ERC Starting Grant Ikerbasque Research Associate Juan de la Cierva Fellow
0000-0002-8724-8783Luca Unione obtained the BSc and MSc in Chemistry from the University of Naples Federico II (IT) and continued his scientific pursuits by completing the PhD in Pharmacy as part of the international project EU ITN Marie Curie (DYNANO) at the CIB Margarita Salas-CSIC in Madrid, Spain.
In his first postdoctoral experience, Dr. Unione was awarded the competitive (national-wide) Torres Quevedo contract for pursuing oriented scientific research in the pharmaceutical company Atlas Molecular Pharma, spin-off of CIC bioGUNE. He contributed to the identification of therapeutics to combat rare diseases. Returning to fundamental research while consistently pursuing highly competitive and translational projects, Dr. Unione was awarded the prestigious International Human Frontier Science Fellowship (HFSP) for his second postdoctoral stay. This opportunity took him to Prof. Geert-Jan Boons' laboratory at the University of Utrecht (NL), where he developed chemo-enzymatic tools to synthesize complex human-derived glycans and investigated their impact on viral infections.
After spending two years at Utrecht, he joined CIC bioGUNE as a Juan de la Cierva and Ikerbasque Research Fellow. In 2023, he was awarded an ERC Starting Grant to investigate the role of glycans in infectious diseases at atomic resolution. Since 2024, Dr. Unione is Associate Principal Investigator in the Chemical Glycobiology Lab, where he leads research focused on understanding glycan-receptor interactions in infectious diseases. His work includes both basic and applied perspectives, particularly the design and synthesis of broad-spectrum inhibitors for the human influenza virus.
Awards & recognitions
Glyco13Cell. PI, ERC Starting Grant. Isotopically labelling of cell surface glycans to illuminate infectious processes at atomic resolution (2023). InhibiFLU. PI, Proyectos de generación de conocimiento. Synthesis of broad inhibitors of the human influenza A virus (2023). GIL. Glycans in viral infections. From Chemistry to Biology and Beyond. PI, Ikerbasque Research Fellow. Synthesis of glyco-tuned proteins to enhance immune response against viral infections. Juan de la Cierva Incorporación Program, (2022). Human Frontiers Science Program, (2019). Postdoctoral research grant for a competitive Torres Quevedo Project I+D+i. Torres Quevedo, Atlas molecular pharma, (2018). Marie Curie DYNANO PITN-GA-2011-289033 Jesús Jiménez-Barbero. (Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas) (2012).
Collaborations
G-J. Boons, Chemoenzymatic Synthesis of glycans (Utrecht, The Netherlands (NL)). J. Codee, Synthesis of Bacterial glycans (Leiden Institute of Chemistry (NL)). R. de Vries, Viral glycobiology (Utrecht University (NL)). R. Adamo, Vaccine Development (GlaxoSmithKline Vaccines, (IT)). D. Hilvert, Viral like cages (ETH Zürich, (CH)). A. Molinaro, Bacterial polysaccharides (University of Napoli Federico II (IT)).
Latest Publications
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
The Chemical Glycobiology Lab is actively engaged in extensive multidisciplinary studies on diverse glycan-lectin systems related to health and disease. This collaborative research involves Senior (Jimenez-Barbero, Ardá, Ereño-Orbea, Unione) and Emerging Scientists (Gimeno), along with Specialists, Technicians, Postdoctoral associates, and Doctoral candidates.
Using a combination of diverse and synergic methodologies, including chemical synthesis, protein biochemistry and molecular biology, biophysics (ITC, BLI), molecular modelling, and structural biology (X-Ray crystallography and CryoEM), with special emphasis on NMR spectroscopy, the Chemical Glycobiology lab investigates the interactions of glycans related to immune responses, from cancer to bacterial and viral infections.
Indeed, glycans, prevalent on mammalian cells and in the extracellular matrix, collectively form the glycocalyx, impacting physical properties, regulating protein function, and acting as ligands for lectins. Dysregulation of glycosyltransferases results in tumor-associated carbohydrate antigens (TACAs), unique to tumor cells. While TACAs are recognized therapeutic targets, their low immunogenicity presents a challenge for T-cell-dependent immune responses crucial in cancer therapy. TACAs play a crucial role in modulating immune responses within the tumor microenvironment through interactions with lectins. Similar interactions are observed in bacterial and viral-mediated infectious events.
From the application side, the focus is on structure-based drug and vaccine design, collaborating with research groups and pharmaceutical companies worldwide, investigating lectin-glycan and antibody-glycan molecular recognition processes. Additionally, from the basic perspective, we explore the conformational properties of glycans, specially the glycosyl oxocarbenium cations, key intermediates in synthesis and cleavage, and examine the presentation and dynamic properties of glycans designed for specific geometrical shapes.
