Alicia Arroyo-Nogales

Alicia Arroyo Nogales was born in Madrid in 2001. She graduated in Biotechnology at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) in 2019 and carried out her undergraduate research in the organic nanotechnology (ONT) lab (UPM) developing protocells capable of delivering enzymatic tandems having antitumoral activity. After completing her Master's in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biomedicine at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), working on the development of double functionalized liposomes to act as a bridge between tumoral and immune cells, she is currently a Research Assistant in the ONT lab, being in the first year of her Ph.D., with a thesis aiming at boosting CART therapies with smart nanomedicines for the effective treatment of neuroblastoma.

EDUCATION

Graduate in Biotechnology by Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), MSc in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biomedicine by Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), Predoctoral researcher in Biomedical Engineering (UPM).

RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS

Cancer Research, Biotechnology, Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Scopus Publications

Silicasomes in Oncology: From Conventional Chemotherapy to Combined Immunotherapy
Alicia Arroyo-Nogales, Guillermo Plaza-Palomo, Javier González-Larre, Sandra Jiménez-Falcao, Alejandro Baeza
Molecules, 2025
The use of nanoparticles as drug carriers in oncology has evolved from their traditional role as chemotherapy carriers to their application in immunotherapy, exploiting not only their passive accumulation in solid tumors but also their ability to interact with immune cells. Silicasomes are highly versatile nanoplatforms composed of a mesoporous silica core whose external surface is coated with a lipid bilayer that allows the co-delivery of therapeutic agents having different chemical natures (small molecules, proteins, enzymes, or oligonucleotides, among others). Herein, cutting-edge advances carried out in the development and application of silicasomes are presented, providing a general description of the performance of these nanotransporters. Additionally, the specific load of chemotherapeutic drugs is explored, followed by a discussion of the immunotherapeutic application of silicasomes and the combination of different therapeutic strategies, including theragnosis, in a single silicasome platform, highlighting the enormous potential of these nanosystems.
Nano-Sized Liposomes for Click-Chemistry-Based Selective Guiding of Immune Cells to Neuroblastoma
Alicia Arroyo-Nogales, Sandra Jimenez-Falcao, Diego Megias, Manuel Ramirez, Alejandro Baeza
ACS Applied Nano Materials, 2025
Neuroblastoma is a prevalent extracranial solid tumor that mainly affects children, for which current therapies often cause significant side effects due to limited specificity. To address this, nanomedicine has introduced engineered nanocarriers for targeted drug delivery, yet challenges such as poor tumor perfusion and immune clearance remain. Herein, we present an approach using bifunctional nanosized liposomes to enhance immune cell targeting of neuroblastoma cells through click chemistry. These liposomes, functionalized with azide or strained alkyne groups and targeting moieties, were designed to selectively label macrophages and neuroblastoma cells, facilitating their recognition through bio-orthogonal chemical reactions. In vitro studies under physiological flow conditions demonstrated the successful labeling of both cell types and subsequent interaction, mimicking the in vivo environment. This strategy could change the current paradigm of cell-based treatments for solid tumors like neuroblastoma, owing to an improvement in the immune cell targeting efficacy.
Dual-pore protocells with multitasking capacities for simultaneous delivery of therapeutic enzymes and drugs in macrophage depletion therapy
Jorge Parra-Nieto, Alicia Arroyo-Nogales, Diana Marcos-Fernández, Sandra Jimenez-Falcao, Carmen Arribas, Diego Megias, África Gonzalez-Murillo, Manuel Ramirez, Alejandro Baeza
Biomaterials Science, 2024
Macrophages play a key role in tumour progression. Herein, novel multitasking protocells with capacity to deplete macrophages by the combined action of cytotoxic drug release, glucose starvation and oxygen generation are presented.