Dr. Muro obtained her PhD in Sciences from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, then was a Research Assistant Professor in Pharmacology in the University of Pennsylvania, and then a Tenured Associate Professor in the University of Maryland. Since November 2017, she is an ICREA Professor in the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia. She has published 100+ articles and chapters in drug delivery and received awards from the Controlled Release Society, the American Society for Nanomedicine, has been a member of the USA NIH Nanomedicine Study Section and is an elected Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.
Research interests
Dr. Muro's research sits at the interface between cellular biology, nanotechnology, and drug delivery. She studies the biological mechanisms ruling how our tissues transport cargoes within our bodies and applies this knowledge to design of nanodevices for delivery of therapeutics to specific disease sites. Focusing on genetic conditions that cause metabolic, neurodegenerative and cardiovascular syndromes, as well as on a new transport pathway she helped discover, her goal is to gain efficient access within the body and its cells, to enable effective treatment of these life-threatening disorders.
Selected publications
- Vigo M, Placci M & Muro S 2025, 'Presence of ICAM-1 isoforms in human cells impacts the selection of antibodies for nanocarrier targeting', Journal of drug delivery science and technology, 104 - 106582.
Selected research activities
Grants
BRAINZYME: New isoform-dependent brain-targeting for enzyme therapy. PI: Muro.
225,000€ 01/09/25 – 31/08/28
PID2024-156424OB-I00.
MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by ERDF/EU.
Invited talks
-Targeted nanotherapeutics for lysosomal enzyme replacement therapy. Workshop, Advancements in Personalized Therapies for Rare Diseases, Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, Barcelona.
-New therapies for lysosomal storage disorders. Symposium on Fabry Connections, Institute for Material Sciences of Barcelona, Spain.
-Isoform-dependent targeting and its relevance for the design of drug delivery strategies. Workshop, Selective Targeting and Biological Barriers, Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, Barcelona.
-Lysosomal therapies and drug delivery strategies: liposomes and nanoparticles. The Genetic Rare and Immune Disorders Symposium, Fairfax, USA.
Oral communications
-New isoform-dependent targeting for improved receptor-mediated transcytosis across the blood-brain barrier. Barcelona Blood-Brain Barrier International Conference, Barcelona.
Poster presentations
-Nanomechanical traits for Rare Diseases: spotlight on Gaucher and Fabry diseases. Annual Symposium, Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, Barcelona.
-Identification of an anti-ICAM-1 antibody for improved isoform-dependent targeting and transport across the blood-brain barrier. Annual Symposium, Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, Barcelona.
-Nanomechanical Signatures of Lipid Accumulation in Gaucher and Fabry Diseases. Annual Meeting, Institute of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Barcelona University, Barcelona.
Managerial activities
-Member of Editorial Board. WIREs Nanomedicine and Nanobiotechnology.
-Member of Editorial Board. Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews.