José María Zapico Rodríguez

José María Zapico Rodríguez


About me

Degree in Chemistry (University of Oviedo, 2001). Doctorate in Medicinal Chemistry (Universidad San Pablo CEU, Madrid, 2011). Associate Professor (Universidad San Pablo CEU, 2010-2015) and Adjunct Professor at the same University (2015-present).

I am the author or co-author of 22 scientific publications and two patents. As part of my teaching dedication, I supervise end-of-studies projects and end-of-master degrees, of national students and students from the Erasmus program and / or international bilateral agreements from the United Kingdom, Poland, Italy, etc. I am co-director of a thesis in medical chemistry. I was awarded in teaching innovation by the San Pablo CEU University in 2012. He also carried out two postdoctoral research stays, of 3 months each, in foreign universities. During the first I worked in the MAREX project in the synthesis of derivatives of marine natural products under the supervision of Professor Danijel Kikelj (University of Ljubljana, Slovenia). In the second short stay I worked on 3D-QSAR models for a series of MMP inhibitors in the laboratory of Krzysztof Jóźwiak (Medical University of Lublin, Poland). As part of the research group of Beatriz de Pascual-Teresa and Ana Ramos, I have experience in organic synthesis and drug design, focusing my research on the design and synthesis of cancer-related targets such as MMP, CK2, HDAC and Adrenomedullin. I received the Royal National Academy of Pharmacy Award for work done on MMPs in 2011.

Another field of expertise is the design and synthesis of molecules that cross the blood-brain barrier and inhibit the protein tyrosine-phosphatase Z1 receptor (PTPRZ1). Inhibitors of this receptor could be used in the treatment of alcohol abuse and Parkinson's disease.

An additional goal that I have focused on is the synthesis of compounds capable of inducing hypothermia and their ability to prevent or delay eye damage after an explosion. This research has been funded by the US Department of Defense. (Scholarship: W81XWH-14-1-0463 MR130239).

More info:
Linkedin: José María Zapico Rodriguez