Our talented key personnel include both experienced and young professionals
with diverse and complementary technical backgrounds.
Francisco Morís, Ph.D.
Managing Director
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.
Jesús Cortés, Ph.D.
Director, Molecular Biology
A native of Mexico, Dr. Cortés holds a Ph.D. in Microbiology by the University of León, Spain, moving then to the UK, where he spent 23 years in various positions. During his stay in Cambridge University as Senior Research Associate in the group of Prof. Peter Leadlay, Jesús identified and characterised for the first time modular polyketide synthase encoding genes (published in Nature) and established methodologies for efficient genetic manipulation of this type of enzymes (published in Science) allowing the production of novel hybrid polyketide compounds. The work carried out in this project was the basis of Biotica, a Cambridge University spin-off Company.
Later, he moved to GlaxoSmithKline in Stevenage, as Senior Molecular Biologist in the Natural Products and Biotransformations Unit, where he supervised a research group to use molecular biology tools to manipulate actinomycetes of the Company’s collection as well as established genetic methods for production of new macrolide antibiotics and developed systems to carry out protocols of molecular evolution of enzymes involved in biotransformation processes. In 2003, he moved to Novacta Biosystems Ltd, first as Group Leader and more recently as Director of Molecular Biology in the therapeutics arm of the Company, where he was responsible, among other projects, for the discovery and preclinical development of an antibiotic active against Gram-negative organisms.
Luz Elena Núñez, Ph.D.
Project Manager, Molecular Biology
Luz Elena Núñez graduated in Biology in 1997 at the University of Oviedo. She is a molecular biologist specialized in genetic engineering of biosynthetic pathways of secondary metabolites in Streptomyces. Luz Elena did her Ph.D. on cloning and engineering of the biosynthetic pathway of the antibiotic thienamycin in Prof José Salas group at the University of Oviedo.
Luz Elena carried out postdoctoral studies with Prof Juan F. Martín at INBIOTEC (León, Spain) before joining Entrechem in 2006, where she is currently Project Manager at the Molecular Biology Department. She is involved in the manipulation of genes responsible for the biosynthesis of novel drug candidates in order to improve properties and production levels.
Nuria Menéndez, Ph.D.
Project Manager, Molecular Biology
Nuria Menéndez graduated in Biology in 1998 at the University of Oviedo. She is a molecular biologist specialized in genetic engineering of biosynthetic pathways of secondary metabolites in Streptomyces.
Nuria did her Ph.D. on cloning and engineering of the biosynthetic pathway of the aureolic acid chromomycin in Prof José Salas group at the University of Oviedo. Shortly after, Nuria joined EntreChem in 2008, where she is currently Project Manager at the Molecular Biology Department. She is involved in the manipulation of genes responsible for the biosynthesis of novel drug candidates in order to improve properties and production levels.
Javier González-Sabín, Ph.D.
Project Manager, Biocatalysis
Javier González-Sabín (born 1979) graduated in Chemistry in 2001 at the University of Oviedo and carried out his Ph.D. under the supervision of Prof. Vicente Gotor and Dr. F. Rebolledo. His Ph.D. research involved the chemoenzymatic preparation of biologically active compounds and the study of the mechanism for the enzymatic aminolysis reaction. During his doctoral studies, he spent a stay at the University Jaume I (Castellón) with Prof. Santiago V. Luis, working on supramolecular chemistry and asymmetric catalysis.
After finishing his doctorate in 2005, he moved to EntreChem S.L, where he is currently working as project manager at the Biocatalysis Department. He has participated in many projects regarding bioprocess development for pharmaceutical intermediates and fine chemicals as well as chemoenzymatic modification of complex natural products. He is co-author of over 50 scientific international publications including book chapters, articles, editorials and reviews and co-inventor of 5 patents. Supervisor in BIOCASCADES, a Training Network for European Industrial Doctorates from the EU’s Horizon 2020 program.
Nicolás Ríos, Ph.D.
Project Manager, Biocatalysis
Nicolás Ríos Lombardía, graduated in Chemistry in 2006 at the University of Oviedo and carried out his PhD under the supervision of Prof. Vicente Gotor and Vicente Gotor Fernández. His PhD research was focused on the synthesis of chiral aminoalcohols and diamines through enzymatic processes (kinetic resolutions or desymmetrization processes) and their use as intermediates of high-added-value compounds or ligands in asymmetric catalysis.
After finishing his doctorate in 2012, he moved to EntreChem SL, where he currently works as project manager in Biocatalysis. For the past 7 years he has been involved in the chemoenzymatic synthesis of chiral building blocks, chemoenzymatic modification of antitumor compounds from natural sources and optimization of the downstream processes for large scale production of recombinant strains. He is co-author of 40 scientific international publications and co-inventor of 1 patent.
Paula Costales, Ph.D.
Project Manager, Cell Biology
Paula Costales graduated in Biology in 2002 at the University of Oviedo. Paula obtained her Ph.D. under the supervision of Prof. Lina Badimon and Dr. Llorente at the Cardiovascular Research Center (CSIC-ICCC) in Barcelona in 2009.
Her Ph.D. work was mainly focused on the transcriptional mechanism involved in the LRP-1 (LDL receptor related protein -1) upregulation by cholesterol and on the role of different transcription factors. She worked as a postdoc at the CSIC-ICCC until she joined EntreChem S.L. in May 2010. In these years, she has been involved in structure-activity relationship and mechanism of action studies, in vivo efficacy proof of concept and pharmacology experiments.
Jhudit Pérez Escuredo, Ph.D.
Project Manager, Cell Biology
Jhudit Pérez Escuredo graduated in Biology (2005) and Biochemistry (2013) at the University of Oviedo. Jhudit obtained her Ph.D. under the supervision of Profs. Carlos Suárez, José Luis Llorente and Mario Hermsen at the University of Oviedo in 2011. Her Ph.D. work was focused on researching the molecular bases involved in the tumorigenesis of head and neck cancers, with particular attention to intestinal-type sinonasal adenocarcinoma. During her doctoral studies, she spent eight months in Denmark at the National Research Centre for the Working Environment under the supervision of Professor Dr. Håkan Wallin working on DNA damage and inflammation.
Following her PhD studies she worked as a postdoc for three years at the University of Louvain in Brussels, in the topic of cancer metabolism, in the group of Prof. Pierre Sonveaux, until she joined EntreChem S.L. in 2015. During this period, she has been involved in structure-activity relationship and mechanism of action studies, in vivo efficacy proof of concept and pharmacology experiments.
