Francisco Javier Rodriguez MejiasFrancisco Javier RODRIGUEZ MEJIAS, Dr.
Postdoc Researcher  

Contact:
Institute of Pharmacy/Pharmacognosy
University of Innsbruck
Center for Chemistry and Biomedicine
Innrain 80 - 82/IV
Room: L.04.052
6020 Innsbruck / Austria


Email: javi.rodriguezmejias@uca.es

 
Research
Publications
Teaching
Biography
Biography 

I have gotten my Bachelor in Chemistry in July 2016 from the University of Cadiz and the Chemical Sciences and Technology Master in September 2017 from the UNED University (Madrid, Spain). I have obtained the Extraordinary Prize for the best academic record during my Master. I joined the Institute of Biomolecules of the University of Cádiz as an R&D Support Technician within the Youth Guarantee Program of the Andalusian Region until June 2018. Subsequently, I joined the group of Allelopathy in Higher Plants and Microorganisms, from the Department of Organic Chemistry at the University of Cadiz, where I began my PhD with a Research Staff Training Grant (FPI-UCA).

The main topic of my PhD was the design of new fully organic encapsulation agents and their application in the pharmacological and agrochemical fields. I finished it in July 2021, with an outstanding cum laude mark, and with the distinction of European doctor after I developed a research stay at the Jacobs University of Bremen (Germany) for 3.5 months. Currently, I have published 18 articles concerning new formulation techniques for natural products, all of them collected in JCR Q1 and Q2, as well as 2 patents related to new encapsulation systems, and 1 book chapter. One of these articles has been awarded as the most read between 2018-2019 by the Wiley editorial board. In addition, I have attended three research conferences providing oral and poster presentations, as well as providing results to more than 18 conferences. Recently, I have been awarded the Prize for the Best Doctoral Thesis Dissertation 2020-2021 by the Royal Spanish Society of Chemistry in the Andalusian Region, and also the same prize by the University of Cadiz in the topic Biomolecules. In addition, I have been awarded with the second place in the international award “Dr. Mariola Macias Award” from the “Phytochemical Society of Europe” for the best contribution in the science of natural products in the year 2021-2022.

I am a Member of the Quality Assurance Commission of the Biomolecules Doctoral Program at the University of Cadiz, and I have added experience in management after joining the Electronic Journals Commission of the same University for 2 years. I have worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the Allelopathy group at the University of Cádiz for 6 months and I am currently a Margarita-Salas NextGenerationEU postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Pharmacognosy at the University of Innsbruck (Austria). Attending to R&D projects, I’m involved in two national projects as part of the research team (200.000,00€ and 133.100,00€), and I’m the PI of project managed by Spanish Nuclear Safety Council (100.000,00€).

Scientific Experience

  • Member of Spanish National Project: “Parasitic plant biostimulators. New approaches to their control in interested crops”. (01/01/2018 – 30/09/2021). AGL2017-88083-R
  • Member of Spanish National Project: “Synthesis and nano-encapsulation of phytotoxin hybrids with agricultural application”. (01/09/2021 – 31/08/2024). PID2020-115747RB-I00
  • R&D Support Technician in the Institute of Biomolecules from University of Cadiz. (01/06/2017 – 01/06/2018)
  • Predoctoral Research Stay at Jacobs University of Bremen (Germany). (11/11/2020 – 03/03/2021)
  • Postdoctoral Researcher from Organic Chemistry Department at University of Cádiz (27/07/2021 – 31/12/2021)
  • Margarita-Salas NextGenerationEU Postdoctoral Researcher from Pharmacognosy Department at University of Innsbruck (Austria). (01/01/2022 – 01/01/2025)

R&D Management and Scientific Committees

  • Member of Electronic Journals Commission in the University of Cadiz. (22/01/2020 – 10/09/2021)
  • Secretary of Quality Assurance Commission of the Biomolecules Doctoral Program in the University of Cadiz (24/03/2020 – 27/07/2021)
  • Postdoctoral Researcher Member of the Quality Assurance Commission of the Doctoral Program in Biomolecules of the University of Cádiz (Since 27/07/2021)
  • Reviewer of 10 research articles (more info. ORCID)
  • Guest Editor of Molecules in the Special Issue: Organic Nanomaterials: Synthesis and Applications
  • Member of the Research Team in the National Project: Bioestimulators of parasitic plants. New alternatives for their control in crops of interest. (133.100,00€)
  • Member of the Research Team in the National Project: Preparation and nanoencapsulation of natural phytotoxin hybrids of potential application in agriculture. (200.000,00€)
  • Principal Investigator of the National managed by Spanish Nuclear Safety Council: Analysis, impact and application of radiocarbon content in human consumption samples near Spanish nuclear power plants. (100.000,00€).

