We’re a Small Team with Big Ideas and a passion for the Less traveled path

Meet the Team

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    Alberto Muñoz Viloria

    PhD

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    Ainhoa Muñiz

    PhD (FPI Fellowship)

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    Roi López

    PostDoc

    Roi has a postdoctoral grant from the Xunta de Galicia, and is currently working at the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering and Chemistry. Institute for Complex Molecular Systems. Eindhoven University of Technology.

Alumni

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    Carmen González González

    PhD 07/2025

    Carmen started our work in non-aromatic fluorescent peptides.

    Authorship: a) ACS Catal. 2025, 8624; b) JACS Au 2024, 4, 2630; c) Cell Rep. Phys. Sci. 2025, 6, 102631

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    Axel Sarmiento Fuentes

    PhD 05/2025

    Axel was a FPU Fellow. He was co-supervised with Prof. Miguel Vázquez. His work was focused on supramolecuar chemistry and DNA-binding metallopeptides with biological applications.

    Authorship: a) Bioconj. Chem.2025, 36, 500; b) J. Am. Chem. Soc.2025, 147, 25254; c) Chem. Commun. 2024, 60, 12650.

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    Ana Alcalde Ordoñez

    PhD 07/2023

    Ana worked on Selective Recognition of Three-Way DNA Junctions with Designed Peptidomimetics. . Sobresaliente Cum Laude and International PhD mention FPI Fellow PRE2019-089851, associated to grant RTI2018-099877-B-100. Cosupervised with Prof. Miguel Vázquez-López.

    Ana completed a predoctoral stay (2023) with Tom Grossman, and since 10/2024 she has been working as a postdoctoral researcher in the startup Ninetac at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

    Authorship: a) Chem. Commun. 2022, 58, 7769; b) Chem. Sci. 2023, 14, 14082.

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    David Bouzada Reboredo

    PhD 12/2021

    David stayed in our group as a Postdoc for several years, working on a variety of projects, mostly related with DNA binding peptides.

    Authorship: a) Chem. Sci. 2023, 14, 14082; b) Bioconj. Chem. 2023, 34, 911; c) Bioconj. Chem. 2021, 32, 1564; d) Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2018, 2018, 249; e) Chem. Commun. 2018, 54, 658; f) Chem. Commun. 2017, 53, 6109.

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    Sonia Boga Matos

    PhD 12/2020

    Sonia worked on the development of new modulating agents of cellular oxidative stress as antitumorals, and later Sonia joined the company Eurofins Villapharma Research as synthetic chemist soon after completing her PhD in 2021, where she has been working since.

    Authorsohip: a) J. Biophotonics 2018, 11, e201800054; b) Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2018, 2018, 249.

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    Jacobo Gómez-González

    PhD 04/2020

    Jabobo successfully completed our work on synthetic of self-assembled peptide helicates for DNA recognition. FPI Fellowship BES-2016-078203, associated to grant CTQ2015-70698-R. Jacobo was co-supervised with Prof. Miguel Vázquez-López.

    Jacobo made a predoctoral stay at the laboratory of Prof. Thorfinnur Gunnlaugsson at Trinity College Dublin during his PhD and, after his PhD, he completed his postdoctoral training at the laboratory of Prof. Christian Hackenberger at Freie University in Berlin with a Margarita Salas fellowship. Jacobo is currently a Busines Development Manager at ChemoSapiens.

    Authorship: a) ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces2021, 13, 36948; b) Bioconj. Chem. 2021, 32, 1564; c) Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2021, 60, 8859; d) Front. Chem.2018, 6, 520; e) NAR Molec. Medicine2024, 1, ugae022.

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    Renata Calo Lapido

    PhD 12/2019

    Renata worked on chemical tactics to control the interaction of synthetic systems with nucleic acids. Co-supervised with Prof. José L. Mascareñas.

    Authorship: a) Chem. Sci. 2019, 10, 8668; b) Org. Biomol. Chem. 2019, 17, 6748.

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    Ghofrane Barka

    PhD 12/2017,

    Ghofrane was an Erasmus Mundus student. Her PhD thesis focused on the development of metallopeptides as tools in chemical biology. Co-supervised with Prof. Miguel Vázquez-López. Ghofrane works as a Clinical Research Associate at the Gustave-Roussy Institute (France).

