Manuel Banobre - 1

 

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Manuel Bañobre-López

Group Leader 
Nanomedicine  

Manuel Bañobre-López (MB) graduated in Chemistry from the University of Santiago de Compostela and obtained his PhD degree in Solid State Chemistry from the same University. He has been a research visitor in the University of Texas at Austin, and in 2011 he joined as postdoctoral researcher the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory at Braga (INL), Portugal, where he currently leads the Nanomedicine Group and the Advanced (magnetic) Theranostic Nanostructures Lab (AmTheNa).

MB’s research group focuses on the engineering of multifunctional magnetic hybrid nanoparticles as nanomedical platforms for theranostic applications, mainly focused on disease-targeted non-invasive imaging diagnosis and magnetically-assisted therapies. His group has provided significant contributions about the relationship between the structural and magnetic properties of nanoscale transition metal oxides and their functional performance in the biomedical field. AmTheNa’s research interest is two-fold: (i) to build up a basic understanding of nanomaterials properties for the optimization of high throughput imaging probes and magnetic effectors, (ii) to exploit these nanomaterials capacities to design advanced nanostructures and functional materials that allow us to explore new imaging and therapeutic approaches in different diseases and conditions. This includes the design of targeted and activatable programmed imaging probes (i.e. smart MRI contrast agents) and theranostic nanocarriers able to offer multi-modal imaging capabilities (i.e. T1/T2-MRI, H1/F9-MRI, MRI-FL, etc.) and combined therapeutic responses (i.e. magnetic hyperthermia, drug delivery), as well as the development of advanced in vitro models of disease for validation purposes, such as 3D spheroids and organoids. Cancer in its different versions has been so far our main target, but also autoimmune diseases, internal surgery interventions and wound healing of critical skin damages are currently among our interest.

He has led competitive research projects funded by EU, national and regional bodies, as well as industrial collaborations. He has published about 80 peer-reviewed papers, h=21, and granted 2 patents. Regarding supervision activities, MB has accumulated an extensive (co)direction activity that includes >40 researchers among postdocs, PhDs, MSc, PhD visiting researchers and internships.

Selected Publications