SupervisoryTeam
Francisco Corzana López
Supervisor Details
Email: francisco.corzana@unirioja.es
Organization Type: University
Organization Name: University of La Rioja
Short Biography: Dr. Francisco Corzana, an associate professor of chemistry at the University of La Rioja, specializes in glycopeptide synthesis, structure, and their clinical applications for tumor detection and treatment. He has an extensive research background, publishing 150+ articles in high-impact journals, leading national and international projects, and receiving the New Investigator in Glycoscience award. Dr. Corzana has international experience through stays at renowned institutions like Oxford and Cambridge, and he's administered the Biological Chemistry group of RSEQ. ANECA accreditation for a teaching position, as well as involvement in scientific outreach, is part of his achievements. He serves as the principal investigator for the European project DIRNANO and a Mizutani Foundation for Glycoscience project. He has developed promising cancer vaccines tested on animal models.
Noriko Nagahori
Co-Supervisor Details
Email: noriko@enupharma.com
Organization Type: Non-academic institution
Organization Name: enU pharma, Inc (Biotech company)
Short Biography: Noriko Nagahori obtained her PhD at 2002 from Hokkaido University (Japan). Between 2003 to 2013, she served as Assistant Professor at Hokkaido University. From 2013 to 2015, she worked with the Government of Hokkaido in the Bio-industry department of the Bureau of Economy, trade and industry. Then, in 2015, she returned to Hokkaido University as the person in charge of the Gender and Equality office. Since 2020, she has been co-founder and CEO of enU Pharma, Inc. a bio-venture dedicated to drug delivery technology, contributing to innovative therapeutics and drugs. During her tenure as Assistant Professor, she provided supervision to several bachelor and master students. Further, she has also experience on PhD supervision. Her leading skills are exemplified by her roles in the equality office and her actual current position as CEO of the bio-venture company enU Pharma Inc.
Added Value: The secondment at Japan is designed to substantially enhance the capabilities of the Ph.D. candidate. During this international placement, the researcher will have the opportunity to gain invaluable experience in a global work environment, where they will be exposed to diverse work methods and practices. Furthermore, the researcher will have the opportunity to work close to the operations of a bioventure that collaborates with other pharmaceutical companies in the same field. The primary objective of this company is to directly address the pharmaceutical market. If PhD candidate research produces promising results, it has the potential to lead to the development of a cancer vaccine for patients. This experience will not only greatly benefit the Ph.D. project but will also have a significant impact on the researcher's career prospects and employability.
Fayna M. García Martín
Other Co-Supervisor
Email: fayna.garcia@unirioja.es
Organization Type: University
Organization Name: University of La Rioja
Short Biography: She completed her bachelor’s degree in chemical sciences at Complutense University of Madrid. Subsequently, she conducted her thesis within Prof. Albericio’s group at the University of Barcelona. She also completed a predoctoral stay at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in NYC, USA. Following her thesis, at the University of Hokkaido (Japan), she held consecutive contracts and postdoctoral scholarships, progressing to a position as an Assistant Professor for 10 years. Currently, she holds a Beatriz Galindo senior position at University of La Rioja, where she continues to engage in research, teaching, and supervising researchers in training. She has demonstrated leadership and independence by obtaining funding as the principal investigator from Japanese government research agencies, private foundations, the university, and the Spanish government research agency. Throughout her scientific career, she has supervised and mentored six undergraduate projects, three master’s degree projects, one completed doctoral thesis, and another doctoral thesis currently in progress.
Added Value: Throughout her research career, she has consistently focused on biopolymers, particularly peptides and glycopeptides. Her multidisciplinary contributions encompass diverse areas, from the chemical synthesis methodology of these compounds to biopolymer acquisition and their subsequent biochemical and biological evaluation. Fayna’s network includes national research team with expertise in characterizing fibril nanoparticles and an international research group dedicated to studying the binding modes of compounds with target proteins at the atomic level. Further, her experience at Hokkaido University provided an unique network at academic and company levels.
