Juan José Galano-Frutos.
ES

About

I interpret protein sequences and genomes and design new molecules; my goal: to speed up the development of new therapies and personalised treatments.

I am a chemist (Universidad de Oriente, Cuba, 2004) turned computational biologist (PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Zaragoza, Spain, 2015), working at the frontier between protein biology, classical and AI‑guided molecular design and modelling, and genomics.

Behind every molecule I design and every mutation I analyse there is a question that matters to me: who does this help? That compass —the human inside the technical— guides my work, and it is what I write about in the blog.

I am currently Bioinformatics Specialist and Senior Researcher at Certest Biotec (Zaragoza), where I contribute to the design and development of new molecular therapies, drawing on my experience in computational modelling. I take part in projects such as END‑RAM, a thirteen‑partner national consortium on antimicrobial resistance (CDTI/AEI, coordinated by Certest and the Spanish National Centre for Microbiology, ISCIII). I am also Principal Investigator of a Torres Quevedo project (2026–2029) on the rational design of next‑generation ligands that help target nucleic‑acid‑based therapies.

30peer-reviewed publications
12h-index · 475 citations
2patents granted
45+conferences & workshops

Experience

  • 2025 — present

    Bioinformatics Specialist & Senior Researcher

    Certest Biotec, Zaragoza

    Principal Investigator of a Torres Quevedo project (2026–2029) and computational lead of the END‑RAM consortium on antimicrobial resistance. Variant‑effect prediction and genome‑sequencing analysis, and design of antisense oligonucleotides, antibodies/nanobodies, aptamers and peptides.

  • 2024 — 2025

    Postdoctoral Researcher

    SCITEC “Giulio Natta”, CNR, Rome

    RNA and RNA/protein complex modelling with molecular dynamics and docking; rational and AI‑based drug design; variant annotation and effect prediction.

  • 2016 — 2023

    Postdoctoral & Senior Researcher

    BIFI Institute, University of Zaragoza

    Protein stability and thermodynamics, protein engineering and design via molecular dynamics and free‑energy calculations. Developed PirePred, an evolutionary, structure‑based variant‑effect predictor.

  • 2004 — 2024

    University Teaching

    Universities of Zaragoza, VIU and UCI (Cuba)

    Bioinformatics, biochemistry, rational drug design, medicinal chemistry and statistics across BSc, MSc and PhD programmes — the foundation of my experience explaining the complex to expert and non‑expert audiences.

Education

  • 2012 — 2015

    PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

    University of Zaragoza (BIFI) — Summa Cum Laude, International Mention
  • 2010 — 2012

    MSc in Molecular and Cellular Biology

    University of Zaragoza
  • 1999 — 2004

    BSc in Chemistry

    Universidad de Oriente, Cuba — Summa Cum Laude

Beyond science

Outside the lab I'm an avid collector of knowledge and an incurably curious mind: I rarely settle when there's something I don't yet understand. I'm passionate about sport in general (almost all of it), and I also love food and cooking, travel and history, and —above all— nature and the sea.

I also have a slightly geeky fascination: the rigorously geometric, structured —almost artistic— forms that nature unfolds at the micro and nano scales. They follow, at heart, the same rules by which atoms and molecules arrange and assemble themselves; when I stop to look, the line between science and beauty blurs. I suppose that's how I ended up designing molecules: it's just another way of admiring nature up close.