In parallel, the laboratory continuously develops cutting-edge NMR-based techniques. Special emphasis is placed on the use of stable isotopes (13C, 19F) to push the boundaries of NMR applications. These advancements are vital for understanding the pivotal roles of glycans in their interactions with receptors, influencing biological responses associated with health or disease.
Specific areas and research lines include:
- • Interactions of glycans with galectins and C-type lectins, overseen by Dr. Ana Ardá.
- • Recognition of sialic acids by Siglecs and their role as glyco-immune checkpoints, led by Dr. June Ereño-Orbea.
- • Attachment of glycans to influenza virus proteins and other pathogens, investigating their impact on infections, directed by Dr. Luca Unione.
- • Analysis of proteoglycans and the functional landscape of glycosylation in cancer, spearheaded by Dr. Ana Gimeno.
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Scientific Director
Jesús Jiménez-Barbero
ERC Advanced Grant - Ikerbasque Research Professor Associate Principal Investigator -
Ana Arda
Ikerbasque Research Associate Emerging Scientist -
Ana Maria Gimeno Cardells
Ramón y Cajal (RyC) Programme - Ikerbasque Research Fellow SPECIALIST -
Ana Poveda
POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER -
Pablo Valverde Sánchez
MSCA-GF Fellow -
Iris Alicia Bermejo Ruíz
MSCA-PF Fellow -
Diego Damián Del Balzo
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Maria Jesús Moure García
TECHNICIANS / DOCTORAL CANDIDATES -
Mirane Florencio Zabaleta
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Alberto Marina
-
Sandra Delgado
Members
Latest Publications
Antigenic determinants driving serogroup-specific antibody response to Neisseria meningitidis C, W, and Y capsular polysaccharides: Insights for rational vaccine design
Pietri, GP; Bertuzzi, S; Karnicar, K; Unione, L; Lisnic, B; Malic, S; Miklic, K; Novak, M; Calloni, I; Santini, L; Usenik, A; Romano, MR; Adamo, R; Jonjic, S; Turk, D; Jimenez-Barbero, J; Rovis, ...
CARBOHYDRATE POLYMERS
2024-10-01
Different roles of the heterodimer architecture of galectin-4 in selective recognition of oligosaccharides and lipopolysaccharides having ABH antigens.
Quintana, Jon I; Massaro, Mora; Cagnoni, Alejandro J; Nunez-Franco, Reyes; Delgado, Sandra; Jimenez-Oses, Gonzalo; Marino, Karina V; Rabinovich, Gabriel A; Jimenez-Barbero, Jesus; Arda, Ana; ...
The Journal of biological chemistry
2024-07-15
Nanotechnology-assisted intracellular delivery of antibody as a precision therapy approach for KRAS-driven tumors.
Lopez-Estevez, Ana M; Sanjurjo, Lucia; Turrero, Angela; Arriaga, Iker; Abrescia, Nicola G A; Poveda, Ana; Jimenez-Barbero, Jesus; Vidal, Anxo; Torres, Dolores; Alonso, Maria Jose;
Journal of controlled release : official journal of the Controlled Release Society
2024-07-15
Exploring Galectin Interactions with Human Milk Oligosaccharides and Blood Group Antigens Identifies BGA6 as a Functional Galectin-4 Ligand.
Cagnoni, Alejandro J; Massaro, Mora; Cutine, Anabela M; Gimeno, Ana; Perez-Saez, Juan M; Manselle Cocco, Montana N; Maller, Sebastian M; Di Lella, Santiago; Jimenez-Barbero, Jesus; Arda, Ana; ...
