  We study the properties of charmed pseudoscalar and vector mesons in dense
matter within a unitary meson-baryon coupled-channel model which incorporates
heavy-quark spin symmetry. This is accomplished by extending the SU(3)
Weinberg-Tomozawa Lagrangian to SU(8) spin-flavor symmetry and implementing a
suitable flavor symmetry breaking. Several resonances with negative parity are
generated dynamically by the s-wave interaction between pseudoscalar and vector
meson multiplets with $1/2^+$ and $3/2^+$ baryons. Those states are then
compared to experimental data as well as theoretical models. Next,
Pauli-blocking effects and meson self-energies are introduced in a
self-consistent manner to obtain the open-charm meson spectral functions in a
dense nuclear environment. We finally discuss the formation of $D$-mesic
nuclei.
