Empar Vengut Climent

Empar Vengut Climent holds a BSc in Pharmacy (2009) and a MSc in Experimental and Industrial Organic Chemistry (2011) both from the University of Valencia, a PhD in Chemistry with an International Mention (2015) from the University of Seville and a MSc in Journalism and Communication of Science, Technology, Environment and Health (2018) from the University Carlos III of Madrid. She began her research career in the field of Organic Chemistry at the Institute for Chemical Research (CSIC-US) in the summer of 2008. Since then, she has worked in different research groups at a European level. Moreover, she was a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Chemistry of McGill University (Montreal) for 2 years (2016-2018). Currently, she is part of the Scienceflows group, where she works on the Erasmus+ Project Persist-EU and the H2020 project, CONCISE, as well as working as the ScienceFlows Communication Officer.

Research lines

Biological Chemistry

DNA Nanotechnology

Science Communication

Literature

Papers

• Lacroix, A., Vengut-Climent, E., de Rochambeau, D. and Sleiman, H. (2019) Uptake and Fate of Fluorescently Labeled DNA Nanostructures in Cellular Environments: A Cautionary Tale. ACS Cent. Sci. doi: 10.1021/acscentsci.9b00174
• Vengut Climent, E. (2018) Newspaper portrayal of mental illness in England, Canada, Portugal, Spain and Japan.  Revista española de comunicación en salud. 9(2), 78-89.
• Vengut-Climent, E., Peñalver, P., Lucas, R., Gómez-Pinto, I., Aviñó, A., Muro-Pastor, A.M., Galbis, E., Violante de Paz,M., Fonseca Guerra, C., Bickelhaupt, M., Eritja,R., González, C. and Morales, J.C. (2018) Glucose-nucleobase pairs within DNA: impact of hydrophobicity, alternative linking unit and DNA polymerase nucleotide insertion studies. Chem. Sci., 9, 3544-3554.
• Rahbani, J.F., Vengut-Climent, E., Chidchob, P., Gidi, Y., Trinh, T., Cosa, G. and Sleiman, H.F. (2018) DNA Nanotubes with Hydrophobic Environments: Toward New Platforms for Guest Encapsulation and Cellular Delivery. Adv. Healthc. Mater., 7, 1701049.
• Recio, R., Vengut-Climent, E., Mouillac, B., Orcel, H., López-Lázaro, M., Calderón-Montaño, J.M., Álvarez, E., Khiar, N. and Fernández, I. (2017) Design, synthesis and biological studies of a library of NK1-Receptor Ligands Based on a 5-arylthiosubstituted 2-amino-4,6-diaryl-3-cyano-4H-pyran core: Switch from antagonist to agonist effect by chemical modification. Eur. J. Med. Chem. 138, 644-660.
• Ries, A., Kumar, R., Lou, C., Kosbar, T., Vengut-Climent, E., Jørgensen, P.T., Morales, J.C. and Wengel, J. (2016) Synthesis and Biophysical Investigations of Oligonucleotides Containing Galactose-Modified DNA, LNA, and 2′-Amino-LNA Monomers. J. Org. Chem., 81, 10845–10856
• Vengut-Climent, E., Lucas, R., Peñalver, P., Gómez-Pinto, I., Aviñó, A., Fonseca-Guerra, C., Bickelhaupt, M., Eritja, R., González, C., and Morales, J.C. (2016) Glucose–Nucleobase Pseudo Base Pairs: Biomolecular Interactions within DNA. Angewandte Chemie Int. Ed., 55, 8643-8647.
• Lucas, R., Peñalver, P., Gómez-Pinto, I., Vengut-Climent, E., Mtashobya, L., Cousin, J., Maldonado, O.S., Perez, V., Reynes, V., Aviño, A., Eritja, R., González, C., Linclau, B. and Morales, J.C. (2014) Effects of sugar functional groups, hydrophobicity and fluorination on carbohydrate-DNA stacking interactions in water. J. Org. Chem., 79, 2419-2429
• Vengut-Climent, E., Terrazas, M., Lucas, R., Arévalo-Ruiz, M., Eritja, R. and Morales, J.C. (2013) Synthesis, RNAi activity and nuclease-resistant properties of apolar carbohydrates siRNA conjugates. Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett., 23, 4048-4051.

