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.

Topic

The main purpose of cellular senescence is to prevent the proliferation of damaged or stressed cells and to trigger tissue repair. However, upon persistent damage or during aging, the dynamic process of tissue repair becomes inefficient and senescent cells tend to accumulate. This accumulation in tissues is believed to impair tissue functions and accelerate aging. It has been demonstrated that elimination of senescent cells ameliorates a variety of aging-associated diseases, reverts long-term degenerative processes, and extends longevity. Inspired by these findings, strategies to prevent, replace, or remove senescent cells have become of importance. For instance, there is an increasing interest in the development of senolytic molecules able to induce apoptosis preferentially in senescent cells. A related key issue in this field is the design of probes to accurately detect senescent cells in aged or damaged tissues. Here we show advances in the design of probes, nanoparticles and prodrugs targeting senescent cells.

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.
Ramón Martínez-Máñez has worked for more than 30 years in the design of nanoparticles for controlled drug release, and chromofluorogenic probes and chemical sensors for biomedical applications including senescence cells detection and elimination at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV). He is currently Director of the Inter-University Institute for Molecular Recognition Research and Technological Development (IDM), Scientific Director of the ICTS NANBIOSIS and has been Scientific Director of the Centre for Biomedical Research Network in Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN) for the last few years. Ramón Martínez-Máñez has published more than 600 research articles. He is co-editor of a book, co-author of 25 book chapters, has supervised 61 doctoral theses (13 of which have obtained extraordinary doctoral awards) and 65 international students in his laboratory. He has been a member of several Expert Commissions at National and International level. He was coordinator of the Inter-University PhD Programme in Chemistry at the UPV. He has been coordinator of more than 200 projects funded by the Spanish Government, the Generalitat Valenciana, the Instituto de Salud Carlos III and Europe. He is currently participating in 7 European Projects including an ERC Advanced Grant. Reviews of his research have appeared more than 175 times in local and national newspapers and on TV. He has participated in more than 45 projects in collaboration with national and international companies. He has 38 patents, some of them transferred to different companies. He has co-founded three spin-offs related to the fields of nanomedicine and sensors. In 2016 he received the Award for Research Excellence from the Spanish Royal Society of Chemistry. In 2023, he received the UPV awards for the Media Impact of Research and for a Pioneering Scientific Career. In 2018 he received the Jaume I Award for New Technologies. In 2024 he received the Juan de la Cierva National Research Award.

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.