- The initiative, coordinated by Professor Mabel Loza from CiMUS, will be funded with €2.73 million over nearly three years and is co-financed by European Union FEDER funds.
- The Joint Research Unit includes the participation of three research groups from the Center: the Innopharma Platform, led by Dr. Mabel Loza; the Cell Cycle and Oncology group, coordinated by Dr. Anxo Vidal; and the Molecular Imaging Biomarkers and Theragnosis Laboratory, coordinated by Dr. Pablo Aguiar. It also includes the participation of the Center for Experimental Biomedicine (CEBEGA), as well as the collaboration of the Kærtor Foundation.
- It brings together the scientific knowledge of the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC) and the business expertise of SunRock Biopharma for the preclinical development of biological therapies following an open innovation model.
Santiago de Compostela, April 17, 2026 – The University of Santiago de Compostela (USC) and the biotechnology company SunRock Biopharma have launched a Joint Research Unit with the aim of accelerating the development of new biological therapies in oncology and immune-mediated inflammatory diseases with unmet clinical needs.
The initiative, whose resolution has been published by the Galician Innovation Agency (GAIN), will have a total budget of €2,728,106 over nearly three years and is 60% co-financed by European Union structural funds under the Galicia FEDER 2021–2027 program.
The Joint Research Unit is coordinated by Professor Mabel Loza, Scientific Director of the Center for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases (CiMUS) at USC, and brings together three research groups from the center:
- The Innopharma drug screening and pharmacogenomics platform of ERIC EU-OPENSCREEN, led by Mabel Loza.
- The Cell Cycle and Oncology group, led by Anxo Vidal, focused on the identification and validation of new therapeutic strategies in cancer.
- The Molecular Imaging Biomarkers and Theragnosis Laboratory, led by Pablo Aguiar, which provides expertise in the study of drug biodistribution and pharmacokinetics using advanced molecular imaging and radiolabeling techniques.
These capabilities are complemented by the participation of the Center for Experimental Biomedicine (CEBEGA), a unique USC infrastructure with scientific and technical capabilities in the use of animal models and preclinical research, unmatched in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula.
In addition, this Joint Research Unit includes the collaboration of the Kærtor Foundation, through an agreement between USC and Kærtor to collaborate in research and knowledge transfer in the field of drug discovery. One of its core activities is precisely to promote pre-regulatory preclinical research in Galicia.
The project will focus on advancing new therapeutic approaches based on monoclonal antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), with a particular focus on targets such as CCR9 and HER3, areas in which SunRock has its own development programs.
From academic science to licensable assets
The objective of the Unit is to accelerate the early validation process of drug candidates in order to shorten the time required for new therapeutic options to reach patients.
The Joint Research Unit is structured under an open innovation model aimed at transforming scientific knowledge into assets with industrial development potential. The collaboration will enable the generation and validation of early-stage preclinical data, optimizing candidate selection and reducing uncertainty prior to transfer to large pharmaceutical companies that will complete their development.
This approach aligns with SunRock Biopharma’s strategy, which focuses on advancing its programs through preclinical and early clinical stages to maximize their value through licensing agreements with pharmaceutical companies.
“This Joint Research Unit allows us to integrate top-level academic science into our asset generation process and accelerate the generation of key data to support development and partnering decisions,” says Juan Buela, CEO of SunRock Biopharma. “Our goal is to turn strong biological hypotheses into programs with real licensing potential in the shortest time and with the lowest possible risk.”
The initiative’s coordinator, Dr. Loza, highlights that the creation of this Joint Research Unit responds to the need for collaborative models that shorten the distance between basic research and clinical application. In particular, she emphasizes that “the combination of academic and business capabilities will optimize resources, improve the quality of generated data, and increase the probability of success in early development stages.”
About SunRock Biopharma
SunRock Biopharma is a biotechnology company based in Santiago de Compostela focused on the development of first-in-class therapeutic antibodies, including monoclonal antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates. The company focuses on oncology and immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, with particular interest in targets such as CCR9 and HER3.
The company maintains an active international partnering strategy aimed at generating value through licensing agreements with third parties.
About the University of Santiago de Compostela
Innopharma Platform
The Innopharma drug screening and pharmacogenomics platform at CiMUS is a leading platform in applied research for early-stage drug discovery. With more than 25 years of experience, it has contributed to the development of 17 new chemical entities that reached clinical trials through public-private collaborations, generating more than 300 new assays applicable to the drug discovery process. Innopharma is one of eight high-capacity European platforms accredited within the ERIC EU-OPENSCREEN research infrastructure consortium (https://www.eu-openscreen.eu/), which implies having top-level drug discovery technologies and capabilities in Europe. Professor Mabel Loza is also Spain’s scientific representative in this ERIC.
Cell Cycle and Oncology Group (CyClOn)
The Cell Cycle and Oncology (CyClOn) group at CiMUS has been active in experimental oncology since 2003. Its research has contributed to unraveling the molecular mechanisms of oncogenesis, particularly the role of cell cycle regulators in tumor development, with publications in high-impact journals. Over the past decade, the group has focused on validating new therapeutic strategies in cancer, including nanomedicine, new materials, and biological therapies, maintaining productive collaborations with SunRock Biopharma.
Molecular Imaging Biomarkers and Theragnosis Lab (MIBIOLAB)
The Molecular Imaging Biomarkers and Theragnosis Lab (MIBIOLAB) is an internationally recognized group in the field of PET imaging biomarkers, whose results have had a direct impact on clinical research in neurology, with publications in top-tier journals. In the preclinical field, its activity focuses on the development of PET biomarkers and theragnostic approaches in neurology, oncology, and inflammation. The group leads national and international strategic projects and maintains collaborations with leading national and European institutions, including participation in the ISCIII CIBERNED network. Additionally, its work in PET biomarkers led to the creation in 2014 of the spin-off Qubiotech Health Intelligence, a reference company in clinical PET quantification software.
