MICROVIABLE THERAPEUTICS
Developing microbiome therapies as precision medicine.

Claudio Hidalgo Cantabrana, PhD
Claudio Hidalgo Cantabrana, PhD
Chief Executive Officer and co-founder
Dr. Hidalgo Cantabrana is a founder and Chief Executive Officer of Microviable Therapeutics, and a member of the board. He has led the company since 2021 with a strategic vision focused on the development of novel biological medicines based on commensal bacteria from the microbiota.
Claudio completed his postdoctoral training at NC State University (NC, USA) focused on the discovery of novel CRISPR-Cas systems for genome editing in bacteria. Previously, Claudio earned his doctorate focused on microbiology, probiotics and microbial genetics at the University of Oviedo (Spain) performed at IPLA-CSIC (Spanish National research Council), after MS Biotechnology and BS Biology. He has worked in several research international organizations across Europe and USA. Over his scientific carrier, he has developed and licensed several patents, published numerous scientific manuscripts and received international fellowships (FEMS, EMBO, FPI) and awards.
President

Noelia Martínez, PhD
Noelia Martínez Álvarez, PhD
R&D director and co-founder
Dr. Martínez is currently the R&D Director of Microviable Therapeutics and a member of the board. Noelia obtained her PhD at the University of Oviedo (2007) after her BS in Biology. Over her scientific career, she has worked on the genetic basis of multidrug resistant bacteria as human pathogens and later, focused on the use of probiotic bacteria to boost the immune system against microbial pathogens.
Over her scientific career, she has managed numerous projects and collaborations, obtained several patents and scientific manuscripts. Noelia, is currently leading the development of novel technologies and microbiota-based biotherapeutic products as R&D Director of Microviable Therapeutics.
Board member

Rafael M. Permuy, MBA
Rafael M. Permuy, MBA
Chief Business Officer and co-founder
Rafael Permuy is currently the Chief Business Officer of Microviable Therapeutics and a member of the board. Rafael has extensive experience in corporate management and business development. Rafael obtained his MBA at FENA and ESIC Business Schools and his Business Administration and Management Degree at Universidad Católica Santa Teresa de Jesus.
He has developed his professional carrier at multinational companies like Pfizer, Allergan, Sanofi Pasteur MSD and Hartmann with international experience as sales director and management strategies. Later on, he focused his career on startup development and corporate management and has co-founded four biotech companies. He is also an invited professor at the University of Oviedo where he teaches young scientific leaders the basis for biotech development.
Rafael is currently leading Microviable Therapeutics business development, including strategic partnerships and investors relationship.
Board Member

Luis Buznego
Luis Buznego
Board Member
Luis Buznego is an Industrial Engineer (University of Oviedo) with extensive experience in business management and innovation departments. He has been part of the Senior Business Management Program (IESE), is a board member of several companies and Director of the Innovation, Investment and New Opportunities area of IMASA, Engineering and Projects SA. In addition, he is the current Vice President of the Asturian Innovation Club (INNOVASTURIAS) and a member of the investment group PadeInvest 2016 Investments SL.
Board Member

Manuel Monge
Manuel Monge
Board Member
Manuel Monge has made his professional mission to help organizations build better cultures and better leaders. Before joining the Brennan Center where he currently served as Chief Human Resources Officer, Manuel worked at Nestle for 25 years in local, regional, and global roles, across five countries in three different continents. Most recently, Manuel led the Human Resources function for Nestle Health Science in North America, where he helped transform the organization with greater focus on business-oriented HR delivery, employee experience, diversity, equity, and inclusion, performance, and innovation. Manuel holds a BA in Industrial Engineering and an MBA.
Manuel Monge is the Chief Human Resources Officer at the Brennan Center for Justice, a non-profit, non-partisan organization that works to evolve and defend the systems of democracy and justice in the United States. Based in New York City, Manuel serves on the organization’s executive management team, and leads the Brennan Center’s people, organization, and culture initiatives and programs.
Board Member

Mehdi Chouikh Skalli
Mehdi Chouikh Skalli
Board Member
Financial Director with extensive experience in strategic management and financial direction, with a track record of success in co-founding and managing leading companies in their market. Mehdi is a Telecommunications Engineer (2002, University of Málaga) with a Master in Management of Biotech Companies (2010, ESESA). He has been an entrepreneur with the creation of several companies successfully and an investor in a large number of companies.
Board Member

