Medicinal Chemistry
"We are looking for pharmacological tools to validate in vivo, in terms of efficacy and safety, new therapeutic targets."
DR. ANTONIO PINEDA LUCENA DIRECTOR. MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY RESEARCH GROUP
The Medicinal Chemistry Research Group of the Molecular Therapeutics Program at Cima is focused on the discovery of small molecules with therapeutic potential; that is, pharmacological tools that allow in vivo validation, in terms of efficacy and safety, of new targets or pathways. This approach is widely used in the discovery of new therapeutic agents.
Our group acts as a transversal platform, involved in different therapeutic areas, working in a multidisciplinary environment where the translational component, both in medicine and basic science, plays a critical role.
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Our main lines of work
Biological Chemistry
Identification, design and synthesis of molecules used as chemical probes that can be used to validate new mechanisms of action, biological pathways and therapeutic targets.
Medicinal chemistry
Pharmacological tools that allow in-vivo validation of new targets; both in terms of efficacy and safety. Once the target has been validated in-vivo, an iterative process, multifactorial optimization of the identified leads, is performed to obtain a possible pre-clinical candidate.
Development and implementation of a well-defined work flow
Compound Acquisition
Through computational strategies, virtual testing is performed to prioritize among millions of compounds those to be acquired and use them as "chemical probes" for the initial validation of the target.
New molecules
Once the therapeutic target has been validated, new compounds are designed and the state of the art (intellectual property) is contrasted; then, the synthesis of the proposed new molecules is carried out.
Biochemical assay
The biological activity of interest associated with the selected molecules is evaluated: structure-activity relationship (SAR).
Medicinal Chemistry
Multifactorial optimization of the synthesized molecules, both primary activity (SAR) and ADME/Tox properties (SPR) and in-vivo pharmacokinetics.
ADME/Tox assays
The ADME profile of the compounds is evaluated. For this purpose, cytotoxicity assays in cell cultures and primary cultures, permeability, stability in microsomes, etc. have been implemented.
Bioanalysis
The distribution of the new molecules in plasma and in the different tissues of interest is quantified after treatment of the corresponding animal model.
NEW THERAPEUTIC TARGETS
Molecular Therapies
To discover new molecular therapies that may address unmet medical needs.
In-vitro and in-vivo validation
In order to know the efficacy and safety of new targets or mechanisms of action of clinical interest through the use of new molecules.
Development of therapeutic agents
Design of new molecules for multifactorial optmization to reach the patient as quickly as possible.
External collaboration
with companies
We make it possible for external companies, with capacity and resources, to invest in the project and take it to the patient, which is our main objective.
Would you like to help us?
Thanks to the generosity of many people, the Cima Universidad de Navarra is a reality that strives to offer therapeutic solutions to achieve personalized medicine for patients.
Meet the research team
Scientific activity of the
Medicinal Chemistry Research Group
Latest scientific publications
- Endogenous retroelement activation by epigenetic therapy reverses the Warburg effect and elicits mitochondrial-mediated cancer cell death May 1, 2021 | Magazine: Cancer Discovery
- Quantitative Assessment of Dietary (Poly)phenol Intake: A High-Throughput Targeted Metabolomics Method for Blood and Urine Samples Jan 13, 2021 | Magazine: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
- Targeted Metabolomics Analyses Reveal Specific Metabolic Alterations in High-Grade Prostate Cancer Patients Oct 2, 2020 | Magazine: Journal of Proteome Research
- 2-Oxaadamant-1-yl Ureas as Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase Inhibitors: In Vivo Evaluation in a Murine Model of Acute Pancreatitis Sep 10, 2020 | Magazine: Journal of Medicinal Chemistry