Rafael Cena Diez

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About me

Rafael received his Ph.D. in 2018 at the Hospital General Gregorio Marañon, Madrid, on the use of nanotechnology against viral sexual transmitted diseases. In 2019, he joined us as postdoctoral researcher. His expertise is in virology, molecular biology, and antiviral therapy/prophylaxis. His research focuses in the discovery of and studies on the mechanisms of new antiviral agents, including HIV multidrug resistances. He is currently working in the development of new pre-exposure prophylaxis aproaches such as topical microbicides.

Articles

Article: FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY. 2024;14:1334126
Broad synergistic antiviral efficacy between a novel elite controller-derived dipeptide and antiretrovirals against drug-resistant HIV-1
Giammarino F; Sonnerborg A; Cena-Diez R
Article: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS. 2023;61(5):106792
Naturally occurring dipeptide from elite controllers with dual anti-HIV-1 mechanism
Cena-Diez R; Narayanan A; Ray S; van de Klundert M; Rodriguez JE; Nilvebrant J; Nygren P-A; Vegvari A; van Domselaar R; Sonnerborg A
Article: ADVANCED SCIENCE. 2022;9(32):e2203898
Synthetic Mucin Gels with Self-Healing Properties Augment Lubricity and Inhibit HIV-1 and HSV-2 Transmission
Kretschmer M; Cena-Diez R; Butnarasu C; Silveira V; Dobryden I; Visentin S; Berglund P; Sonnerborg A; Lieleg O; Crouzier T; Yan H
Article: VIRUSES-BASEL. 2022;14(10):2099
Molecular Epidemiology of HIV-1 in Eastern Europe and Russia
van de Klundert MAA; Antonova A; Di Teodoro G; Diez RC; Chkhartishvili N; Heger E; Kuznetsova A; Lebedev A; Narayanan A; Ozhmegova E; Pronin A; Shemshura A; Tumanov A; Pfeifer N; Kaiser R; Saladini F; Zazzi M; Incardona F; Bobkova M; Sonnerborg A
Article: INFECTIOUS DISEASES AND THERAPY. 2022;11(3):1103-1116
Novel Naturally Occurring Dipeptides and Single-Stranded Oligonucleotide Act as Entry Inhibitors and Exhibit a Strong Synergistic Anti-HIV-1 Profile
Cena-Diez R; Singh K; Spetz A-L; Sonnerborg A
Article: BIOMEDICINES. 2022;10(5):982
Characterization of the Upper Respiratory Bacterial Microbiome in Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients
Bai X; Narayanan A; Skagerberg M; Cena-Diez R; Giske CG; Stralin K; Sonnerborg A
Article: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES. 2022;23(5):2565
Safety of G2-S16 Polyanionic Carbosilane Dendrimer as Possible HIV-1 Vaginal Microbicide
Martin-Moreno A; Cena-Diez R; Serramia MJ; Jimenez JL; Gomez-Ramirez R; Munoz-Fernandez M
Article: JOURNAL OF VIROLOGY. 2021;95(18):e0047921-10.1128/jvi.00421
Fecal Metabolome Signature in the HIV-1 Elite Control Phenotype: Enrichment of Dipeptides Acts as an HIV-1 Antagonist but a Prevotella Agonist
Sperk M; Ambikan AT; Ray S; Singh K; Mikaeloff F; Diez RC; Narayanan A; Vesterbacka J; Nowak P; Sonnerborg A; Neogi U
Article: POLYMERS. 2021;13(13):2141
Role of G2-S16 Polyanionic Carbosilane Dendrimer in the Prevention of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection In Vitro and In Vivo in Mice
Rodriguez-Izquierdo I; Cena-Diez R; Serramia MJ; Rodriguez-Fernandez R; Martinez I; Munoz-Fernandez M
Article: PHARMACEUTICS. 2020;12(6):E515-515
Cationic Dendrimer G2-S16 Inhibits Herpes Simplex Type 2 Infection and Protects Mice Vaginal Microbiome
Guerrero-Beltran C; Garcia-Heredia I; Cena-Diez R; Rodriguez-Izquierdo I; Jesus Serramia M; Martinez-Hernandez F; Lluesma-Gomez M; Martinez-Garcia M; Angeles Munoz-Fernandez M
Article: RSC ADVANCES. 2020;10(34):20083-20088
New synthetic procedure for the antiviral sulfonate carbosilane dendrimer G2-S16 and its fluorescein-labelled derivative for biological studies
Gutierrez-Ulloa C; Pena-Gonzalez CE; Barrios-Gumiel A; Cena-Diez R; Jesus Serramia-Lobera M; Angeles Munoz-Fernandez M; Javier de la Mata F; Sanchez-Nieves J; Gomez R
Article: NANOSCALE. 2019;11(19):9679-9690
