Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Unit

The Unit provides resources and personnel specialized in Bioinformatic analyses: phenotype/genotype associations, identification of biomarkers, the analysis of gene expression microarray data, RT-qPCR analysis, next-generation sequencing (NGS) data analysis, etc; as well as Biostatistical analyses: multivariate analyses, design of experiments, longitudinal analyses, survival analyses, Machine Learning and Deep Learning. In addition, their members develop their own research lines, on Artificial Intelligence in Molecular Design, and on new bioinformatics tools for Nutritional Genomics research.

Members

Dr. Gonzalo Colmenarejo Sánchez
Senior Biostatistician, Unit Head

Andrés Sánchez Ruiz
Research Assistant

Highlighted projects

Principal Investigator: Gonzalo Colmenarejo

Project Title: Artificial Intelligence-boosted computational platform for the development of human microbial METabolite-MImics as drugs and nutraceutics (AI-METMI) (PID2021-127318OB-I00)

Date: 2022-2025

Funded by: Agencia Estatal de Investigación. Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación.

Dr. Gonzalo Colmenarejo Sánchez

  Senior Biostatistician, Unit Head

Gonzalo Colmenarejo got his PhD in the Biophysics area in the Complutense University of Madrid. Then was a postdoctoral researcher in the Chemistry Department of University of California at Berkeley. He joined GlaxoWellcome’s (later GlaxoSmithKline) R&D center in Tres Cantos, Spain, where he stayed more than 17 years. There he developed multiple statistical and machine learning models to predict biological activity form molecular structure, and was a statistical and data analysis support for a multidisciplinary and international group of biologists, biochemists, medicinal chemists and pharmacologists. He specialized in the massive data analysis of cellular and biochemical high-throughput screens (HTS), and processed more than 100 campaigns of multiple target classes, screening technologies and therapeutic areas, were he increased the number and quality of hits there obtained. He developed new theoretical methods for the prioritization of compounds in HTS campaigns, as well as for the automated chemical pattern extraction from sets of molecules. He co-leaded the Screening Analytics Investment Area of GlaxoSmithKline, an international team devoted to finding new approaches for the analysis of HTS. After joining IMDEA Food as Senior Biostatistician, hist current research interests lie on the use of generative Artificial Intelligence in the molecular design of bioactive compounds and drugs, and the cheminformatic analysis of food molecules and their biological functions and physicochemical properties. He is (co)author of > 50 scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals and book chapters, in high-impact journals like Science, Science Advances, Nature Communications, Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling, etc.

Email: gonzalo.colmenarejo@imdea.org 
Phone:  +34 91 727 81 00, ext. 510 

 Andrés Sánchez Ruiz

  Research Assistant
Andrés Sánchez-Ruiz gratuated in biotechnology in Tarragona at Rovira I Virgili University. He has also a M.Sc. in Translational Medicine (Barcelona University) plus a M.Sc. in Bioinformatics and Biostatistics (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya). He started his career at IMDEA Food Institute in April 2021 where he is working as a research assistant.

Email: andres.sanchez@imdea.org 

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most relevant publications

  • Kaya, I.; Colmenarejo, G. “Analysis of nuisance substructures and aggregators in a comprehensive database of food chemical compounds” (2020) J Agricultural & Food Chem. 68, 8812–8824. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.0c02521
  • Alam, M.; Sanchez-Azqueta, A.; Janha, O.; Flannery, E.; Mahindra, A.; Mapesa, K.; Char, A.B.; Sriranganadane, D.; Brancucci, N.; Antonova-Koch, Y.; Crouch, K.; Simwela, N.V.; Millar, S.B.; Akinwale, J.; Mitcheson, D.; Solyakov, L.; Dudek, K.; Jones, C.; Zapatero, C.; Doerig, C.; Nwakanma, D.C.; Vazquez, M.J.; Colmenarejo, G.; Lafuente-Monasterio, M.J.; Leon, M.L.; Godoi, P.H.C.; Elkins, J.M.E; Waters, A.P.; Jamieson, A.G.; Fernandez-Alvaro, E.; Ranford-Cartwrithgt, L.C.; Marti, M.; Winzeler, E.A.; Gamo, F.J.; Tobin, A. “Validation of the protein kinase PfCLK3 as a multi-stage cross species malarial drug target” (2019) Science, 365, eaau1682. DOI: 10.1126/science.aau1682
  • Colmenarejo, G. “Machine Learning Models to Predict Childhood and Adolescent Obesity: A Review”. (2020) Nutrients 12, 2466. DOI: 10.3390/nu12082466
  • Martín-Hernández, R; Reglero, G.; Ordovás, J.M.; Dávalos, A. NutriGenomeDB: a nutrigenomics exploratory and analytical platform. (2019) Database, 2019, baz097.
  • López de las Hazas MC, Martin-Hernández R, Crespo MC, Tomé-Carneiro J, del Pozo-Acebo L, Ruiz-Roso MB, Osada J, Portillo MP, Martinez JA, Navarro MA, Rubió L, Motilva MJ, Visioli F, Dávalos, A. Identification and validation of common molecular targets of hydroxytyrosol (2019) Food & Function, 10, 4897-4910. DOI: 10.1039/C9FO01159E
  • Costa-Machado, LF; Martín-Hernández, R.; Sánchez-Luengo, MA; Hess, K.; Vales-Villamarin, C.; Barradas, M.; Lynch, C.; de la Nava, D.; Díaz-Ruiz, A.; de Cabo, R.; Cañamero, M.; Martínez, L.; Sánchez-Carbayo, M.; Herranz, D.; Serrano, M.; Fernández-Marcos, PJ Sirt1 protects from K-Ras-driven lung carcinogenesis (2018) EMBO Reports 19: e43879
main research grants

Participant Investigator: Roberto Martín Hernández.
Project Title:  El tráfico de las vesículas extracelulares derivadas de plantas a través del cuerpo del mamífero: RNAs extracelulares como potenciales componentes bioactivos de los alimentos (PID2019-109369RB-I00)
Date: 2020-2022
Funded by: Agencia Estatal de Investigación. Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación.

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Participant Investigator: Roberto Martín Hernández.
Project Title: Search for new biomarkers for diagnosis and stratification of NAFLD/NASH: can circulating exosomal mirnas play a role (GLD18/00143)
Date: 2019-2021
Funded by: Convenio VI Edición Becas Gilead a la Investigación Biomédica

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Participant Investigator: Roberto Martín Hernández.
Project Title: Modulación de exosomas transportadores de miRNAs y lncRNAs para la comunicación intercelular como herramienta terapéutica frente a la dislipidemia
Date: 2017-2020
Funded by: Ramón Areces Foundation

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Participant Investigator: Gonzalo Colmenarejo
Project Title: DNA-Methylation Fingerprints Linked to Ultra-Processed Foods Consumption to Prevent Non-Communicable Diseases (RTI2018-095569-B-I00).
Date: 2019-2021
Funded by: Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación

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Participant Investigator: Gonzalo Colmenarejo.
Project Title: Formulation of Food Products for the Prevention and Targeted Treatment of Metabolism-Related Chronic Diseases (FORCHRONIC) AGL2016-76736-C3-3-R.
Date: 2018-2019
Funded by: Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación