María Elena Laugieri
María Elena Laugieri
POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER
Juan de la Cierva Fellow
Juan de la Cierva Fellow
Cancer Glycoimmunology Lab
Address: Bizkaia Science and Technology Park, building 801A, Derio (Bizkaia)

Glycans, or sugars, coat the surfaces of cells and many proteins. They form a complex and dynamic layer called the glycocalyx, which is essential for cellular communication, recognition, and protection. Through their diverse structures, glycans influence key biological processes such as immunity, infection, and cancer. The study of these molecules and their recognition by specific proteins, such as lectins and antibodies, reveals how sugars regulate immune responses, a field known as glycoimmunology.

Research line 1: Structural and Molecular Basis of Glycoimmune Recognition
Our lab investigates how antibodies and lectins recognize glycans, with a special focus on Siglec receptors, key glycoimmune checkpoints that modulate immune responses. Using structural, molecular, cellular, and biophysical approaches, the team uncovers the mechanisms underlying glycan-Siglec and antibody-Siglec interactions.

Research line 2: Protein Engineering for Next-Generation Immunotherapies
Building on structural insights, the group applies protein engineering and chemical biology to design and optimize therapeutic molecules that selectively target glycoimmune checkpoints. This includes developing engineered antibodies aimed at reprogramming immune activity in cancer and other diseases.

Research line 3: Antibodies Targeting Tumor-Associated Glycans
Our lab develops and characterizes antibodies that recognize cancer-specific glycans, advancing strategies for cancer immunotherapy and biomarker discovery. These studies contribute to understanding how abnormal glycosylation drives tumor progression and immune evasion.

Collaborators
Jim Paulson (Scripps), Matthew Macauley (University of Alberta), Filipa Marcelo and Paula Videira (University NOVA de Lisboa), Niels Reichardt (CIC biomaGUNE), Gonzalo Giménez-Óses AND Jesús Jiménez-Barbero (CIC bioGUNE), Francisco Corzana (University of La Rioja), Thomas Boltje and Christian Bull (Radboud University), Noortje de Haan (LUMC), Pablo Céspedes (CAMS, University of Oxford), Ralf Jungmann and Dr. Masullo (Max Planck Institute), and Jean-Philippe Julien (SickKids Hospital). Collaborations within the Basque research ecosystem include Adaptam Biotech.

Latest Publications

Decoding the Molecular Basis of the Specificity of an Anti-sTn Antibody

Soares, CO; Laugieri, ME; Grosso, AS; Natale, M; Coelho, H; Behren, S; Yu, J; Cai, H; Franconetti, A; Oyenarte, I; Magnasco, M; Gimeno, A; Ramos, N; Chai, WA; Corzana, F; Westerlind, U; Jiménez-Barbero, ...

JACS AU

2024-12-16

Exploring Glycan-Lectin Interactions in Natural-Like Environments: A View Using NMR Experiments Inside Cell and on Cell Surface

Bertuzzi, S; Lete, MG; Franconetti, A; Diercks, T; Delgado, S; Oyenarte, I; Moure, MJ; Nuñez-Franco, R; Valverde, P; Lenza, MP; Sobczak, K; Jiménez-Osés, G; Paulson, JC; Ardá, A; Ereño-Orbea, ...

CHEMISTRY-A EUROPEAN JOURNAL

2024-12-11

NMR investigations of glycan conformation, dynamics, and interactions

Angulo, J; Ardá, A; Bertuzzi, S; Canales, A; Ereño-Orbea, J; Gimeno, A; Gomez-Redondo, M; Muñoz-García, JC; Oquist, P; Monaco, S; Poveda, A; Unione, L; Jiménez-Barbero, J;

PROGRESS IN NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPY

2024-10-18

Insights into the recognition of hypermucoviscous Klebsiella pneumoniae clinical isolates by innate immune lectins of the Siglec and galectin families

Campanero-Rhodes, MA; Martí, S; Hernández-Ortiz, N; Cubero, M; Ereño-Orbea, J; Ardá, A; Jiménez-Barbero, J; Ardanuy, C; Solís, D;

FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY

2024-08-01

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

SUMOylation controls Hu antigen R posttranscriptional activity in liver cancer

Lachiondo-Ortega, S; Rejano-Gordillo, CM; Simon, J; Lopitz-Otsoa, F; Delgado, TC; Mazan-Mamczarz, K; Goikoetxea-Usandizaga, N; Zapata-Pavas, LE; García-del Río, A; Guerra, P; Peña-Sanfélix, ...

