Manuel González Cuesta
Group: Bioorganic and Supramolecular Chemistry of Carbohydrates
Position: Postdoctoral Researcher
Contact
Tel. ext: 446204
Laboratory: L 209
Office: D 224
Email:
ORCID: 0000-0003-2778-9489
Biography
Manuel González Cuesta joined the Bioorganic Carbohydrate Chemistry group in 2014 as an intern, gaining experience in the synthesis of cyclic oligosaccharides as biocompatible delivery vehicles for use in gene therapy. After completing his degree in 2016, he undertook a Master’s in Biomedical Research at the Institute of Biomedicine in Seville (IBiS) during the following academic year, working in the field of amphiphilic polycationic cyclodextrins as molecular vectors.
In June 2022, he completed his doctoral thesis under the supervision of Dr Carmen Ortiz Mellet and Dr José Manuel García Fernández. As a result of this period, he has published 11 articles, presented numerous papers at conferences and is a co-inventor on 6 patents. In addition, he undertook a research placement in Prof. David Vocadlo’s laboratory at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada.
In July 2022, he secured a postdoctoral position at the University of Seville. Subsequently, he led a research group in the pharmaceutical industry for three years, participating in international projects focused on the development of several chemical candidates that are currently undergoing clinical trials. Since January 2026, he has been an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biosciences at the Faculty of Health Sciences, Loyola University Andalusia.
Research interests
My research interests focus on the design, synthesis and evaluation of bioactive molecules with potential applications in medicinal chemistry. I am particularly interested in synthetic organic chemistry applied to the design of glycomimetics, imino sugars and supramolecular derivatives capable of selectively interacting with biological targets such as glycosidases, lectins and proteins involved in neurodegenerative, immunological and lysosomal processes.
In particular, one of my main areas of interest has been the development of potent and selective inhibitors of O-GlcNAcase (OGA), an enzyme closely linked to the regulation of post-translational modifications of proteins such as tau, with direct implications for neurodegenerative diseases. This line of research is complemented by my experience in the design of immunomodulatory compounds and multivalent glycomimetic systems with molecular recognition capabilities. My current aim is to move from complex, highly functionalised and synthetically demanding structures towards new generations of simpler, more accessible and rationally designed molecules, thereby enhancing their biological activity.
My previous experience in the industrial pharmaceutical sector, where I was involved in drug discovery projects, hit identification and lead optimisation, reinforces my interest in conducting translational research that is competitive and focused on developing chemical tools, bioactive candidates and results that can be applied to the end patient.
Selected publications
- C.-Y. Lai, M. González-Cuesta, C.-H. Ho, et al. α-GalCer sp2-iminoglycolipid analogs as CD1d-dependent iNKT modulators: Evaluation of their immunotherapeutic potential in murine models of asthma and autoimmune hepatitis. Eur. J. Med. Chem. 2025, 282, 117060. DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2024.117060.
- González-Cuesta, A. C.-Y. Lai, P. Y. Chi, et al. Serine-/Cysteine-Based sp2‑Iminoglycolipids as Novel TLR4 Agonists: Evaluation of Their Adjuvancy and Immunotherapeutic Properties in a Murine Model of Asthma. J. Med. Chem. 2023, 66, 4768-4783. DOI: 1021/acs.jmedchem.2c01948.
- González-Cuesta, P. Sidhu, R. A. Ashmus, et al. Bicyclic Picomolar OGA Inhibitors Enable Chemoproteomic Mapping of Its Endogenous Post-translational Modifications. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 832-844. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c10504.
- González-Cuesta, C. Ortiz Mellet, J. M. García González. Carbohydrate Supramolecular Chemistry: Beyond the Multivalent Effect. ChemComm, 2020, 56, 5207-5222. DOI: 10.1039/d0cc01135e