NanoImmunoTherapies Group

Dr. Cristina Fornaguera

OUR RESEARCH FOCUS

Polymeric nanoparticles

Synthesis of proprietary polymers as biomaterials to formulate polymeric nanoparticles for the controlled delivery of drugs, biologicals and actives with smart delivery properties.

Extracellular Vesicles

Engineering and loading of extracellular vesicles to further use them as natural carrier systems for controlled drug delivery.

Crossing biological barriers

Formulate nano and microscarriers able to selectively interact with mucoses, epithelial and immune resident cells, to achieve the non-invasive delivery (i.e. inhaled administration or blood-brain barrier crossing).

mRNA vaccines

Design of prophylactic or therapeutic mRNA vaccines for pharmaceutical and veterinary uses.

Cancer combined immunotherapies

Use of the engineered nanotools, encapsulating different therapeutic nucleic acids, to become the next generation of cancer nanomedicines.

Cosmetic applications

Use of the technology generated for the nano and micro-encapsulation of active ingredients of interest for cosmetic industries.

TEAM

Cristina Fornaguera, PhD

Team Leader

Marta Guerra Rebollo, PhD

Senior Researcher

Patricia González, PhD

Postdoctoral Researcher

Jennifer Fernandez, PhD

Postdoctoral researcher

Vladimir Stamenovic

Postdoctoral researcher

Mònica Guarro Ferrer, MSc

PhD Candidate

Carles Bofill, MSc

PhD Candidate

Nil Gonzalez Rios, MSc

PhD Candidate

Yvette Rabadà Soler, MSc

PhD Candidate

Maria José Sanchez Gomez, MSc

PhD Candidate

Maria Gil-Vives, BSc

PhD candidate

Ana Moyo, BSc

MSc student

Maria Navalón Lopez, MSc

PhD Candidate

Maria Stampa Lopez-Pinto, MSc

PhD Candidate

Jordi Guixeras, MSc

PhD Candidate

Mar Losada, MSc

PhD candidate

Toni Torres, BSc

PhD candidate

Elena Haro, MSc

PhD candidate

Anna Tarrats, MSc

PhD candidate

Pau Castells

MSc Student

Alessia Remondino, BSc

MSc student

Dalia Belhadj

MSc student

Ida Pagnotta

MSc student

Andrea Díaz

Lab technician

Raquel Vaya

Lab technician

Caroline Porskamp

BSc student

Joanna Baulés

BSc student

Rubén Garcia

BSc student

Delia Lupica

Visiting MSc

Jonas Reckmann

Visiting MSc

Sara Giancaterino

Visiting PhD candidate

Paula Niella

BSc student

FORMER MEMBERS

Noraini Ahmad

Visiting professor


José Rodrigo Magaña Rodriguez, PhD

Postdoctoral Researcher


Fleur Van Vooler

MSc candidate


Clara Presciutti

MSc candidate


Coral Garcia-Fernandez, MSc

PhD Candidate


Marc Sabartés, BSc

MSc candidate


Odile Fernández, BSc

MSc candidate


Ïa Casanovas, BSc

MSc candidate


Daniel Serrano, BSc

MSc candidate


Laia Martí, BSc

MSc candidate


Alex Gil, BSc

MSc candidate


Giacomo Sansone

Visiting MSc candidate


Alex Vicente

Lab Technician


Pau Jorba

Lab Technician


Leire Franquesa

Undergraduate Student


Mar Corgos

Undergraduate Student


Natalia Rodríguez

Undergraduate Student


Laia Gorrindo

Undergraduate Student


Lara Font

Undergraduate Student


Panagiota Papaioannou

Visiting MSc


Anna Fotopolou

Visiting MSc


Laura Olmo

Lab Technician


Gae Azzara

Visiting MSc


Carla Giacobino

Visiting MSc


Marta Jové

MSc student


HIGHLIGHTED PUBLICATIONS

Articles in scientific journals

IN THE NEWS

Our group has been funded to develop a project for “La Marató 2021” devoted to depressive syndrome treatment

C. Fornaguera highlighted as one of the Women in Science.

Our group promotes cancer research at IQS.

IQS has been awarded the COST Innovator Grant (CIG) 2022 for the proposal PANDORA, from NIT

Our group participates in the Oligofastx project

Some of our postdoc and PhD students participate in the IQS Startup Challenge

Our research contributes in the Day of Materials 2021, by presenting in home designed microneedles for muscle regeneration applications.

Interview: Cancer treatments research: contribution to the development of vaccines against infectious diseases-

Our Research featured in JoVe.

Our CoviNanoVax project arrives to preclinical stages.

Our RetiPatch Project highlighted in the news.

Participating in #Conocelas, from ASEICA program of Science Awareness Activities to promote girls engagement with STEM professions.

Celebrating the Women in Science Day with our group

Among all proposals, only three projects for the development of the Spanish Covid-19 vaccine funded by ISCIII, and one is ours!

IMAGE GALLERY

  • Nanoscale Advances 2023

  • ChemMedChem

  • Cells grown on microcarriers

  • Mammal EVs

  • Schematic representation of NPs

  • GBM reduction of size

  • In vitro cell transfection

  • NPs accumulation in spleen – vaccination confirmation

  • NTA size measurement

  • Studies of exocytosis

  • Studies of autophagy

JOIN US

We are a young team looking for highly motivated outstanding researchers of the multidisciplinary disciplines that involves our research, focused on nanomedicine, immunotherapies and biomaterials.

We encourage applications for postdoc, PhD and MSc thesis. If you are interested, you can directly contact us: cristina.fornaguera@iqs.url.edu

(c) 2021 Dra. Cristina Fornaguera Puigvert

Nanomedicine | Biomaterials | Immunotherapy | Cancer Smart Therapies | mRNA Vaccines | Controlled Delivery Systems | Crossing biological barriers