Project Managing

  • Manage of three Bachelor Projects in University of Cadiz:
    • “Synthesis of new phthalimido-strigolactone for parasitic plant germination” (26/09/2019) – Bachelor in Chemistry of University of Cadiz.
    • “Synthesis of dehydrozaluzanin C and revision of main applications” (27/07/2020) – Bachelor in Chemistry of University of Cadiz.
    • “Encapsulation of aminophenoxazin mimics to enhance their properties and employment as natural agrochemical” (16/12/2021) – Bachelor in Chemistry and Environmental Sciences of University of Cadiz.

Awards and Distinctions

  • Extraordinary Prize for the best academic record during Master studies at UNED (Madrid, Spain) (2018).
  • “Most read article in 2018-2019 in Pest Management Science journal” (Q1 – 9/91 Agronomy in JCR – 4.845 Impact Factor) awarded by Miley Editorial.
  • Best Doctoral Thesis Dissertation 2020-2021 by the Royal Spanish Society of Chemistry in the Andalusian Region.
  • Best Doctoral Thesis Dissertation 2020-2021 in the topic of Biomolecules
  • Second place in the international award “Dr. Mariola Macias Award” from the “Phytochemical Society of Europe” for the best contribution in the science of natural products in the year 2021-2022.

Publications

  1. J.R. Mejías et al. A novel electron microscopic characterization of core/shell nanobiostimulator against parasitic plants. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2017, 10, 2354-2359 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.7b16873
  2. J.R. Mejías et al. Provitamin supramolecular polymer micelle with pH responsiveness to control release, bioavailability enhancement and potentiation of cytotoxic efficacy. Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces, 2019, 173, 85-93 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfb.2018.09.057
  3. A. Macias et al. Recent advances in allelopathy for weed control: from knowledge to applications. Pest Management Sciences, 2019, 75, 2413-2436 - https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.5355
  4. M. Cárdenas et al. Sesquiterpenes in Cereal and Spices. Book chapter in Handbook of Dietary Phytochemicals, 2019, 1-63 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-1745-3_16-1
  5. J.R. Mejías et al. In situ eco encapsulation of bioactive agrochemicals within fully organic nanotubes. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2019, 11, 41925-41934 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.9b14714
  6. M. Cárdenas et al. Synthesis of vlasouliolides: a pathway toward guiane-eudesmane C17/C15 dimers by photochemical and Michael additions. Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2020, 85, 7322-7332 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.joc.0c00705
  7. G. Zorrilla et al. Synthesis of active strigolactone analogues based on eudesmane- and guaiane-type sesquiterpene lactones. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2020, 68, 9636-9645 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.0c02361
  8. T. Gutiérrez et al. Bio-guided isolation of acetogenins from annona cherimola deciduous leaves: Production of nanocarriers to boost the bioavailability properties. Molecules, 2020, 25, 4861-4879 - https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25204861
  9. J.R. Mejías et al. One-step encapsulation of ortho-disulfides in functionalized zinc MOF. Enabling metal−organic frameworks in agricultura. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2021, 13, 7997-8005 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.0c21488
  10. J.R. Mejías et al. Acyl derivatives of eudesmanolides to boost their bioactivity: an explanation of behavior in the cell membrane using a molecular dynamics approach. ChemMedChem, 2021, 16, 1297-1307 - https://doi.org/10.1002/cmdc.202000783
  11. G. Durán et al. An overview of the chemical characteristics, bioactivity and achievements regarding the therapeutic usage of acetogenins from annona cherimola mill. Molecules, 2021, 26, 2926-2945 - https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26102926
  12. J.R. Mejias et al. Encapsulation of cynara cardunculus guaiane-type lactones in fully organic nanotubes enhances their phytotoxic properties. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2022, 70, 3644-3653 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.1c07806
  13. J.R Mejias et al. In Silico Evaluation of Sesquiterpenes and Benzoxazinoids Phytotoxins against Mpro, RNA Replicase and Spike Protein of SARS-CoV-2 by Molecular Dynamics. Inspired by Nature. Toxins, 2022, 14, 599-617 - https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins14090599
  14. J.R Mejias et al. Stability and pKa Modulation of Aminophenoxazinones and Their Disulfide Mimics by Host–Guest Interaction with Cucurbit[7]uril. Direct Applications in Agrochemical Wheat Models. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2023, 71, 480-487 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.2c06373
  15. Scavo et al. Wheat Response and Weed-Suppressive Ability in the Field Application of a Nanoencapsulated Disulfide (DiS-NH2) Bioherbicide Mimic. Agronomy, 2023, 13, 1132 - https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13041132
  16. J.R Mejias et al. On the formulation of disulfide herbicides based on aminophenoxazinones: polymeric nanoparticle formulation and cyclodextrin complexation to combat crop yield losses. Pest Management Science, 2023, 79, 1547-1556 - https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.7327
  17. J.R Mejías et al. Synthesis of Benzoxazinones Sulphur Analogs and Their Application as Bioherbicides: 1.4-Benzothiazinones and 1.4-Benzoxathianones for Weed Control. Agronomy, 2023, 13, 1694 - https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13071694
  18. Peralta et al. Host–guest complexation of phthalimide-derived strigolactone mimics with cyclodextrins. Application in agriculture against parasitic weeds. Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry, 2023, 21, 3214-3225 - https://doi.org/10.1039/D3OB00229B
  19. J.R Mejías et al. Perspectives and Advances in Organic Formulations for Agriculture: Encapsulation of Herbicides for Weed Control. Agronomy, 2023, 13, 1898 - https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13071898
  20. J.R. Mejías et al. Allelopathic studies with furanocoumarins isolated from Ducrosia anethifolia. In vitro and in silico investigations to protect legumes, rice and grain crops. Phytochemistry, 2023, 215, 113838. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phytochem.2023.113838