José Vigaray Conde, MD
José Vigaray Conde, MD
Board Member
Specialist in Allergology and Clinical Immunology via MIR at the Hospital Clínico de San Carlos in Madrid, with more than 25 years of healthcare experience in the diagnosis and treatment of asthma and allergic diseases, having been the first head of the Allergology Service Hospital de la Moraleja de SANITAS in Madrid and medical director of Blue Healthcare. Head of the Allergology Unit of the Beata María Ana Hospital in Madrid.
Pioneer in the last decade in the study and treatment of food intolerances and intestinal dysbiosis, being a founding partner and promoter of INMUNOMET. He currently develops his care work at the Beata Hospital (Madrid)
Board Member

Francisco Morís, PhD
Francisco Morís, PhD
Board Member
Francisco Morís has over 25 years of experience in the biotech industry across different roles as a manager, entrepreneur, expert consultant, visiting professor and research scientist. Experienced in both small and large companies, cross-functional team work and coordination, project management, technology transfer and business development. Innovative researcher, strong publication (h-index 34) and patent record (20 families), skilled in business, operational and strategic planning, as well as fundraising from public and private sources.
Built an oncology drug development company from scratch, launching early discovery programs, up to completion of regulatory GLP preclinical studies, alongside with CMC development for GMP manufacturing. Supervised a cross-functional group of scientists, KOLs, CROs and external consultants, teamed up with business development managers to capture external funding, successfully solicited grant awards to fund innovative R&D initiatives.
Francisco received his Ph.D. in 1994 from the University of Oviedo, supervised by Prof Vicente Gotor, and was a postdoctoral fellow in the labs of Prof. Chi-Huey Wong at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla (USA). Dr Morís has worked in Biotech (ThermoGen, MediChem, deCode Genetics) and Pharma Companies (Bristol-Myers Squibb) in the United States before launching and leading EntreChem SL, a spin-off company focused on oncology drug development based on synthetic biology, genetic engineering and biocatalysis. Francisco raised >10M€ in public and private funding, positioning EntreChem as the only company in the world with two hybrid natural products close to clinical trials.
Board Member

Abelardo Margolles, PhD
Abelardo Margolles Barros, PhD
Scientific Advisor and co-founder
Professor of Research at IPLA-CSIC
Dr. Margolles is currently a Professor of Research at IPLA-CSIC and is co-founder and scientific advisor of Microviable Therapeutics. Abelardo obtained his PhD at the University Santiago de Compostela (1997) and perform his postdoctoral work at the University of Groningen (1997-2000).
Since he joined IPLA-CSIC in 2000, he has led numerous international projects focused on microbiota and probiotics. Over his successful scientific career, he has developed extensive knowledge on intestinal microbiome and food microbes, specially focused on the probiotic benefits of bifidobacteria and the cross-talk interaction between gut microbiota and human health. He has published more than 200 scientific manuscripts, obtained several patents and is a member of the Spanish Society of Microbiota, Probiotics and Prebiotics (SEMiPyP).
Scientific Advisor and co-founder
Professor of Research at IPLA-CSIC

Susana Delgado, PhD
Susana Delgado, PhD
Scientific Advisor and co-founder
Principal Investigator at IPLA-CSIC
Dr. Delgado is currently a Principal Investigator at IPLA-CSIC and is co-founder and scientific advisor of Microviable Therapeutics. Susana obtained her PhD in Biology at the University of Oviedo in 2005 with the PhD thesis focused on “Human Intestinal Microbiota: Analyses and evolution of representative bacterial populations and identification of novel probiotics”. Since then, Dr. Delgado has focused her research on human microbiota, particularly on ecology and microbial dysbiosis, leading research projects on intestinal microbiota, health and diet. She has ongoing international projects and collaborations with research centres and clinicians across institutions and countries.
Susana Delgado has published more than 90 scientific manuscripts and is the co-author of several patents, three of them licensed to industry. In 2018, she received the Hipócrates International Award on nutrition Research by the Royal Medicine Academy of Asturias, thanks to her advanced scientific work on IgE non-mediated infant allergy to milk proteins and intestinal microbioma interaction. At present, she is the Coordinator of the Innovation Committee of the Biosanitary Institute of the Principality of Asturias.
Scientific Advisor and co-founder
Principal Investigator at IPLA-CSIC

