Juan M. García-Martínez
Discovered mTORC2 activates SGK1 and co-developed Ku-0063794, one of the first selective ATP-competitive mTOR inhibitors
PhD, Universitat de Barcelona/IDIBAPS (Alberch lab, Huntington's disease) · postdoc, Alessi Lab, MRC Protein Phosphorylation Unit, Dundee · now Senior Scientist, Cancer Research, Boehringer Ingelheim RCV, Vienna (per most recent record, 2024; exact current title unconfirmed)
First author (GAR2008, with Dario Alessi, who has his own medailonek): mTORC2 — not mTORC1 — phosphorylates and activates SGK1, cleanly separating what each mTOR complex does. First author (GAR2009): co-developed Ku-0063794, one of the first genuinely selective ATP-competitive mTOR inhibitors blocking both complexes.
Continued at Dundee testing PI3K/mTOR inhibitors in mouse lymphoma models, then moved into industry — Boehringer Ingelheim's Vienna oncology unit, developing bispecific antibody drugs (TRAILR2 agonists) for colorectal/pancreatic cancer (2020, 2024 papers).
Milestones in the Atlas
| Year | Evidence | Study |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | M | mTOR complex 2 (mTORC2) controls hydrophobic motif phosphorylation and activation of serum- and glucocorticoid-induced protein kinase 1 (SGK1) GAR2008 mTORC2 (not mTORC1) phosphorylates and activates SGK1. |
| 2009 | M | Ku-0063794 is a specific inhibitor of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) GAR2009 Co-developed Ku-0063794, a specific ATP-competitive inhibitor blocking both mTOR complexes. |