founders

Francisco Morís (h-index: 30) has over 25 years of experience in academia, Biotech and Pharma Industry. Francisco received his Ph.D. in 1994 from the University of Oviedo and worked as postdoc in the labs of Prof. Chi-Huey Wong at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla (USA). Dr Morís has worked in Biotech (ThermoGen, MediChem, deCode Genetics) and Pharma Companies (Bristol-Myers Squibb) in the United States before co-founding EntreChem SL, a Spanish company focused on oncology drug development based on synthetic biology, genetic engineering and biocatalysis.

Francisco has more than 80 publications in international journals, filed more than 20 patent applications, and is experienced in preclinical drug development including mechanism of action, proof of concept using animal models, toxicology and manufacturing aspects. Francisco raised >9M€ in public and private Family Office funding, positioning EntreChem as the only company in the world with two hybrid natural products close to clinical trials.

José Antonio Salas (h index 43) completed his degree in Biological Sciences and Ph.D. at the University of Oviedo. After his doctoral thesis he spent several periods as a postdoctoral fellow at Cambridge and Leicester Universities (UK). In 1984 he was appointed Senior Lecturer in Microbiology at the University of Oviedo and he is Full Professor of Microbiology at the same university since 1999.

He has authored more than 160 scientific articles and is the co-inventor of 15 patents. He has supervised 26 doctoral theses and has been the head researcher in 20 research projects funded by Spanish institutions and 10 European Union projects. He has also carried out 5 projects with private companies.

His current line of research is focused on the application of combinatorial biosynthesis to the generation of new derivatives of anti-tumour compounds produced by microorganisms with better anti-tumour activity or improved pharmacological properties and the activation of “silent” biosynthesis gene clusters in actinomycetes.

Vicente Gotor (h index 35) holds a degree and a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Zaragoza, was a postdoctoral fellow at the Max-Planck-Gesselshalft Institute in Munich (Germany, 1975-1977) and started as a professor at the University of Oviedo in 1978. He was Rector of the University of Oviedo (2008-2016) and is currently Professor Emeritus.

He was Head of Area for Academic Planning (1987-1996), Vice-rector for Research (1996-2000) and director of the Department of Organic and Inorganic Chemistry (2003-2008). He was also president of the International and Local Scientific Committee of BIOTRANS International Symposium on Biocatalysis and Biotransformations held in Oviedo in July, 2007. Co-author of approximately 400 articles in international journals and co-holder of eleven national and international patents, he has also supervised 60 Ph.D. theses.

He has been invited to write 17 chapters in different books as a guest writer. Editor of the book Asymmetric Organic Synthesis with Enzymes (2008) and guest editor of a special issue of the Journal Molecular Catalysis B: Enzymatic (2008). Principal investigator in more than 25 national, regional and international projects, as well as researcher in charge of several projects with different Spanish and international companies.

Carmen Méndez (h index 43) completed her degree in Biological Sciences at the University of Oviedo, graduating with distinction in 1979. She then joined the Interfaculty Department of Microbiology at the University of Oviedo, where she completed her Doctoral Thesis, under the supervision of Prof. C. Hardisson and Prof. M. B. Manzanal, and received her Ph.D. in 1984. After two years as a postdoctoral fellow in the Streptomyces genetics group at the John Innes Institute in Norwich, UK, she re-joined the Microbiology Area at the University of Oviedo and in 1988 was appointed Senior Lecturer in this area, and she is now Professor of Microbiology at the same university.

Co-author of 140 scientific articles in international journals, and is co-inventor of 15 patents. She has supervised 18 Doctoral Theses and has been the head researcher in 8 research projects funded by Spanish institutions, and has participated in 10 European Union projects.

Her work as a researcher has primarily focused on the characterization of gene clusters involved in the biosynthesis of bioactive compounds, such as anti-tumour compounds, and the use of these genes to generate by combinatorial biosynthesis new compounds. She is also involved in improving production yields of those compounds by metabolic engineering.

Miguel Ferrero is currently Professor of Organic Chemistry at University of Oviedo. He has received his Ph.D. from Universidad de Oviedo in 1992 under the supervision of Prof. J. Barluenga and Prof. F. Palacios. Later, he spent two and a half years as postdoctoral fellow at University of California, Riverside, with Professor W. H. Okamura. In July 1995, he moved back to University of Oviedo and joined the research group of Professor V. Gotor. He is currently the director of natural products research area in the Bioorganic research group at Organic and Inorganic Chemistry Departament.

In 1997 he has received the IV “Dr. Severo Ochoa” Award of the Fundación Príncipe de Asturias for a project in vitamin D3 and neurodegenerative diseases. His current research focuses on the chemoenzymatic synthesis of vitamin D3 analogues, nucleosides/nucleotides, and quinic/shikimic acid derivatives, including enzymatic mechanism studies. Also, he is involved in several projects related with applied research in connection with several companies.

He is author of around 75 publications in international reputed journals, 8 book chapters, 3 review articles, and 2 international patents. Additionally, he is President of Principado de Asturias Chemists Association (Asociación de Químicos del Principado de Asturias, Spain) and Vice-Dean of Chemists Official College of Asturias and León (Colegio Oficial de Químicos de Asturias y León, Spain) since October 2009.