The CTS-963 research group, led by Professor Juan Antonio Marchal, brings together a multidisciplinary team dedicated to developing innovative and translational therapies in oncology.

Its main research line focuses on the design of small-molecule inhibitors, such as _Rubinib_, a novel orally available SGK1 inhibitor with potent anti–cancer stem cell activity and a favorable ADME–tox profile in preclinical models (PDX) of pancreatic and breast cancer. The group also engineers advanced nanoplatforms based on silk fibroin and hybrid membrane-coated lipid nanoparticles for targeted drug and nucleic acid delivery, enhancing immune response and therapeutic precision in solid tumors.

Additional research lines include gene-editing approaches and suicide gene therapy using adeno-associated viral vectors, achieving up to 80% inhibition of proliferation in 2D, 3D, cancer stem cell models and in vivo, as well as improving in vivo the efficacy of allogenic CAR-T cell-derived extracellular vesicles (Exo-CAR-T) for solid tumor immunotherapy. The group also develops ECM-based multicellular tumor models and organoids that replicate the complexity of the tumor microenvironment, providing robust platforms for studying tumor behavior, optimizing high-throughput drug screening, and advancing personalized cancer therapy. Furthermore, CTS-963 investigates the metabolic and hormonal regulation of breast cancer progression, exploring how systemic alterations and endocrine factors influence cancer development and therapeutic response, thereby revealing novel therapeutic targets and intervention strategies.

On the other hand, this research team has extensive experience in the use of the therapeutic potential of stem cells in pathologies with a high incidence, such as osteoarthritis, vasculopathies and cardiopathies, and in the development of 3D bioprinting systems with new biomaterials and bioinks for application in regenerative medicine. In this line, it is worth highlighting The Singular Laboratory of Biofabrication and 3D (BioFab i3D). This new singular laboratory houses state-of-the-art equipment and provides infrastructure and advice to researchers from both within and outside the university, providing advanced (bio)manufacturing technologies for application in regenerative medicine and cancer.

Group website