Medicinal Chemistry Section

Sonia Martínez Head of Section
T +34 (+34) 917 328 000 (Ext 3739)
smartinezg@cnio.es

Research Scientists

Ana B. García
Cristina Ana Gómez
Esther González
Sonsoles Rodríguez
Terry Pascal Tomakinian
Carmen Varela

Medicinal Chemistry (MedChem) is a scientific discipline concerned with the design and synthesis of bioactive molecules to address unmet medical needs or to improve existing drugs. The discipline combines expertise in organic chemistry with knowledge of ligand-receptor interactions and pharmacology to design and modify the structure and properties of molecules, to improve potency and drug-like properties.

The Medicinal Chemistry Section is part of the multidisciplinary Experimental Therapeutics Programme (ETP), which focuses on early drug discovery activities. The ETP is integrated into the CNIO’s structure, and acts as a bridge between basic research groups in cancer biology, which identify innovative targets that play a relevant role in cancer, and the pharmaceutical industry. Our goal is to generate molecules against these cancer targets and to demonstrate their efficacy and mechanism of action in animal models (in vivo proof of concept). This allows us to translate the results obtained in basic research laboratories into potential drugs that contribute to the understanding of cancer biology, as well as to increase the interest of the pharmaceutical industry to develop new therapies.

Publications

Álvarez RM, García AB, Riesco-Fagundo C, Martín JI, Varela C, Rodríguez Hergueta A, González Cantalapiedra E, Oyarzabal J, Di Geronimo B, Lorenzo M, Albarrán MI, Cebriá A, Cebrián D, Martínez-González S, Blanco-Aparicio C, Pastor J (2021). Omipalisib inspired macrocycles as dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitors.. Eur J Med Chem 211, 113109. CNIO Publication.
Martínez-González S, Alvarez RM, Martín JI, García AB, Riesco-Fagundo C, Varela C, Rodríguez Hergueta A, González Cantalapiedra E, Albarrán MI, Gómez-Casero E, Cebriá A, Aguirre A, Ajenjo N, Cebrián D, Geronimo B, Cunningham D, O'Neill M, Dave HPG, Blanco-Aparicio C, Pastor J (2021). Macrocyclization as a source of desired polypharmacology. Discovery of triple PI3K/mTOR/PIM inhibitors.. ACS Med Chem Lett 12, 1794-1801. CNIO Publication.
Lynch CJ, Bernad R, Martínez-Val A, Shahbazi MN, Nóbrega-Pereira S, Calvo I, Blanco-Aparicio C, Tarantino C, Garreta E, Richart-Ginés L, Alcazar N, Graña-Castro O, Gómez-Lopez G, Aksoy I, Muñoz-Martín M, Martinez S, Ortega S, Prieto S, Simboeck E, Camasses A, Stephan-Otto Attolini C, Fernandez AF, Sierra MI, Fraga MF, Pastor J, Fisher D, Montserrat N, Savatier P, Muñoz J, Zernicka-Goetz M, Serrano M (2020). Global hyperactivation of enhancers stabilizes human and mouse naive pluripotency through inhibition of CDK8/19 Mediator kinases. Nat Cell Biol 22, 1223-1238. CNIO Publication.
Mohlin S, Hansson K, Radke K, Martinez S, Blanco-Apiricio C, Garcia-Ruiz C, Welinder C, Esfandyari J, O'Neill M, Pastor J, von Stedingk K, Bexell D (2020). Anti?tumor effects of PIM/PI3K/mTOR triple kinase inhibitor IBL?302 in neuroblastoma. EMBO Mol Med 12, e11749. CNIO Publication.
Kennedy SP, O'Neill M, Cunningham D, Morris PG, Toomey S, Blanco-Aparicio C, Martinez S, Pastor J, Eustace AJ, Hennessy BT (2020). Preclinical evaluation of a novel triple-acting PIM/PI3K/mTOR inhibitor, IBL-302, in breast cancer.. Oncogene 39, 3028-3040. CNIO Publication.
Cash TP, Alcalá S, Rico-Ferreira MDR, Hernández-Encinas E, García J, Albarrán MI, Valle S, Muñoz J, Martínez-González S, Blanco-Aparicio C, Pastor J, Serrano M, Sainz B Jr (2020). Induction of Lysosome Membrane Permeabilization as a Therapeutic Strategy to Target Pancreatic Cancer Stem Cells. Cancers 12, 1790. CNIO Publication. Open Access
Klett J, Gómez-Casero E, Méndez-Pertuz M, Urbano-Cuadrado M, Megias D, Blasco MA, Martínez S, Pastor J, Blanco-Aparicio C (2020). Screening protocol for the identification of modulators by immunofluorescent cell-based assay. Chem Biol Drug Des 95, 66-78. CNIO Publication.
Trigg RM, Lee LC, Prokoph N, Jahangiri L, Reynolds CP, Amos Burke GA, Probst NA, Han M, Matthews JD, Kai Lim H, Manners E, Martinez S, Pastor J, Blanco-Aparicio C, Merkel O, de Los Fayos Alonso IG, Kodajova P, Tangermann S, Högler S, Luo J, Kenner L, Turner SD. (2019). The targetable kinase PIM1 drives ALK inhibitor resistance in high-risk neuroblastoma independent of MYCN status.. Nat Commun 10, 5428. CNIO Publication. Open Access
Bejarano L, Bosso G, Louzame J, Serrano R, Gómez-Casero E, Martínez-Torrecuadrada J, Martínez S, Blanco-Aparicio C, Pastor J, Blasco MA (2019). Multiple cancer pathways regulate telomere protection.. EMBO Mol Med 11, e10292. CNIO Publication. Open Access
Mohlin S, Hansson K, Radke K, Martinez S, Blanco-Aparicio C, Garcia-Ruiz C, Welinder C, Esfandyari J, O'Neill M, Pastor J, von Stedingk K, Bexell D (2019). Anti-tumor effects of PIM/PI3K/mTOR triple kinase inhibitor IBL-302 in neuroblastoma.. EMBO Mol Med 11, e10058. CNIO Publication. Open Access
Martínez-González S, Rodríguez-Arístegui S, Gómez de la Oliva CA, Hernández AI, González Cantalapiedra E, Varela C, García AB, Rabal O, Oyarzabal J, Bischoff JR, Klett J, Albarrán MI, Cebriá A, Ajenjo N, García-Serelde B, Gómez-Casero E, Cuadrado-Urbano M, Cebrián D, Blanco-Aparicio C, Pastor J (2019). Discovery of novel triazolo[4,3-b]pyridazin-3-yl-quinoline derivatives as PIM inhibitors. Eur J Med Chem 168, 87-109. CNIO Publication.