CELL REPORTS

2024-03-26

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

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

Long-COVID cognitive impairments and reproductive hormone deficits in men may stem from GnRH neuronal death

Sauve, F; Nampoothiri, S; Clarke, SA; Fernandois, D; Coêlho, CFF; Dewisme, J; Mills, EG; Ternier, G; Cotellessa, L; Iglesias-Garcia, C; Mueller-Fielitz, H; Lebouvier, T; Perbet, R; Florent, ...

EBIOMEDICINE

2023-10-01

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

Structures of the Inhibitory Receptor Siglec-8 in Complex with a High-Affinity Sialoside Analogue and a Therapeutic Antibody

Lenza, MP; Atxabal, U; Nycholat, C; Oyenarte, I; Franconetti, A; Quintana, JI; Delgado, S; Núñez-Franco, R; Marroquin, CTG; Coelho, H; Unione, L; Jiménez-Oses, G; Marcelo, F; Schubert, M; Paulson, ...

JACS AU

2023-01-23

The spike of SARS-CoV-2 promotes metabolic rewiring in hepatocytes

Mercado-Gómez, M; Prieto-Fernández, E; Goikoetxea-Usandizaga, N; Vila-Vecilla, L; Azkargorta, M; Bravo, M; Serrano-Maciá, M; Egia-Mendikute, L; Rodríguez-Agudo, R; Lachiondo-Ortega, S; Lee, ...

COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY

2022-08-17

Assessing the Mobility of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 Spike Protein Glycans by Structural and Computational Methods

Stagnoli, S; Peccati, F; Connell, SR; Martinez-Castillo, A; Charro, D; Millet, O; Bruzzone, C; Palazon, A; Arda, A; Jimenez-Barbero, J; Ereno-Orbea, J; Abrescia, NGA; Jimenez-Oses, G;

FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY

2022-04-15

The SARS-CoV-2 Spike Glycoprotein Directly Binds Exogeneous Sialic Acids: A NMR View

Unione, L; Moure, MJ; Lenza, MP; Oyenarte, I; Ereño-Orbea, J; Ardá, A; Jiménez-Barbero, J;

ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION

2022-03-07

Molecular Recognition Insights of Sialic Acid Glycans by Distinct Receptors Unveiled by NMR and Molecular Modeling

Soares, CO; Grosso, AS; Ereno-Orbea, J; Coelho, H; Marcelo, F;

FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR BIOSCIENCES

2021-11-15

Systematic Engineering of Optimized Autonomous Heavy-Chain Variable Domains

Nilvebrant, J; Ereño-Orbea, J; Gorelik, M; Julian, MC; Tessier, PM; Julien, JP; Sidhu, SS;

JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

2021-09-22

Structural details of monoclonal antibody m971 recognition of the membrane-proximal domain of CD22

Ereño-Orbea, J; Liu, XL; Sicard, T; Kucharska, I; Li, W; Borovsky, D; Cui, H; Feng, Y; Dimitrov, DS; Julien, JP;

JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY

2021-08-01

Hypoxia reduces cell attachment of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein by modulating the expression of ACE2, neuropilin-1, syndecan-1 and cellular heparan sulfate

Prieto-Fernández, E; Egia-Mendikute, L; Vila-Vecilla, L; Bosch, A; Barreira-Manrique, A; Lee, SY; García-del Río, A; Antoñana-Vildosola, A; Jiménez-Lasheras, B; Moreno-Cugnon, L; Jiménez-Barbero, ...

EMERGING MICROBES & INFECTIONS

2021-01-01

Current Status on Therapeutic Molecules Targeting Siglec Receptors

Lenza, MP; Atxabal, U; Oyenarte, I; Jiménez-Barbero, J; Ereño-Orbea, J;

CELLS

2020-12-01

Structural Characterization of N-Linked Glycans in the Receptor Binding Domain of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein and their Interactions with Human Lectins

Lenza, MP; Oyenarte, I; Diercks, T; Quintana, JI; Gimeno, A; Coelho, H; Diniz, A; Peccati, F; Delgado, S; Bosch, A; Valle, M; Millet, O; Abrescia, NGA; Palazn, A; Marcelo, F; Jiménez-Osés, G; ...

ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION

2020-10-22