ResearchGroup
Description: The group is currently composed by 5 senior members: Jesús Manuel Peregrina and Alberto Avenoza and Jesús Héctor Busto (Full Professors) and Francisco Corzana, and Marimar Zurbano (Associate Professors), five postdoctoral researcher (Fayna García –Beatriz Galindo– and Ester Jiménez – Beatriz Galindo –), Mattia Ghirardello - MSCA COFUND Fellowship Programme – and Tanausú Santos – Juan de la Cierva – and Paula Oroz– postdoc contract to work under the framework of the national project PID2021- 127622OB-I00 , 5 PhD students (Marina Salas, Óscar Suárez, Carmen Bretón, Foivos S. Lazaris, Julio Sabalza). In the last 5 years, the group has supervised 11 PhD thesis. More info: http://www.francisco-corzana.weebly.com/ Our group is actively engaged in collaborative efforts with researchers from various parts of the world. Notably, we maintain a productive partnership with Jesús Jiménez-Barbero at CICbioGUNE (https://www.cicbiogune.es/people/jjbarbero) and Gonçalo Bernardes at the University of Cambridge (https://www.ch.cam.ac.uk/person/gb453).
ResearchLine
Description: Strategies for an efficient presentation of rationally designed cancer vaccines. The use of synthetic biomolecules that mimic biological systems has become a promising frontier in therapy and medicine. Like nature, the hypothesis in this proposal revolves around multivalency for the presentation of biomolecules, with the goal of improving their efficacy. Leveraging the concept of multivalency, this proposal explores the to design a self-adjuvant glycopeptide of MUC1 for potential cancer vaccines. Our approach incorporates three strategies. The first involves employing a multiantenna glycan presentation, with an arm incorporating the MUC1 peptide. The second strategy centers around creating self-assembling glycopeptide fibrils, which integrate both the glycan as an adjuvant and the MUC1 glycopeptide as an epitope. The work will include the design, syntheses, and characterization of novel compounds. The study of other platforms of delivery of vaccines as third strategy will be performed during the secondment of the PhD candidate at enU Pharma (Japan). A bioventure company devoted to translating basic research into clinical applications.
Others
Description: In our research approach, we are committed to the implementation of a sustainable, environmentally friendly strategy. One key aspect of this strategy involves a significant reduction in the use of chemicals traditionally employed in research processes. Instead, we will harness the power of biological catalysts, such as enzymes, to minimize the environmental impact and enhance the sustainability of our work. Furthermore, to reduce our carbon footprint and enhance efficiency, we are wholeheartedly promoting teleconferencing as our primary mode of communication with our partners. This approach not only aligns with our green strategy but also enables us to foster collaboration without the need for extensive travel, thereby reducing both our environmental impact and time-related inefficiencies. We believe that these measures will not only contribute to more sustainable research but also set an example for responsible and ecoconscious scientific practices.
CareerDevelopment
Objectives
- Future postdoc employment at the University
- Increased employability in the non-academic sector
- International mobility
- Building collaborative networks
- Trainings to enhance career opportunities
- Application of postdoctoral grants (MSCA, Juan de la Cierva, etc.)
- Application for projects and funding (Horizon Europe, national plans, etc.)
- Involvement in teaching, supervision, or mentoring
Expected Outputs
- PhD defense
- Application of grants (MSCA, Juan de la Cierva, etc.)
- Publication of articles
- Developing new products, solutions, or services
- Attendance to international conferences
Training Skills
- Project Management
- Time Management
- Grant Writing
- Communication to the civil society and public engagement
- Open Science
- Gender and diversity dimension of research
- Ethics and Research Integrity
- Teaching
- Supervision
- Leadership
- Training for job interviews, CV writing
- Advanced Digital Skills
- Spanish
ProposedSecondment
Name of Institution: enU pharma, Inc (Biotech company)
Type of Organisation
- Spin-off company
Other Comments:
Co-supervision in the Non-Academic Institution
The researcher will develop another platform for vaccines delivery based on the know-how of enU Pharma, Inc. Doctoral researcher will develop nanoparticles conjugated to mucin epitope as platform of novel vaccine delivery. Also, trained by Professor Hiroshi Hinou, the researcher can employ microarray technology to evaluate the binding of the novel molecules to antibodies and lectins to probe they could be good candidates to estimulate an immune response.
Duration of the Secondment
Duration: 4 months
Objectives
- Learning on the job
- Technology transfer
- Entrepreneurship
- Leadership skills
- Professional development opportunities (employability)
- Building partnerships
- Using key research infrastructure
Other Objectives: Work methods and communication in the pharmaceutical industry environment.
Added Value
A secondment in enU Pharma provides to the predoctoral researcher a unique opportunity to blend academic expertise with practical experience, from research and development to consulting and management. In this secondment, the researcher will employ his/her expertise on other delivery systems exploited by the company. Further, if time allows, the researcher will also learn other high through put screening methodologies as microarray assays. Also, the opportunity to work in a Japanese company will provide a global vision of the research in academia and industry.