Affiliation: Instituto de Ciencia Molecular (ICMol), Universitat de València

Fields or areas of research Biological Chemistry of Nucleic Acids , Supramolecular Chemistry , Bioinorganic

I obtained my Chemistry Degree at the University of Valencia (Spain) in 2005 and started my PhD in Chemical Sciences at the University of Valencia under the supervision of Prof. Enrique Garcia-España focused on Supramolecular Chemistry. In my PhD, I developed organic compounds as interacting DNA-agents for anticancer therapies as well as metal complexes having antioxidant properties as drugs for antiparasitic and antiinflammatory diseases. During my PhD, I spent several periods in the groups of Dr. Ivo Piantanida (Ruder Boskovic Institut, Croatia), Prof. Fernando Pina (New University of Lisbon, Portugal) and Prof. Philip Gale (University of Southampton, United Kingdom) where I learnt different techniques and a range of subjects in Supramolecular Chemistry field. I obtained my PhD with the qualification of Summa cum Laude in 2013 and started my postdoctoral stages at the University of Kansas (USA) and Institute Curie (France) where I specialised in unusual nucleic acid structures. In 2015, I was awarded with a prestigious Newton Fellowship to enrol Imperial College London (United Kingdom) in Prof. Ramón Vilar's team. In this period, i developed fluorescent probes to visualise G-quadruplex DNA in live cells using cutting-edge microscopic technologies. Then, I joined the European Institute of Chemistry and Biology (France) as IdEx fellow to investigate on novel drugs and probes for G-quadruplexes. Lastly, I took a Distinguished Position CIDEGENT in the Institute of Molecular Science (ICMol) at the University of Valencia to carry out my lines on tools to visualise non-canonical DNA/RNA structures using microscopic technology.

My interests as independent researcher cover from Supramolecular Chemistry, Chemical Biology, Neuroscience, Enzyme Mimetics to Antibacterial Drug Development with particular emphasis in non-canonical DNA/RNA structures such as G-quadruplexes. I have started several research lines in (i) the development of novel tools to visualize non-canonical DNA structures using a tandem of molecular probes and the cutting-edge technologies in cellular imaging and (ii) the application of non-canonical DNA/RNA structures as novel targets in antibacterial, antiparasitic and anticancer therapies. I'm been co-authored of more than 35 peer-reviewed journals and three book chapters, performed several oral presentations and co-authored of three international patents focused in the development of new antioxidant and antiinflammatory drugs. I've been awarded with several grants and fellows in which the Newton Fellow of the Royal Society highlights and recognise the best international researchers in UK, the Pulidori Awards for the best work on Thermodynamics in 2013 or the best PhD in Chemistry of the University of Valencia in 2014.