Dr. Cristina García is an Associate Professor of Physical Chemistry at the Universidad de Alcalá (Spain). She is part of the Functional Molecular Systems (FuMSys, fumsys.web.uah.es/) research group, where she works together with Prof. Marco Marazzi and their Ph.D. students on the design and characterization of innovative photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy in cancer treatment. Her research combines computational and experimental approaches to develop compounds with enhanced selectivity, low dark toxicity, dual-targeting capabilities, and theranostic potential. A major focus of her work is the development of photosensitizers that can be selectively activated through interactions with non-canonical DNA and RNA structures, such as G-quadruplexes and i-motifs, with the aim of improving therapeutic efficacy while minimizing side effects. Through the integration of molecular modeling, photochemistry, and experimental validation, her research contributes to the development of next-generation photoactive compounds for biomedical applications and advances the fundamental understanding of non-canonical nucleic acid structures and their interactions with functional ligands.

Ariadna Vila received her BSc in Chemistry in 2021 and her MSc in Organic Chemistry in 2022 from the University of Barcelona (UB). She is currently a PhD student in the Chemical Biology and Therapeutic Applications of Nucleic Acids group at the UB, under the supervision of Dr. Montserrat Terrazas. Her research focuses on the development of novel stimuli-responsive oligonucleotide-based tools with therapeutic and biotechnological potential.