Borja Sánchez, PhD
Borja Sánchez, PhD
Scientific Advisor and co-founder
Principal Investigator at IPLA-CSIC
Dr. Sánchez holds a Principal Investigator position at IPLA-CSIC since 2017 and is co-founder and scientific advisor of Microviable Therapeutics. Borja obtained his PhD at the University of Oviedo (2007) awarded with honors, after his BS in Biology.
He has worked in several international research organizations like INRA – Jouy-en-Josas (France), the University of Parma (Italy) and the International Center of Cooperation in Agronomy (La Réunion). Over his professional career, he has led international projects, published close to 150 scientific manuscripts and is inventor of four patents, three of them licensed to industry.
Borja is currently the Scientific and Innovation Counselor on the Regional Government of Principado de Asturias.
Scientific Advisor and co-founder
Principal Investigator at IPLA-CSIC

Damián García Olmo, MD, PhD
Damián García Olmo, MD, PhD
Professor of Surgery at the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM) and Head of the Department of Surgery at the Jiménez Díaz Foundation University Hospital, part of the QuirónSalud public hospital network.
A surgeon with a special focus on colorectal cancer and proctology, he has focused his translational scientific activity on the development of advanced treatments for colorectal pathologies, including innovative surgical approaches. He is currently investigating the transformative role of circulating nucleic acids in plasma (liquid biopsy) in patients with colorectal cancer, contributing to the development of the theory of genometastasis.
He is a pioneer in the clinical application of stem cells for the treatment of surgical diseases, leading a comprehensive pipeline of clinical trials with adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells. His work has led to five international patents in the field of regenerative medicine and the development of two cellular medicines by Spanish biotechnology companies, generating more than 150 highly qualified jobs. He currently directs the UAM-Peaches Chair of Advanced Therapies Based on Cell Secretomes. His scientific output includes more than 350 indexed publications, with over 10,000 citations and an h-index of around 50.
More info, Google Scholar
Head of the Department of Surgery at the Jiménez Díaz Foundation University Hospital, part of the QuirónSalud

Mariano García Arranz, PhD
Mariano García Arranz, PhD
PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the U.A.M. in 1996.
Senior Researcher at the New Therapies Laboratory of the Jiménez Díaz Foundation Health Research Institute since 2014, Associate Professor at the Department of Surgery at the U.A.M. since 2009 and Co-director of the UAM-Peaches Chair since 2023. Principal investigator and collaborator of publicly funded research projects (regional, national and international) from 2006 to the present; highlighting the national cell therapy network (currently RICORS for Advanced Therapies), as well as participation from preclinical studies to phase III clinical trials of the first cell therapy drug (Darvastrocell) that has passed all phases of the clinical trial and approved by the EMA (European Medicine Agency). Co-inventor in 7 international research patents, 4 of them related to Cell Therapy. Author of 124 scientific articles with an h-index of 42 and more than 8,270 citations of his articles. Reviewer for different national and international research agencies as well as indexed journals. PEP accreditation by ANECA in 2018. Collaborator in master’s degrees (from 10 national universities) and summer courses (at 3 universities) since 2010. First Prize Duques de Soria Foundation of the Royal Victoria Eugenia Foundation in 2010 and 2020. Award for the Most Innovative Project 2007 Congress of the Spanish Society of Thrombosis and Hemostasis. Award for the best poster at the Congress of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons. St. Louis, Missouri, USA 2007.
More info, Google scholar
Business Advisory Board
Managing Director at Sandwalk BioVentures

