A. Villaverde is a Chair Professor of Microbiology at the Department of Genetics and Microbiology and leader of the Nanobiotechnology group at the IBB, Autonomous University of Barcelona. He coordinates a research team of 20 people, fully integrated in the Networking Biomedical Research Center in Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine. He also leads the Applied and Basic Microbiology team of the Generalitat de Catalunya. A. Villaverde has authored more than 320 peer-reviewed papers on microbiology-biotechnology-nanoscience interfaces, apart from around 350 communications to conferences, several books, book chapters and 17 patents, among which 7 have been licensed. In 2002, A. Villaverde founded the journal Microbial Cell Factories (ISSN: 1475-2859) and in 2017, the spin-off company Nanoligent SL, devoted to develop precision nanomedicines for cancer. From his publication record, A. Villaverde has received, so far, a total of 13,239 citations, with an h-index of 56.

Research interests

I run two main research lines. In the first one, we design self-assembling, protein nanoparticles for cell-targeted drug delivery. We develop peptidic ligands of cell surface tumoral markers as convenient functional agents of innovative antitumoral drugs and drug vehicles. By that, we generate novel nanostructured agents resulting from biofabrication, for selective drug delivery in precision cancer medicines. Also, we design artificial secretory granules as in vivo depots for slow drug release. Than, we generate mimetics of secretory granules from the endocrine system, based on the selective coordination of functional therapeutic proteins and divalent cations. The resulting micron-scale clusters, containing unique protein species, act as protein depots that are disintegrated upon subcutaneous administration, to release protein drugs in a time-sustained manner. This principle is adapted to several diseases and biomedical uses including vaccination. 

Keywords

Biotechnology; Nanomedicine; Nanobiotechnology; Biomaterials; Recombinant proteins