Cristina Fornaguera, Ph.D
Associated professor, Institut Químic de Sarrià (IQS) – Universitat Ramon Llull
Cristina Fornaguera is an associate professor at the IQS.
Part of the Ramo Llull University, since September 2022. She graduated in Biotechnology, specializing in Biomedicine,
from the Autonomous University of Barcelona. After receiving an FI-DGR2012 scholarship, she
completed her PhD in drug development and control with honors, cum laude, and was awarded the
Extraordinary Thesis Prize from the University of Barcelona in 2015. The main focus of her thesis was
the preparation and characterization of polymeric nanoparticles for crossing the blood-brain barrier.
During this period, due to the multidisciplinary nature of her doctorate, she gained experience in
colloid chemistry, nanomedicine, biotechnology, pharmaceutical technology, formulation, and
advanced administration systems characterization. She conducted in vitro safety and efficacy studies
of nanosystems and in vivo experiments to test the designed compounds. Her interest in nanomedicine
led her to industrial research, specifically at Sagetis Biotech, where she worked as a postdoctoral fellow
from 2015 to 2018. There, she contributed to the design of innovative polymeric nanosystems capable
of overcoming a fundamental engineering challenge: developing safe and effective delivery vectors for
currently unmet medical needs. In parallel, she pursued an academic career as a tutor and lecturer at
IQS, a role she continues today as an associate professor and researcher since 2018. Her research
interests focus on nanomedicine, biomaterials, bioengineering, and drug delivery systems for
immunotherapies and cancer vaccination. Currently, she is advancing her research in these fields,
exemplified by recent funding for the CoviNanoVax project from the ISCIII (where she serves as the
principal investigator) for the development of a preventive vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Additionally, she is the coordinator of the TumouOUT project, part of the TRANSCAN JTC2021 call,
which aims to develop combined immunotherapy for lung cancer. She has presented her research
findings at national and international conferences, authored numerous original research publications
and review articles, co-edited a special issue on personalized nanomedicine, and served as a reviewer
for several peer-reviewed journals. Her research group currently includes over 10 doctoral students, 3
postdoctoral researchers, 2 laboratory technicians, and occasional undergraduate students and visiting
researchers.