Rosa del Campo, PhD, MD
Rosa del Campo, PhD, MD
Scientific Advisor
Dr. Del Campo is a research microbiologist on the clinic at Hospital Ramón y Cajal, Madrid. Rosa obtained her MD at University of Zaragoza (1994) where she also obtained her PhD (1998). She currently holds several positions on the board of different clinical and research organizations like the Human Microbiota Group of the Spanish Society of Infectious Disease and Clinical Microbiology (SEIMC-GEMBIOTA), she is a professor at University Alfonso X el Sabio, and member of the board at Spanish Society of Microbiology (SEM) and SEIMC.
Rosa focused her research on intestinal microbiota and fecal material transplant (FMT) being one of the leaders in Europe and Spain. She has clinical practice on FMT for infectious disease and is developing research on multidrug resistance. Over her successful career she has led several international projects, has received numerous awards and published over one hundred scientific manuscripts. Rosa joined the Scientific Advisory Board of Microviable Therapeutics in 2021 to advance clinical evidence of microbiota-based biotherapeutic products.
More info, Google Scholar
Scientific Advisor
Microbiologist at Hospital Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain

Sergio Serrano Villar, MD, PhD
Sergio Serrano Villar, MD, PhD
Physician and researcher in the Infectious Diseases Service at the Ramón y Cajal University Hospital (Madrid) and Head of the Microbiology, Immunology, and Infection Department at the Ramón y Cajal Institute for Health Research (IRYCIS).
With a consolidated track record in translational microbiome research, his work focuses on diagnostic and therapeutic applications of the microbiome in cancer and infections.
He completed two postdoctoral fellowships at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). He has published more than 130 indexed articles (h-index: 35 in Google Scholar; 30 in Scopus). He is the lead author on more than 70 publications, more than half of which are in first-quartile journals, including highly cited studies or top-tier journals such as Nature Medicine, Clinical Infectious Diseases, Microbiome, Nature Communications, and Lancet HIV. He has received more than €6 million in competitive funding for projects and human resources and has generated four European patents. He is a member of national and international editorial and scientific review committees, has written clinical guideline documents, and has received several national awards for research excellence.
More info, Google scholar
Head of the Microbiology, Immunology, and Infection Department at the Ramón y Cajal Institute for Health Research (IRYCIS)

Carlos López Otín, PhD, MD
Carlos López Otín, PhD, MD
Scientific Advisor
Dr. Otín is Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Oviedo where he has been leading research in oncology and aging over the past decades. His successful scientific career has led to the discovery of more than sixty human genes unraveling their role in health and disease.
He was part of the first human genome sequencing project and since 2010 he leads the Spanish branch of the international consortium of Cancer Genomes, organization that has identified the mutated oncogenes of hundreds on cancer patients. Carlos latest research includes de discovery of two novel syndromes involved in accelerated aging, the discovery of new genes related with sudden death and hereditary melanoma. Moreover, he has focused several projects on longevity and healthy aging, including the use of specific bacteria that promotes longevity.
Carlos is a member of the European Academy of Science and the Royal Spanish Academy of Science, as well as Honorary Doctor by several international Unviersities. He received numerous awards like Chemistry award by FEBS and the Research National Award “Santiago Ramón y Cajal”. Carlos joined the Scientific Advisory Board of Microviable Therapeutics in 2021 to advance scientific evidence of microbiota-based biotherapeutic products specially focused on longevity and aging.
Scientific Advisor
Professor at University of Oviedo, Spain

Mehdi Chouikh
Mehdi Chouikh, PhD
Chief Financial Officer
Mehdi Chouikh has more than 20 years of experience in strategic management and financial direction, with a track record of success managing top class companies from conception to company acquisitions. Mehdi has been an entrepreneur with the incorporation of several companies successfully, and he is also an investor in a large number of companies from various sectors including biotech. Mehdi is a Telecommunications Engineer (2002, University of Málaga) with a Master in Management of Biotech Companies (2010, ESESA).
Chief Financial Officer

David Ríos Covián, PhD
David Ríos Covián
Director of Technology Development
David obtained his BS in Biology (2010) and MS (2011) in Food Biotechnology at the University of Oviedo. In addition, he obtained his PhD (2016) in Biology by the University of Oviedo with a project focused on metabolic interactions between members of the commensal microbiota. During this stage he gained expertise in several techniques in different international research centers.
Over his scientific career, he has published numerous scientific manuscripts, obtained several scholarships and awards, included the extraordinary thesis award by the University of Oviedo.
His main scientific interest is host-microbiome relationships. During his postdoc at UCSD, he studied these interactions in the context of mucosal immunology and responses to DNA damage. After that, he joined the institute MICALIS (INRAE) to study them in the context of immune system development during early life.
David joined Microviable Therapeutics in 2023 as Director of Technology Development, with the aim of leading the development of new products and the technological platform of Microviable, as well as serving as liaison with public institutions and hospitals collaborating with the R&D area.
Director of Technology Development

