Events
O mércores 17 de xuño de 2026, o Dr. Roberto J. Brea (OCICA - Centro Interdisciplinar de Química e Bioloxía, Universidade da Coruña) ofrecerá o seminario "In situ lipid synthesis: from functional artificial cells to therapeutics" dentro do ciclo CINBIO Seminar Programme.
Será ás 11:00 horas na Sala de Seminarios de Torre CACTI.
ABSTRACT:
Lipids are among the most enigmatic classes of biological molecules. Although their roles in cellular structure and energy storage are well established, the specific functions, interactions, and dynamics of individual lipid species remain poorly understood. In particular, the mechanisms governing lipid synthesis, modification, trafficking, and storage in living systems continue to pose significant challenges. This talk will present simple and versatile chemical strategies to mimic native lipid formation through controlled in situ lipid synthesis. These approaches enable the assembly, modification, imaging, and delivery of lipids within biologically relevant environments. Owing to their biocompatibility, they also allow for the efficient encapsulation and reconstitution of functional biomolecules. Together, these advances provide a deeper understanding of the fundamental nature of living systems, offer new insights into the origins of life, and introduce novel artificial chassis for advancing synthetic biology.
SHORT BIO:
Roberto J. Brea obtained his PhD in Organic Chemistry from the Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, where he developed functional self-assembling cyclic peptide nanotubes under the supervision of Prof. Juan R. Granja. During his doctoral training, he carried out research stays in the laboratories of Prof. M. Reza Ghadiri (The Scripps Research Institute), Prof. Nazario Martín (Universidad Complutense de Madrid), and Prof. Dirk M. Guldi (Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg). After his PhD, he joined Prof. Neal K. Devaraj’s group at the University of California, San Diego, where he worked on the fabrication of self-assembled nonnatural cellular systems. In July 2021, he joined CICA (Universidade da Coruña), where he currently leads the BioNanoChem group, an interdisciplinary team developing chemical tools to control molecular composition and organization, engineer functional nanomaterials, and reprogram biological systems. His research focuses on creating chemical strategies to drive in situ lipid and peptide formation, generate self-assembled structures, and modulate cellular function. These approaches advance our understanding of cellular organization, artificial cells, and the chemical principles underlying life. His work has received international recognition through high-impact publications, patented technologies, prestigious awards, competitive funding,
and strategic collaborations with both academic and industrial partners. He is a frequent speaker at international conferences and serves as a reviewer for leading scientific journals and funding agencies.