• Gómez-Pinto,I., Vengut-Climent,E., Lucas,R., Aviñó, A., González,C., Eritja,R., and Morales, J.C. Carbohydrates stack on a G-quadruplex platform: thrombin binding aptamers containing sugars at the 5’-end. Chem. Eur. J., 19, 1920-1927
• Lucas, R., Gómez-Pinto, I., Vengut-Climent, E., Aviñó, A., González,C., Eritja, R. and Morales, J.C. (2012) Apolar carbohydrates as DNA capping agents. Chem. Comm., 48, 2991-2993.

Book Chapters

• Recio, R., Vengut-Climent, E., Borrego, L.G., Khiar, N.,and Fernández, I. (2017) Biologically Active Isothiocyanates: Protecting Plants and Healing Humans. In Atta-Ur-Rahman (Ed.), Studies in Natural Products Chemistry (pp. 167-). Amsterdam : Elsevier, Science Publishers.

Communications

• Mendoza-Poudereux, I., Vengut-Climent, E., Mañoguil, B., Delicado, A., Pellegrini, G., Hrnčiarik, E., Llorente, C., Ciapala, K., Gaston, E.,  Warwas, I. and Moreno, C. (2019). “How does the public build their opinions and beliefs related to scientific issues?”. Communication featured at SEB’s Annual Meeting in Seville. July 2-5. Sevilla, Spain.
• Vengut-Climent, E., Moreno-Castro, C., Mendoza-Poudereux, I., Mañoguil, B.,  Delicado, A., Pellegrini, G., Leßmöllmann, A., Hrnčiarik, E. and Ciapala, K. (2019) “Disseny i implementació d’una eina TIC per a mesurar l’impacte de la formació en la percepci de la ciència de l’alumnat universitari”. Communication featured at Jornada Comunicació i Salut: experiències innovadores. May 3. Tarragona, Spain.
• Vengut-Climent, E. (2015) “Questioning the relevance of planarity and aromaticity in nucleobases”. X Reunión Bianual de ácidos nucleicos y nucleósidos. June 29-30. Barcelona, Spain
• Vengut-Climent, E., Lucas, R., Peñalver, P., Gómez-Pinto, I., Arévalo-Ruiz, M., Aviñó, A., Eritja, R., Gónzalez, C., and Morales, J.C. (2014) “Glucose derivatives as a DNA base mimics: duplex stability and replication by DNA polymerases”. COST Action CM1005 5th training school. Supramolecular Chemistry in water. Novembre 11-14. Padova, Italy
• Vengut-Climent, E, Lucas, L, Peñalver, P., Arévalo-Ruiz, M., Aviñó, A., Eritja, R., Gónzalez, C., and Morales, J.C. (2014) “6-deoxyglucose as a DNA base mimic: duplex stability, structure and replication by DNA polymerases”. 15^th Tetrahedron Symposium, Challenges in Bioorganic and Organic Medicinal Chemistry. June 24-27. London, United Kingdom.
• Vengut-Climent, E., Terrazas M., Lucas, R., Arévalo-Ruiz, M., Eritja, R., and Morales, J.C. (2014) “Synthesis, RNAi activity and nuclease-resistant properties of apolar carbohydrates siRNA conjugates”. VI Reunión de Jóvenes Farmacólogos de Andalucía. June 12. Sevilla, Spain
• Lucas, R., Vengut-Climent, E., Peñalver, P., Gómez-Pinto, I., Arévalo-Ruiz, M., Aviñó, A., Eritja, R., González, C., and Morales, J.C. (2014) “6-deoxyglucose as a DNA base mimic: duplex stability and replication by DNA polymerases”. 2nd Meeting of the RSEQ Chemical Biology Group. February 4-5. Bilbao, Spain.
• Vengut-Climent, E., Lucas, R., Peñalver, P., Gómez-Pinto, I., Mtashobya, L., Cousin, J., Maldonado, O.S., Perez, V., Reynes, V., Aviño, A., Eritja, R., González, C., Linclau, B. and Morales, J.C. (2014) “Effects of sugar functional groups, hydrophobicity and fluorination on carbohydrate-DNA stacking interactions in water”. 2nd Meeting of the RSEQ Chemical Biology Group. February 4-5. Bilbao, Spain.
• Vengut-Climent, E., Gómez-Pinto, I., Lucas R. Aviñó, A., Eritja, R., Gónzalez, C., and Morales, J.C. (2013) “Carbohydrate-DNA interactions at G-quadruplexes: folding and stability changes by attaching sugars at the 5’-ends”. Annual Meeting of the Danish Chemical Society. June, 6. Odense, Denmark.
• Vengut-Climent, E., Gómez-Pinto, I., Lucas R. Aviñó, A., Eritja, R., Gónzalez, C., and Morales, J.C. (2013) “Carbohydrate-DNA interactions at G-quadruplexes: folding and stability changes by attaching sugars at the 5’-ends”. Symposium on Biomolecular Synthesis and Nanotechnology. June, 3-4. Odense, Denmark.
• Vengut-Climent, E., Gómez-Pinto, I., Lucas R. Aviñó, A., Eritja, R., Gónzalez, C., and Morales, J.C. (2012) “Carbohydrate stacking on guanine tetrads: thrombin binding aptamers containing sugars at the 5’-end”. Final Conference of COST Action MP8082. October 6-8. Sitges, Spain.
• Lucas R., Vengut-Climent, E., Gómez-Pinto, I., Aviñó, A., Gónzalez, C., Eritja, R., and Morales, J.C. (2012) “Carbohydrate-DNA conjugates: sugar stacking on a G-quadruplex context”. Bienal del Grupo de Química Biológica de la RSEQ. March 8-9. Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
• Vengut-Climent, E., Gómez-Pinto, I., Lucas R. Aviñó, A., Eritja, R., Gónzalez, C., and Morales, J.C. (2011) “Carbohydrate-DNA quadruplex conjugates: models to study molecular interactions and conformations in solutions”. XXIII Reunión Bianual de la Real Sociedad Española de Química. July 25-28. Valencia, Spain.
• Vengut-Climent, E., Lucas, R., Gómez-Pinto, I., Aviñó, A., Eritja, R., González, C., and Morales, J.C. (2011) “Exploration of biologically relevant binding-motifs using carbogydrate DNA conjugates”. VIII Reunión Bianual de ácidos nucleicos y nucleósidos. July 8-10. Sevilla, Spain
• Vengut-Climent, E., Gómez-Pinto, I., Lucas R. Aviñó, A. Reina, J.J., Eritja, R., Gónzalez, C., and Morales, J.C. (2011) “Interacción de carbohidratos con cúadruplex de guaninas”. XI Congreso de la Sociedad de España de Biofísica. July 1-6. Murcia, Spain
• Abarca, B., Adam, R., Ballesteros, C., Gamón, S., López, S., and Vengut, E. (2009) “Síntesis de nuevos sistemas triazolpiridínicos con propiedades fluorescentes para la preparación de sensores de cationes y aniones”. III Workshop on Sensors and Molecular Recognition. July 2-3. Valencia, Spain. 

