María Luz López Rodríguez (Professor of Organic Chemistry) has been recognised by the jury of the XIX Burdinola Research Prize as the winner of this award, which in this edition has sought to distinguish the most outstanding work in the field of research into new therapeutic targets and active ingredients.
The recognition of María Luz López is due precisely to the work she carries out in the Medical Chemistry laboratory at the Complutense University of Madrid. Over the last 25 years, her main interests have been focused on the search for new molecular entities aimed at the identification and validation of therapeutic targets related to pathologies of the central nervous system, bacterial infections and cancer. The group is composed of 18 members, including professors, pre- and post-doctoral researchers with different areas of specialisation, led by María Luz López herself. They are researching the development of new serotonin and dopamine receptor ligands as neuroprotective agents with therapeutic applications in the treatment of pain or in certain neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease.
In its decision, the jury also wished to highlight the high level of quality of the candidatures presented in this nineteenth edition of the Burdinola Research Award.
Support for research
An activity in direct contact with the research teams and a special sensitivity to the social environment led Burdinola to come up with the idea of creating an award that would contribute to the recognition, valuation and encouragement of the scientific community. This aim materialised in 1994 with the launch of the first Burdinola Research Award. Since then, the list of winners has been growing with great names in Spanish scientific activity.
Members of the Jury
Throughout these years, another of the hallmarks of the prize has been the high scientific level of the members of the jury. In this nineteenth edition, seven experts have evaluated the different candidatures and finally, taking into account the theme of this edition (research into new therapeutic targets and active ingredients), the winning candidature was chosen. The jury was chaired by Mr Joseba Pineda, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Nursing of the UPV- EHU, with Mr Alfonso Hernández, Director of the Euskoiker University-Business Foundation, as secretary. The committee also had five members: Mr. Ignacio Lizasoain from the UCM, Ms. Mercé Pallás from the UB, Mr. José Pedro Vaqué from the UC, Mr. Javier Meana from the UPV and Mr. Mikel Martínez, General Manager of Burdinola, (the latter with voice but without vote).