    Authorship: a) Front. Chem. 2018, 6, 520; b) Chem. Commun. 2018, 54, 658.

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    Jéssica Rodríguez

    PhD 11/2016

    Jéssica worked on Selective DNA binding by synthetic peptide derivatives. She was co-supervised with Prof. José L. Mascareñas

    Jéssica was a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow from 2017-2020 at Université Paul Sabatier with Prof. D. Bourissou, and after a short postdoctoral work at IRB Barcelona with Prof. Modesto Orozco, she worked as a Juan de la Cierva-Incorporation Fellow at CiQUS-USC. Since 2024 she is a Ramón y Cajal researcher at the University de La Coruña (UDC). Jéssica was also the recipient of the Award for the best PhD thesis in Chemical Biology from the RSEQ Chemical Biology Specialized Group, and Reaxys PhD Prize Finalist and Shortlisted Candidate.

    Authorship: a) Chem. Sci. 2018, 9, 4118; b) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 16188; c) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 55; d) Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2016, 55, 15615; e) Chem. Sci. 2015, 6, 4767; f) Chem. Commun. 2014, 50, 2258; g) ChemBioChem 2014, 15, 1092; h) Chem. Sci. 2016, 7, 3298; i) Chem. Eur. J. 2016, 22, 13474.

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    Iria Salvadó

    PhD 01/2016

    Iria worked on the design and synthesis of bioactive Ru(II) and Ir(III) metal peptides, co-supervised with Prof. Miguel Vázquez-López.

    Authorship: a) Chem. Commun. 2018, 54, 658; b) Chem. Eur. J. 2013, 19, 13369; c) Chem. Commun. 2016, 52, 1234; d) Chem. Commun. 2016, 52, 11008.

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    Cristina Penas

    PhD 09/2015

    Cristina worked on synthetic peptides for nucleic acid recognition and RNA sensing. She was co-supervised with Prof. José L. Mascareñas. She is now a high-school teacher.

    Authorship: a) Org. Biomol. Chem. 2019, 17, 6748; b) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2016, 138, 14206; c) Chem. Sci. 2014, 2014, 1901; d) Org. Biomol. Chem. 2015, 13, 5385; e) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2013, 135, 10314; f) Chem. Sci. 2016, 2016, 2674; g) ChemBioChem 2016, 17, 37; h) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2013, 135, 3812; i) NAR Molec. Medicine 2024, 1, ugae022.

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    Jesús Mosquera

    PhD 12/2014

    Jesús worked on modulating the interaction of transcription factor-based peptides with specific DNA sequences. Jesús was co-supervised with Prof. José L. Mascareñas.

    Jesus carried out three 2-year postdoctoral stays at the University of Cambridge with Prof. Jonathan Nitshcke, at CIC Biomagune in the group of Prof. Luis Liz Marzán, and Eindhoven University of Technology with Prof. Bert Meijer with a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship In 2020, he obtained a Strathclyde Chancellor’s Fellow position and then moved in 2021 to University de La Coruña (UDC), where he is working as a Ramón y Cajal researcher.

    Authorship: a) Chem. Sci. 2018, 9, 4118; b) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 55; c) Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2016, 55, 15615; d) Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2014, 53, 9917; f) Chem. Sci. 2015, 6, 4767; g) Chem. Commun. 2014, 50, 2258; h) Chem. Commun. 2015, 51, 5501; i) Chem. Commun. 2014, 50, 10975; j) ChemBioChem 2014, 15, 1092; k) Chem. Commun. 2015, 51, 4811; l) ACS Med. Chem. Lett. 2015, 6, 1220; m) ChemBioChem 2011, 12, 1958; n) Nat. Commun. 2013, 4, 1874; o) Chem. Sci. 2016, 7, 3298; p) Chem. Eur. J. 2016, 22, 13474.

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    Mateo I. Sánchez

    PhD 10/2014

    Mateo worked in DNA recognition with environment-sensitive fluorophores. His work led to the development of MitoBlue, a highly selective mitochondrial stain that can be used to monitor mitochondrial recycling in living cells. Mateo was co-supervised with Prof. José L. Mascareñas.

    Mateo was a postdoctoral researcher at the Tom Ellis Lab at the Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, London after two previous postdoctoral positions at MIT and Stanford under the supervision of Prof. Alice Ting. Mateo was shortlisted for the 2021 ERC Starting Grant interview. Since 2024 Mateo joined the University of Cambridge as a faculty member with a Wellcome Trust Career Development Award.

