Research topic
At present, the group is interested in the development of cannabinoid-based therapies for neurodegenerative disorders, for which it collaborates with different groups of Medicinal Chemistry or with pharmaceutical companies working in the development of cannabinoid-based medicines (e.g GW Pharmaceuticals, UK; Emerald Health Pharmaceuticals, USA; Emerald Health Biotechnology-Spain; Symrise, Germany; ANKAR Pharma, Spain; Roche, Switzerland). The group is contributing in these collaborations with the biological characterization of phytocannabinoids and derivatives, as well as of new cannabinoid compounds, in relation with the identification of their pharmacological targets (mainly their activity at CB1/CB2 receptors but also GPR55 receptors), possible combinations of compounds and pharmacological synergies, biological activity in in vitro models, and therapeutic effects in in vivo models of different neurodegenerative disorders, including Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/frontotemporal dementia, and autosomal-dominant cerebellar ataxias. The group is particularly interested in developing disease-modifying cannabinoid-based therapies for these disorders, but also in the investigation of the role of the signaling system, the so-called endocannabinoid system, which contains the different targets for these therapies, in the pathogenesis of these disorders. These studies have progressed up to the development of clinical trials in some disorders (e.g. Huntington's disease), pending of this clinical validation after an intense and positive preclinical work (e.g. Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), or in the stage of preclinical validation (e.g. frontotemporal dementia, autosomal-dominant cerebellar ataxias)