📸 First group photo of the Drug Discovery & Medicinal Chemistry team!📸
Here's a photo of our amazing team at IQAC-@csic.es, marking the start of an exciting journey together. Stay tuned for more updates and adventures!
www.iqac.csic.es/josacullereg...

Welcome, Mislav Vrdoljak!
Mislav joins our group to pursue his PhD. He will develop inhibitors of FGFR3 that are activated by light to treat bladder cancer. This exciting project is funded by the Generación de Conocimiento project "Oncolight" from AEI.

📢 We are seeking candidates to apply for the PhD fellowship FI-STEP from AGAUR with us!
💊 You will work on #MedChem projects for cancer, combining organic chemistry and some biology.
🌍 Due to the call's requirements, you must have European citizenship.
Get in touch!

Welcome, Marta Torrubiano!
Marta is our first PhD student, and with her, we officially start our ERC-StG project SeleCStem. She will develop drug systems that selectively accumulate inside breast cancer stem cells, working on synthetic chemistry, enzyme assays, and cancer stem cell models in vitro.

Welcome, Imme Strabbing!
Imme joins our group from VU Amsterdam to complete his final Master's thesis. He will be working on photoswitchable inhibitors of autophagy as part of our AECC Ideas Semilla grant. We look forward to many colourful reactions as we make the first azobenzenes in the group! 💡

Our website is now live and with this we officially announce the launch of the Josa-Culleré group! Driven by Drug Discovery & Medicinal Chemistry, we are passionate about using chemistry to develop innovative drug strategies targeting cancer stem cells at IQAC-CSIC.
www.iqac.csic.es/josacullereg...

Honored to participate in yesterday's AECC's round table! 🌟 We discussed how research addresses the diverse needs of cancer patients.
Grateful for the AECC Ideas Semilla grant to validate our light-responsive molecules in vivo. Huge thanks to AECC and their generous members! 🙏
#CancerResearch #AECC

Our glassware, equipment, and reagents have started to arrive. Exciting times ahead as we unpack everything and set up the lab from scratch!
#medchem #newPI

I'm excited to take on the role of Secretary of the @youngscinet.bsky.social! I look forward to working together with @seanmckenna.bsky.social, Etienne Donckele, and the rest of the YSN board to continue promoting #medchem and #chembio in Europe and supporting our early career scientists!

It was an honour to chair this career panel discussion session at the start of the second day at #EFMCISCB25
@euromedchem.bsky.social @youngscinet.bsky.social

✈️ On my way to Basel to attend the @euromedchem.bsky.social #EFMCISCB25. Excited to hear about the 🧪 latest developments in #chembio and to 🎤 chair a career panel discussion tomorrow!
📢 Also, do get in touch if you are interested in our @youngscinet.bsky.social activities!

Wrapping up your Master's and eyeing a PhD in medicinal chemistry? The prestigious INPhINIT fellowships by Fundación ”la Caixa” are now open! We can support your application. Join us at IQAC-CSIC to develop light-responsive 💡 drugs 💊 for oncology 🧫. Get in touch to start your journey!
#PhD #MedChem

The ERC-funded postdoc position in our group is still open! Great opportunity to work on the StG project SeleCStem, developing innovative medicinal chemistry strategies against cancer stem cells, becoming a key player in our young and dynamic team with many opportunities for career growth!

Women are under-represented at senior levels in #academia globally, & across all #science 🧪 disciplines, as shown by these "scissor-shaped curves" ✂️

So how can we ever achieve #gender #equality?

We discuss various strategies in this #Cell Commentary

#WomeninSTEM

www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
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It’s nice to see that Photopharmacology has entered phase 2 clinical trials for vision restoration to the blind!

clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT066...

Ready to join the #ChemBio community under the blue skies ?
go.bsky.app/KLrTWoj