    Authorship: a) Sci. Rep. 2020, 10, 3528; b) Chem. Sci. 2019, 10, 8668; c) Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2014, 53, 9917; d) ACS Chem. Biol. 2014, 9, 2742; e) Chem. Sci. 2014, 2014, 1901; f) Chem. Commun. 2015, 51, 5501; g) Chem. Commun. 2014, 50, 10975; h) Chem. Commun. 2015, 51, 4811; i) Chem. Commun. 2010, 46, 5518; j) Org. Lett. 2010, 12, 216; k) Chem. Commun. 2011, 47, 11107; l) Chem. Sci. 2012, 3, 2383; m) ACS Chem. Biol. 2012, 7, 1276; n) Chem. Eur. J. 2013, 19, 9923; o) Chem. Eur. J. 2013, 19, 13369; p) ChemBioChem 2016, 17, 37; q) Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2012, 51, 7541; r) Chem. Eur. J. 2015, 21, 1609; s) NAR Molec. Medicine 2024, 1, ugae022.

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    Gustavo Rama Martínez

    Gustavo started our research on peptide helicates as new DNA binding agents. He was co-supervised with Prof. Miguel Vázquez-López.

    Gustavo was a Xunta de Galicia Postdoctoral fellow at CiQUS, and Carnegie Mellon University in the group of Prof. Danith Ly. He later worked as an Associate Researcher at CiQUS-USC. Gustavo is now a Project Manager at the Health Research Institute of Santiago de Compostela.

    Authorship: a) Chem. Sci. 2019, 10, 8668; b) Chem. Commun. 2018, 54, 658; c) Chem. Commun. 2014, 50, 11097; d) Eur. J. Inorg. Chem. 2010, 2010, 4532; e) Chem. Eur. J. 2012, 18, 7030; f) Chem. Eur. J. 2013, 19, 13369; g) Dalton Trans. 2016, 45, 881.

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    Elena Pazos Chantrero

    PhD 02/2012

    Elena started in our lab a new research line on luminescent sensors for proteins involved in cancer. She was. co-supervised with Prof. José L. Mascareñas

    Elena is since 02/2026 an Oportunius Researcher . Previously, she was held positions as Ramón y Cajal fellow, and as Associate Professor at the University of A Coruña (UDC), where she joined in 2017 as Distinguished Researcher thanks to the InTalent UDC-Inditex program. Elena had postdoctoral training at Northwestern University with Prof. Samuel Stupp, and 2015-17 at CTQC Tarragona with a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship as well as industrial experience at Medcom Advance between 2014-15. Elena is a former ERC Starting Grant Awardee.

    Authorship: a) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2016, 138, 14206; b) Org. Biomol. Chem. 2015, 13, 5385; c) Chem. Soc. Rev. 2009, 38, 3348; d) Chem. Sci. 2011, 2, 1984; e) ChemBioChem 2011, 12, 1958; f) Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2012, 51, 8825; g) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2013, 135, 10314; h) Methods Mol. Biol. 2016, 1336, 67; i) Org. Biomol. Chem. 2011, 9, 7629; j) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 9652; k) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2013, 135, 3812; l) Chem. Commun. 2012, 48, 9534; m) Biotechnol. J. 2014, 9, 241.

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    Olalla Vázquez

    PhD 2010

    Olalla started our work on DNA-binding α-helical peptides, co-supervised with Prof. José L. Mascareñas.

    Olalla was a MSC Postdoc from 2011-14 at Humboldt-Universitaet zu Berlin, Germany, with Prof. Dr. Oliver Seitz, was awarded the European Young Chemistry Award silver medal, and was selected with A grade but not funding in the 2022 ERC Consolidator Grant. Olalla is currently Full Professor at the Philipps Universität Marburg.

    Authorship: a) Chem. Commun. 2014, 50, 2258; b) Chemistry 2013, 19, 9923; c) Chem. Sci. 2012, 3, 2383; d) Chem. Commun. 2011, 47, 11107; e) Chem. Commun. 2010, 46, 5518; f) Org. Lett. 2010, 12, 216; g) Chem. Soc. Rev. 2009, 38, 3348; h) Chembiochem 2008, 9, 2822; i) Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 2007, 46, 6886; j) Chemistry 2005, 11, 4171.