Conferences

  1. A. Macias et al. Encapsulation as a strategy for application of strigolactone mimics. COST ACTION FA1206 Strigolactones Enhance Agricultural Methodologies, Slovakia, July 2016 (Plenary Talk)
  2. A. Macias et al. Natural products as source for new strigolactones mimics. 2º International Congress on Strigolactones, Italy, March 2017 (Plenary Talk)
  3. Cala et al. Phthalimide-derived strigolactone mimics complexation with cyclodextrins. 8th World Congress of Allelopathy, France, July 2017 (Poster)
  4. A. Macias et al. Parasitic plant paradigm: kill or die. International PSE Symposium. New and Old Phytochemicals: Their Role in Ecology, Veterinary, and Welfare, Italy, September 2017 (Plenary Talk)
  5. J.R. Mejias et al. A comparative encapsulation study of natural and bioactive products to increase
    the biological activity. The ß-Carotene/2,2’-Disulfanediyldianiline case. I Euroindoamerican Natural Products Meeting, Spain, May 2018 (Talk)
  6. A Macias et al. Nanoencapsulation of natural products as a tool for enhancement of activities and applications. Phytochemical Society of Europe’s Young Scientists’ Meeting on Advances in
    Phytochemical Analysis, United Kingdom, July 2018 (Plenary Talk)
  7. A. Macias et al. Why drink tea from cherimoya leaves. 3rd International Symposium on Phytochemicals in Medicine and Food, China, August 2018 (Talk)
  8. A. Macias et al. Do You Know Everything About Cherimoya Uses?. 3rd International PSE Symposium on Natural Products in Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Italy, Spetember 2018 (Talk)
  9. A. Macias et al. La estrategia del engaño (Honeypot Strategy) en el control de plantas parásitas. I Simposio Nacional de Química Básica y Aplicada, Colombia, October 2018 (Talk)
  10. A. Macias et al. Bioactive natural products from Annona cherimola Mill. with potencial uses in
    phytopharmacy. Second Austrian Summit on Natural Products, Austria, January 2019 (Talk)
  11. A. Macias et al. Nanoencapsulation of potential natural product drugs. 4th International Conference on Natural products utilization, Bulgaria, May 2019 (Talk)
  12. A. Macias et al. Full-Organic Nanocarriers hosting Analogous and Mimics of strigolactones for
    Honeypot Strategy. Kill or Die. 67th International Congress and Annual Meeting of the Society for Medicinal Plant and Natural Product Research, Austria, September 2019 (Talk)
  13. Trasobares et al. Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy as a tool to optimise and
    characterise encapsulated agrochemicals in fully-organic reservoirs. Joint Meeting of SME and SPMicros, Spain, September 2019 (Talk)
  14. J.R. Mejias et al. Supramolecular Polymer Micelle to Enhance Cytotoxicity. 6th European Conference on Cyclodextrins, Spain, October 2019 (Poster)
  15. A. Macias et al. Full-Organic Nanocarriers hosting Analogous and Mimics of strigolactones for
    Honeypot Strategy. Kill or Die. T20 PSE Conference Liverpool 2020, United Kingdom, March 2020 (Talk)
  16. A. Macias et al. Application of organic nanoencapsulation in biological studies tools to enhance bio-properties. XXIII Simposio Nacional de Química Orgánica, Argentina, November 2021 (Talk)
  17. A. Macías et al. In silico Evaluation of Sesquiterpenes and Benzoxazinoids against Mpro, RNA Replicase and Spike Protein of SARS-CoV-2. Inspired by Nature.3rd Annual CNPD Conference 2022, United Kingdom, March 2022 (Talk).
  18. J.R. Mejías et al. Encapsulation of Cynara cardunculus sesquiterpenes in organic nanotubes enhances their phytotoxic properties. Symposium of the Herbal Medicinal Products Platform Austria (HMPPA), Austria, May 2022 (Talk)
  19. J.R. Mejías et al. Host-guest complexation of photolarvicide. Natural product phototoxicity against malaria vectors. Phytochemical Society of Europe Meeting 2023: “Natural compounds as regulators of molecular mechanisms in health and disease”, South Korea, May 2023 (Talk)
  20. J.R. Mejías et al. Host-guest complexation of photolarvicide. “Natural product sulfur analogs and their application as bioherbicides. Synthesis and formulation for weed control.” Trends in Natural Products Research: A PSE Young Scientists’ Meeting”, France, June 2023 (Talk)
Nach oben scrollen