Jesús Martínez de la Fuente

Prof Martínez de la Fuente created his own research group at the Univ of Zaragoza, BIONANOSURF Group, in 2007. The group has worked to become a group of internationally recognized specialists in nanomaterials and biofunctionalization, being also one of the most innovative and interdisciplinary groups in our field. The group consists of 36 members, with extensive training in physics, biochemistry, chemistry, biotechnology and other relevant areas. The multidisciplinary nature of the group facilitates research and development in numerous areas, including biosensors, gene therapy, magnetism, photochemistry, surface chemistry and molecular metal oxides, among others. He has extensive experience in the synthesis and characterization of novel nanomaterials and their biofunctionalization for the use and development of the next generation of nanobiosensors and nanotherapeutics. It is also important to highlight the quality and number of facilities in Zaragoza, which together with the training and experience of the group, has allowed them to test the in vitro and in vivo activity of their nanomaterials. In 2009, he founded the spin-off of the Univ Zaragoza Nanoimmunotech SL, of which he was chief scientific advisor and its vice president until June 2014. This nanobiotechnology company is dedicated to the biological and physicochemical characterization and functionalization of nanoparticles. He has also been a pioneer in the application of nanoparticles in biosensors and gene therapy and he has developed a methodology for the use of gold nanoparticles functionalized with carbohydrates (glyconanoparticles) for the study of biological processes (embryogenesis, cancer, inflammation, etc.). He has been PI of research projects with a total budget of more than 6 M €. In 2013 he was awarded by the Shanghai Administration with the 1000 Talent Plan program to be a visiting professor at the Jiao Tong University of Shanghai. The objective of this program is the recruitment of foreign experts, being key researchers, leading experts in the field of science and technology or innovative teams at an international level capable of achieving critical technological advances and promoting new disciplines. In 2010 he was awarded the Aragón Investiga prize “Young Researchers”. Since 2014, he is a permanent researcher at the Instituto de Materiales de Aragon-CSIC, actually named Instituto de Nanociencia y Materiales de Aragón-INMA where he is Research Professor.