Participation in R&D projects funded in Public Calls

• Moreno-Castro, C, (2018-2020). Communication role on perception and beliefs of EU citizens about science (CONCISE, Horizon H2020, Grant Agreement 824537). Funded by the Europan Comission.
• Moreno Castro, C. UE_SRIC_knowledge, belifs, perceptions about science of european students (Erasmus+ CPI-18-306). Funded by the European Comission.
• Morales Sánchez, J.C. (2010-2012) Conjugados oligonucleótido-carbohidrato: reconocimiento molecular y potencial aplicación en terapia génica (CTQ2009-13705/BQU). Funded by Ministerio de Ciencia e innovación.
• Morales Sánchez, J.C. (2013-2014) Bases alternativas del ADN con estructura de monosacárido (CTQ2011-15203-E). Funded by Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad.
• Morales Sánchez, J.C. (2013-2016). Nuevos derivados de resveratrol y magniferina: prevención y tratamiento de enfermedades neurodegenerativas (P11-FQM-7316). Junta de Andalucía.
• Morales Sánchez, J.C. (2013-2015). Interacciones carbohidrato-ADN: de bioconjugados a diseño de fármacos (CTQ2012-35360-subprograma BQU). Funded by Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad.

Thesis

• Vengut-Climent, E. (2015). CARBOHYDRATE-OLIGONUCLEOTIDE CONJUGATES: MOLECULAR RECOGNITION STUDIES AND EXPLORATION OF NEW BASE PAIRS. PhD thesis. University of Seville