyclo derivatives.
    Inventors: Santiago Vázquez, Rosana Leiva, Elena Valverde.
    Patent application: WO2017/182464 (priority date: Apr 19, 2016).
  10. Title: Analogs of adamantylureas as soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitors.
    Inventors: Santiago Vázquez, Elena Valverde, Rosana Leiva, Manuel Vázquez, Sandra Codony.
    Patent application: WO2017/017048 (priority date: Jul 28, 2015).

Collaborations

  • Emanuele Amata and Agostino Marrazzo (University of Catania, Italy),
  • Francisco Ciruela (Universitat de Barcelona, Spain).                      
  • Enrique J. Cobos (University of Granada,  Spain),
  • Carles Galdeano and Xavier Barril (Universitat de Barcelona, Spain),
  • Bruce D. Hammock and Christophe Morisseau (University of California Davis, Davis, USA),
  • Jon W. Johnson (University of Pittsburgh, USA),
  • Yong-Chul Kim (Gwangju Institute of Science & Technology, Gwangju, South Korea),
  • Antonios Kolocouris (University of Athens, Greece),
  • Maria Kurnikova (Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA),
  • Mabel Loza and José M. Brea (Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Spain).
  • F. Javier Luque (Universitat de Barcelona, Spain),
  • Jordi Llop (CIC biomaGUNE, San Sebastian, Guipuzcoa, Spain),
  • Steven E. Mansoor (Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, USA),
  • Christa E. Müller (Universität Bonn, Germany),
  • Lieve Naesens (KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium),
  • Annette Nicke (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany),
  • Mercè Pàllas and Christian Griñán-Ferré (Universitat de Barcelona, Spain),
  • Belen Pérez (Autonomous University of Barcelona),
  • Coral Sanfeliu Pujol (Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques de Barcelona, Spain),
  • David Soto (Universitat de Barcelona, Spain),
  • Francesc X. Sureda (Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain),
  • Manuel Vázquez-Carrera (Universitat de Barcelona, Spain),
  • Jun Wang (University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA).

Research

All Research

Funding