The GCC group is dedicated to the research of heterogeneous catalysts for their application in chemical reactions using renewable materials such as biomass wastes or carbon dioxide to obtain fuels or materials. To this end, the group studies the synthesis of catalysts and their behaviour in liquid or gas phase reactions. GCC also studies the synthesis of magnetic materials and its use in magnetothermal catalysis. This is expected to improve the energy efficiency of the processes by reducing energy consumption and heating time.

The research activity focuses on studying complementary aspects of disease prevention by consuming bioactive compounds present in the diet, plant extracts, or nutraceuticals, mainly phenolic compounds. Using a comprehensive approach, an exhaustive characterization of the phytochemical compounds in the raw material is carried out, and their bioavailability and metabolism are evaluated through metabolomic analysis. Additionally, their effects on health are studied, with particular emphasis on cardiometabolic diseases.

The research group led by Dr. Ferrándiz is dedicated to understanding the various mechanisms responsible for chromosome segregation and exploring the causes of aneuploidy in cancer cells. They mainly study membrane dynamics during cell division to maintain genomic stability.

The cellular interior is not a mere Brownian soup of molecules; it is rather an exquisitely structured entity organized into hierarchical levels. Knowing how proteins assemble into different layers of organization, is thus fundamental to understanding the functioning of the cell. We recently demonstrated that proteins are a few mutations, sometimes even one mutation away, to form infinite polymers –aka supramolecular assemblies– (Garcia-Seisdedos, et al. Nature 2017, Empereur-Mot, Garcia-Seisdedos, et al Sci Data 2019, Garcia-Seisdedos, et al PNAS 2022).

As feature sizes decrease, their properties become more influenced by interface behavior, giving rise to novel exotic phenomena. To unlock the potential herein enclosed, our team possesses a broad expertise in characterizing and modeling surfaces and interfaces. Specifically, we focus on understanding their morphology, structure, and non-equilibrium properties across various systems, ranging from proteins and DNA to simple organic molecules and complex inorganic solids.

The main interest of the Pharmacogenomics and Tumor Biomarkers Group is understanding how genomic variation modifies drug treatment response, with the ultimate goal of using this knowledge to design more specific drug treatments. In cancer, drug therapy failure is a major clinical problem and developing safer and more effective anticancer drug treatment strategies is urgently needed. Our top priority is improving the survival and quality of life of cancer patients.

Development of novel targeting molecule-drug conjugates for the targeted drug delivery of drugs to tumor cells