About:

Dr. Llop has a multidisciplinary training and track record of experience in different disciplines, including chemistry, radiochemistry, in vivo imaging, and nanotechnology.

His early training focused on the synthesis and characterisation of metallic complexes incorporating polyhedral heteroboranes (boron clusters). Post-doctoral appointments (at Navarra University and at Uppsala University PET Centre) and industrial experience at IAT-PRBB provided the opportunity to conduct clinical and pre-clinical drug-development research, gain experience of different in vivo imaging modalities and actively interact with big pharmaceutical companies.

As an independent group leader at the Molecular Imaging Unit of CIC biomaGUNE (2007-present), Dr. Llop further developed and combined these skills to successfully apply in vivo imaging to biological and medical problems. In collaboration with national and international researchers and industrial partners, Dr. Llop's group has focused on:

(i) developing strategies to radiolabel small molecules, macromolecules (peptides, proteins, polymers) and nanoparticles, characterise their pharmacokinetic properties, and evaluate their suitability as therapeutic and/or diagnostic agents

(ii) investigate biological processes underlying disease (e.g. ischemia, Parkinson disease, Alzheimer disease, multiple sclerosis) using combined imaging modalities