Ramón Martínez Máñez, professor at the Universitat Politècnica de València and director of the Interuniversity Research Institute for Molecular Recognition and Technological Development (IDM, a joint UPV-UV centre), has been awarded the 'Juan de la Cierva' National Research Award 2024.

About Ramón Martínez Máñez

Born in Valencia on 11 April 1963, Martínez Máñez is one of the national and international references in the field of chemical research.

Among other lines, his group at the IDM Institute of the UPV is working on the development of nanometric devices with 'molecular gates' for the controlled release of drugs. The nanoparticles studied are capable of retaining a charge within their pore system and delivering it when a chemical, physical or biochemical stimulus is applied to them. These particles have been used, for example, for the selective release of cytotoxins for the elimination of cancer cells and bacteria, as well as for the release of certain drugs in senescent cells and the release of certain substances in food and agricultural applications.

In addition, his team is also working on developing molecular probes for the detection, through changes in colour and fluorescence, of elements of biomedical and environmental interest, such as certain biomarkers, drugs, nerve gases, etc.

Among the many awards he has received before this National Research Award, in 2016, he received the Researcher Excellence Award from the Royal Spanish Society of Chemistry (RSEQ). In 2018, he received the King Jaume I Award for New Technologies.

Author of more than 600 publications, Ramón Martínez Máñez, has a very prominent presence in the most significant journals in the field of multidisciplinary chemistry