Pilar Manrique Ronquillo, PhD
Pilar Manrique Ronquillo, PhD
Senior Scientist
Pilar obtained her undergraduate degree in Biotechnology at Universidad Francisco de Vitoria (2009) and her doctorate at Montana State University (2018).
Pilar has worked over ten years studying the human gut microbiome. Her research has studied the role of human gut bacteriophages in health and disease and the impact of bacteriophages in the success of fecal microbiota transplant treatment. Moreover, during her postdoc at Ohio State University, she studied the influence of the gut microbiome on the recovery from central nervous system injury.
Pilar joined Microviable Therapeutics in 2022 as Research Scientist to support the R&D area. Over the last three years Pilar has contributed to R&D of novel products, and has led the development of MVT-201, including generation of in vivo preclinical data and scaling studies for manufacturing under GMP conditions, necessary to enter Clinical Studies.
Senior Scientist

Susana Castro Fernández, PhD
Susana Castro Fernández, PhD
Head of Quality Control
Susana Castro is the Quality Manager at Microviable. For the last five years of her professional career, Susana has worked in a GMP and Lean Lab environment as an expert in the Quality Department of a multinational pharmaceutical company. Her work focused on the transfer/validation of analytical methods, documentation, change control, deviation investigation, CAPA management, audits, and inspections. Previously, Susana worked for four years in an industrial R&D environment, as a team/laboratory manager at a CRO company.
Susana holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Oviedo (2015), where she previously obtained a Master’s degree in Chemical Synthesis and Reactivity (2010) and a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry (2009). She developed her PhD in the study of the activation and functionalization of C-H bonds, opening lines of research focused on the development of new methodologies for the synthesis of biaryls and alkylenes.
Head of Quality Control

Ignacio Montero, PhD
Ignacio Montero, PhD
Computational Biologist
PhD in Microbiology at the University of Oviedo (2014) where he also obtained his BS in Biology (2008). Ignacio has extensive experience in microbiology focused on antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella entérica and on the discovery of novel bioactive compounds in Streptomyces spp. Lately he has obtained a Certificate in Bioinformatic Analysis at the University Pablo de Olavide (2020) and a MS Degree in Bioinformatics and Biostatistics at the University Oberta of Catalonia (2021).
Over his professional carrier he has obtained several fellowships and published numerous scientific manuscripts. He joined the team with a Torres Quevedo grant (PTQ2020-011411/AEI/10.13039/501100011033) to work on bioinformatics and comparative genomics providing support to the microbiology core team.
Computational Biologist

Javier Morán Suárez, PhD
Javier Morán Suárez, PhD
Molecular Biologist
Prior to joining our team, Javier conducted postdoctoral research at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience at the Gothenburg University (Sweden), where he participated in the study of intranasal treatments of complement system peptides to ameliorate neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain injury.
Previously, he got his PhD at the University of Oviedo (Spain) within the Functional and Molecular Biology program, graduating with the distinctions of “Cum Laude” and “International Doctorate”. He qualified for the program through a Master’s Degree in Neuroscience Research. His doctoral thesis focused on studying the neuroprotective effects of estrogens and phytoestrogens against insulin resistance and ischemic damage associated with
female aging. As part of his doctoral studies, he completed a research stay at the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Milan (Italy), where he collaborated on the study of hepatic expression of genes associated with lipid and cholesterol metabolism.
This academic and research trajectory has led to participation in both national and international research projects, scientific conference presentations, and the publication of several scientific manuscripts.
Molecular Biologist

Marta Fernández Gosende, PhD candidate
Marta Fernández Gosende, PhD candidate
Research Scientist
BS degree in Biology (2014) and Food Biotechnology Master (2016) at the University of Oviedo, plus a MS in Microbiota, Probiotics and Prebiotics at the European University at Madrid (2021) with MS thesis focused on probiotics characterization.
Marta has worked in both the private and public sector, with experience in QC departments across several industries, R&D department and academia including IPLA-CSIC. Marta joined Microviable in 2022 as a beneficiary of a national grant Torres Quevedo (DIN2021-012075) from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation to develop the PhD in the industry.
Research Scientist