The Journal of biological chemistry
2024-07-13
Quantifying Siglec-sialylated ligand interactions: a versatile 19F-T2 CPMG filtered competitive NMR displacement assay
Atxabal, U; Fernández, A; Moure, MJ; Sobczak, K; Nycholat, C; Almeida-Marrero, V; Oyenarte, I; Paulson, JC; de la Escosura, A; Torres, T; Reichardt, NC; Jiménez-Barbero, J; Ereño-Orbea, J;
CHEMICAL SCIENCE
2024-06-07
Solid-Phase-Supported Chemoenzymatic Synthesis and Analysis of Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycan Glycopeptides
Lin, PH; Xu, YM; Bali, SK; Kim, J; Gimeno, A; Roberts, ET; James, D; Almeida, NMS; Loganathan, N; Fan, F; Wilson, AK; Amster, IJ; Moremen, KW; Liu, J; Jimenez-Barbero, J; Huang, XF;
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
2024-05-23
Disentangling Glycan-Protein Interactions: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) to the Rescue
Bertuzzi, S; Poveda, A; Ardá, A; Gimeno, A; Jiménez-Barbero, J;
JOVE-JOURNAL OF VISUALIZED EXPERIMENTS
2024-05-17
A Multidisciplinary Structural Approach to the Identification of the Haemophilus influenzae Type b Capsular Polysaccharide Protective Epitope
Nonne, F; Dello Iacono, L; Bertuzzi, S; Unione, L; Proietti, D; Norais, N; Margarit, I; Adamo, R; Jiménez-Barbero, J; Carboni, F; Romano, MR;
ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE
2024-02-22
Dissecting the Conformational Stability of a Glycan Hairpin
Yadav, N; Djalali, S; Poveda, A; Ricardo, MG; Seeberger, PH; Jiménez-Barbero, J; Delbianco, M;
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
2024-02-20
Unraveling Molecular Recognition of Glycan Ligands by Siglec-9 via NMR Spectroscopy and Molecular Dynamics Modeling
Atxabal, U; Nycholat, C; Pröpster, JM; Fernández, A; Oyenarte, I; Lenza, MP; Franconetti, A; Soares, CO; Coelho, H; Marcelo, F; Schubert, M; Paulson, JC; Jiménez-Barbero, J; Ereño-Orbea, J;
ACS CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
2024-02-16
Evolution of human H3N2 influenza virus receptor specificity has substantially expanded the receptor-binding domain site
Thompson, AJ; Wu, NC; Canales, A; Kikuchi, C; Zhu, XY; de Toro, BF; Cañada, FJ; Worth, C; Wang, SY; Mcbride, R; Peng, WJ; Nycholat, CM; Jiménez-Barbero, J; Wilson, IA; Paulson, JC;
CELL HOST & MICROBE
2024-02-14
Strategy for the Enzymatic Acylation of the Apple Flavonoid Phloretin Based on Prior α-Glucosylation
Gonzalez-Alfonso, JL; Alonso, C; Poveda, A; Ubiparip, Z; Ballesteros, AO; Desmet, T; Jiménez-Barbero, J; Coderch, L; Plou, FJ;
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
2024-02-13
The impact of glycosylation on the structure, function, and interactions of CD14.
Quintana, Jon Imanol; Delgado, Sandra; Rabano, Miriam; Azkargorta, Mikel; Florencio-Zabaleta, Mirane; Unione, Luca; Vivanco, Maria dM; Elortza, Felix; Jimenez-Barbero, Jesus; Arda, Ana;
Glycobiology
2024-01-16
Illuminating a Solvent-Dependent Hierarchy for Aromatic CH/π Complexes with Dynamic Covalent Glyco-Balances
Díaz-Casado, L; Villacampa, A; Corzana, F; Jiménez-Barbero, J; Gómez, AM; Santana, AG; Asensio, JL;
JACS AU
2024-01-02
Targeting the Spike: Repurposing Mithramycin and Dihydroergotamine to Block SARS-CoV-2 Infection
Stagnoli, S; Macari, G; Corsi, P; Capone, B; Vidaurrazaga, A; Ereño-Orbea, J; Ardá, A; Polticelli, F; Jiménez-Barbero, J; Abrescia, NGA; Coluzza, I;
ACS OMEGA
2023-11-13
Synthesis of a glycan hairpin
Fittolani, G; Tyrikos-Ergas, T; Poveda, A; Yu, Y; Yadav, N; Seeberger, PH; Jiménez-Barbero, J; Delbianco, M;
NATURE CHEMISTRY
2023-07-03
Total Synthesis and Structural Studies of Zwitterionic Bacteroides fragilis Polysaccharide A1 Fragments
Wang, Z; Poveda, A; Zhang, QJ; Unione, L; Overkleeft, HS; van der Marel, GA; Jesús, JB; Codée, JDC;
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
2023-06-13
Structural insights into Siglec-15 reveal glycosylation dependency for its interaction with T cells through integrin CD11b
Lenza, MP; Egia-Mendikute, L; Antoñana-Vildosola, A; Soares, CO; Coelho, H; Corzana, F; Bosch, A; Manisha, P; Quintana, JI; Oyenarte, I; Unione, L; Moure, MJ; Azkargorta, M; Atxabal, U; Sobczak, ...
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
2023-06-13
KR-12 Derivatives Endow Nanocellulose with Antibacterial and Anti-Inflammatory Properties: Role of Conjugation Chemistry
Blasi-Romero, A; Angström, M; Franconetti, A; Muhammad, T; Jiménez-Barbero, J; Göransson, U; Palo-Nieto, C; Ferraz, N;
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
2023-05-11
Blood pH Analysis in Combination with Molecular Medical Tools in Relation to COVID-19 Symptoms
Siebert, HC; Eckert, T; Bhunia, A; Klatte, N; Mohri, M; Siebert, S; Kozarova, A; Hudson, JW; Zhang, RY; Zhang, N; Li, L; Gousias, K; Kanakis, D; Yan, MD; Jiménez-Barbero, J; Kozár, T; Nifantiev, ...
BIOMEDICINES
2023-05-11