I am a third-year PhD student in Dr. Benjamí Oller-Salvia’s group at the Institut Químic de Sarrià (Barcelona, Spain). My doctoral research is centered on developing a novel family of bicyclic, protease-resistant peptide shuttles designed to enhance the transport of antibody derivatives across the blood-brain barrier.
Through the generous support of the EPS Mobility Fellowship, I spent from September to December 2024 at the Center for Physiology and Pharmacology at the Medical University of Vienna (Austria), in the laboratory of Prof. Christian Gruber, under the supervision of Dr. Roland Hellinger. Their research focuses on utilizing nature-derived peptides and endogenous neuropeptides for biomedical applications, employing an interdisciplinary approach that integrates chemistry, biology, and pharmacology to investigate peptide-receptor signalling in cells and living organisms.
During my three-month stay, I contributed to the group’s ongoing work on nature-derived peptides by focusing on engineering synthetic peptides probes that can cross the blood-brain barrier. To understand the impact of specific amino acids within a pharmacophore sequence on peptide activity, I applied an Ala-scan strategy. To obtain all the variants I developed a synthesis methodology, which included optimizing a N-to-C cyclization procedure. All variants were successfully synthesized, purified, and characterized. Subsequently, the analogs were tested in a cell-based model of the blood-brain barrier, and their plasma stability was also evaluated using human plasma. The results obtained during this secondment provided a clear direction for subsequent experiments.
Beyond the laboratory work, my time in Vienna offered additional professional development opportunities. I attended insightful seminars and participated in the 13th Austrian Peptide Symposium, where I was able to present my research and engage with the broader peptide science community. I also benefited greatly from exploring Austria’s scientific and cultural environment.
I am profoundly grateful to the European Peptide Society for the financial support that made this secondment possible, as well as to my host lab at the Medical University of Vienna, particularly Dr. Roland Hellinger and Prof. Christian Gruber, for their invaluable guidance and collaboration. I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to all the members of the Gruber laboratory, whose expertise and hospitality made this experience both productive and memorable.
Maria C. Lucana, MSc. Benjamí Oller-Salvia, PhD. Roland Hellinger, PhD