New anionic poly(alkylideneamine) dendrimers as microbicide agents against HIV-1 infection
Maciel D; Guerrero-Beltran C; Cena-Diez R; Tomas H; Angeles Munoz-Fernandez M; Rodrigues J
Article: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NANOMEDICINE. 2019;14:2371-2380
G1-S4 or G2-S16 carbosilane dendrimer in combination with Platycodin D as a promising vaginal microbicide candidate with contraceptive activity
Cena-Diez R; Martin-Moreno A; Javier de la Mata F; Gomez-Ramirez R; Munoz E; Ardoys M; Angeles Munoz-Fernandez M
Journal article: PLOS ONE. 2018;13(4):e0195744
Evaluation of the fusion inhibitor P3 peptide as a potential microbicide to prevent HIV transmission in women
Bartolo I; Diniz AR; Borrego P; Ferreira JP; Bronze MR; Barroso H; Pinto R; Cardoso C; Pinto JF; Cena Diaz R; Garcia Broncano P; Angel Munoz-Fernandez M; Taveira N
Article: NANOSCALE. 2017;9(44):17263-17273
Carbosilane dendrons with fatty acids at the core as a new potential microbicide against HSV-2/HIV-1 co-infection
Guerrero-Beltran C; Cena-Diez R; Sepulveda-Crespo D; De la Mata J; Gomez R; Leal M; Munoz-Fernandez MA; Jimenez JL
Article: EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY. 2017;811:155-163
Efficacy of carbosilane dendrimers with an antiretroviral combination against HIV-1 in the presence of semen-derived enhancer of viral infection
Garcia-Broncano P; Cena-Diez R; de la Mata FJ; Gomez R; Resino S; Angeles Munoz-Fernandez M
Article: NANOSCALE. 2017;9(27):9732-9742
G2-S16 dendrimer as a candidate for a microbicide to prevent HIV-1 infection in women
Cena-Diez R; Garica-Broncano P; Javier de la Mata F; Gomez R; Resino S; Angeles Munoz-Fernandez M
Article: MEDICINAL RESEARCH REVIEWS. 2017;37(1):149-179
Mechanistic Studies of Viral Entry: An Overview of Dendrimer-Based Microbicides As Entry Inhibitors Against Both HIV and HSV-2 Overlapped Infections
Sepulveda-Crespo D; Cena-Diez R; Luis Jimenez J; Angeles Munoz-Fernandez M
Article: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NANOMEDICINE. 2016;11:2443-2450
Efficacy of HIV antiviral polyanionic carbosilane dendrimer G2-S16 in the presence of semen
Cena-Diez R; Garcia-Broncano P; Javier de la Mata F; Gomez R; Angeles Munoz-Fernandez M
Article: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NANOMEDICINE. 2016;11:2147-2162
Prevention of vaginal and rectal herpes simplex virus type 2 transmission in mice: mechanism of antiviral action
Cena-Diez R; Vacas-Cordoba E; Garcia-Broncano P; de la Mata FJ; Gomez R; Maly M; Angeles Munoz-Fernandez M
Journal article: RSC ADVANCES. 2016;6(52):46755-46764
Dendrimeric based microbicides against sexual transmitted infections associated to heparan sulfate
Cena-Diez R; Sepulveda-Crespo D; Maly M; Angeles Munoz-Fernandez M
Journal article: JOURNAL OF CRITICAL CARE. 2014;29(2):307-309
Transcriptomic evidence of impaired immunoglobulin G production in fatal septic shock
Almansa R; Tamayo E; Heredia M; Gutierrez S; Ruiz P; Alvarez E; Gomez-Sanchez E; Andaluz-Ojeda D; Cena R; Rico L; Iglesias V; Ignacio Gomez-Herreras J; Bermejo-Martin JF
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All other publications

Preprint: BIORXIV. 2025
Single-Shot Design of a Cyclic Peptide Inhibitor of HIV-1 Membrane Fusion with EvoBind
Daumiller D; Giammarino F; Li Q; Sönnerborg A; Diez RC; Bryant P
Review: PATHOGENS. 2025;14(3):232
Latency Reversing Agents and the Road to an HIV Cure
Tioka L; Diez RC; Soennerborg A; van de Klundert MAA
Review: DRUG RESISTANCE UPDATES. 2023;68:100955
Synergistic antiviral activity against drug-resistant HIV-1 by naturally occurring dipeptide and A single-stranded oligonucleotide
Cena-Diez R; Spetz A-L; Sonnerborg A

Employments

Affiliated to Research, Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, 2025-2028
Research Specialist, Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, 2023-2025

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