Alejandro Ojeda
Alejandro Ojeda
Research Scientist
BS degree in Biology (2020) at the University Autónoma of Madrid, and Physiology Masters (2021) at the University of Valencia, his MS thesis focused on the characterization of gut microbiota and its relationship with the Innate Immune System.
Later, he graduated in Clinical and Biomedical Laboratory (2023) at the IES Nº1 of Gijón, with the aim of increasing his skills. Throughout his academic life he has specialized in the fields of human physiology and molecular biology oriented to the study of the microbiota.
Research Scientist

Lorena Riesco
Lorena Riesco, Research Associate
Research Associate
Graduated as a senior technician in clinical and biomedical laboratories in 2024 from the María de Molina Secondary School in Zamora. She gained practical experience in both the quality assurance area and the microbiology laboratory in the dairy industry.
In 2024, Lorena received the Aetel Junior Research Initiation Award from the Francisco Soria Melguizo Foundation.
In 2025, she completed a specialized course in cell cultures at the Giner de los Ríos Secondary School in León. During her internship at the IGM-CSIC Mountain Livestock Institute, she became familiar with ovine intestinal pathogens, flow cytometry and immunofluorescence techniques.
Research Associate

Victoria Raguigue
Victoria Raguigue, Research Associate
Research Associate
Graduated as a Senior Technician in Clinical and Biomedical Laboratory (2024) from IES Nº1 in Gijón. She has hands-on experience from the University of Oviedo, where she participated in research projects carried out in the marine genetics laboratory of the Faculty of Medicine.
In 2025, she completed a Specialization Course in Cell Cultures at IES Isla de la Deva in Piedras Blancas. During this period, she undertook an internship at the Central University Hospital of Asturias (HUCA), expanding her knowledge in cytogenetics, virology, and immunology.
Victoria joined the Microviable Therapeutics team in 2025 as a Laboratory Technician, contributing to R&D projects and providing essential technical support in the laboratory.
Research Associate

Noemí Fernández
Noemí Fernández, Administration & accounting
Administration & accounting
Noemí joins Microviable team as an Administrative Manager, bringing extensive experience in clinical management and administrative support. For over a decade, she has developed her career in the healthcare field, holding key roles in patient care, scheduling coordination, and administrative management. Her degree in Economics from the University of Oviedo (2003), along with knowledge of business IT and professional English, reinforce her versatile and detail-oriented profile.
Administration & accounting
JOIN OUR TEAM
Solid and innovative team
We want to revolutionize the microbiome and probiotics field, and to fulfill this commitment we need intelligent and hardworking people with the desire to join a dynamic team.
Talent, diversity and equality are the core values of our recruitment process and we are continuously looking for motivated people to join our company.
Job description
We are looking for a full-time, highly motivated lab technician to work on our team onsite (Oviedo, Asturias, Spain).
The ideal candidate will have experience in microbiology, biochemistry, immunology, microbiota and probiotics, and will join our team to work on our drug development platform of novel biological medicines based on bacteria.
Job description
We are looking for a full-time, highly motivated research scientist with strong experience in immunology and microbiology to work on our drug development platform of novel biological medicines based on bacteria.
Job description
We are looking for a part-time, highly motivated marketing and communication manager for developing and implementing communication strategies, writing press releases, generating content and managing marketing communications.
Job description
We are looking for a full-time, highly motivated Clinical Trial Manager with strong experience in clinical trial design and management, to work on our team focused on the development of novel biological medicines based on bacteria.
Job description
We are looking for a full-time, highly motivated data scientist with strong experience in computational biology, deep data analysis and artificial intelligence to work on our drug development platform of novel biological medicines based on bacteria.


Project “New Bioactive Ingredients for cosmeceutical applications” Granted by Ayto. de Gijón. Program: Incentives to Innovative Projects 2023 – Business Cooperation Platforms.
Inmunomet Intolerancias y Disbiosis SL
PadeInvest 2016 Investments SL