JUMISC and the Spanish Association of Coloproctocology has organised the ICourse on Coloretal Endoscopy for Surgeons which wil take place at JUMISC on March, 9 -10, co-Directed by Fernando de la Portilla de Juan (President of Spanish Association of Coloproctology) and Francisco M. Sanchez Margallo (Deputy Scientific Director of NANBIOSIS)
The course includes colonoscopy practices in pig and canine models.
For further information and inscriptions: here
Rare Disease Day is annually held on the last day of February in more than 100 countries with the main objective of raising awareness about rare diseases and their impact on the life of patients to the general public and in particular to policy makers, public authorities, industry representatives, researchers and professionals. Rare diseases are those that affect less than 1 in 2000 people. There are more than 300 million people living with one or more than more than 6000 rare diseases worldwide identified.
Among the events organized we wont to mention the Nano Rare Diseases Day held in Barcelona on February 27, organized by the Hospital de Sant Joan de Déu and the NanoMed Spain Platform, where the latest innovations in the field of Nanomedicine for the treatment and diagnosis of these diseases will be announced, with themes ranging from early diagnosis, controlled release of drugs or the development of new therapies. During this day, experts in Nanomedicine from different fields – research, business, clinical practice, health authorities, patients, etc. – will present the latest advances and give us the opportunity to discover the progress generator that Nanomedicine means for health as creator of new opportunities in the diagnosis and treatment of minority diseases.
Nora Ventosa, Scientific Director of NANBIOSIS U6 Biomaterial Processing and Nanostructuring Unit (CIBERBBN-ICMAB_CSIC) will explain the European Smart-4-Fabry Project: use of nanotechnology for the development of a new drug for the treatment of Fabry lysosomal disease where four units of NANBIOSIS colaborate.
The Center for Industrial Technological Development (CDTI) has selected the proposal presented by JUMISC, partner of NANBIOSIS, on the technological challenge of an alternative cold preservation system in a preliminary market consultation.
On February 4, the Technical Conference of the Preliminary Market Consultation of the Organ Preservation Challenge was held.
The objective of the Preliminary Market Consultation was to obtain information from the market operators in the Organ Preservation technologies in order to adequately define the future potential for pre-commercial Public procurement and adequately inform the economic operators of the requirements that will be required in the Potential future tender for pre-commercial public purchase.
The Conference was directed by Ms. Ana Isabel Rodríguez Belda, Innovative Public Procurement Technician of the CDTI and Mr. Franciso M Sánchez Margallo, Scientific Director of JUMISC and Deputy Director of NANBIOSIS who, after reviewing the background and problems related to the preservation of organs for transplantation, he presented the technological challenge presented by JUMISC and selected by the CDTI and how its preclinical animal validation in JUMISC can be of great help in human ogan transplants
The conference included a visit to the facilities of CCMIJU, partner of NANBIOSIS ICTS
Organ-on-chip (OOC) is the term used to define a microfluidic 3D culture model that contains continuously perfused chambers inhabited by living cells. OOC are considered as very promising tools for investigating many aspects of human physiology and pathophysiology as well as drug testing platforms with future progressions to be used for precision medicine.
As the complexity of OOC systems increases, the necessity to integrate relevant assessment methods to provide information about cell physiology, secreted metabolites as well as pharmacodynamics drug responses also increases. Dr. Rosa Villa, who leads NANBIOSIS U8 Nano Technology Unit and the Biomedical Applications Group of the Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona and CIBER in Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine, works on different engineering approaches to develop physical and chemical sensors that can be integrated into the OOC devices. The group considers that sensors integration is a requirement that must be taken into consideration in an OOC platform giving the necessary assessment of the OOC platforms in a continuous and real-time
An overview of the most relevant works of the Biomonitoring Group and NANBIOSIS Unit 8 have been presented by Mar Alvarez and Gemma Gabriel, researchers of
NANBIOSIS U8 Nano Technology in the conference on Engineering Multicellular Systems organized by EMBL – IBEC that took place in La Pedrera Auditorium, in Barcelona, from 10-12th February 2020.
It has been presented a device fabricated for that mimics Retina. In this novel microfluidic device cells are arranged in parallel compartments and are highly interconnected through a grid of microgrooves, which facilitates paracrine signaling and heterotypic cell–cell contact between multiple tissues. In the field of Brain, TEER barrier monitoring is mandatory. An interdigitated electrodes (IDE) configuration where the entire cell culture area contributes equally to the measurement, has been integrated in a custom-made bioreactor. This configuration, besides being more accurate for measuring the TEER, also allows the minimal electrode coverage, so that the optical visualization of the cell culture is maximized. The control and monitoring of dissolved oxygen (DO) is key for most of the OOC. The integration of oxygen sensors in an Liver-On-a-Chip system to achieve in-situ and real-time monitoring of oxygen zonation along the cell culture microfluidic chamber. A miniaturized sensing device compatible with microfluidic technology to measure simultaneously dissolved oxygen, pH, Na+ and K+, able to be connected in the input or output of a cell culture system has been developed for Kidney monitoring.
References
[1] Yeste J, García-Ramírez M, Illa X, Guimerà A, Hernández C, Simó R, Villa R, “A compartmentalized microfluidic chip with crisscross microgrooves and electrophysiological electrodes for modeling the blood–retinal barrier” Lab on a Chip 18 (2018) 95-105 [2] Yeste J, Martínez-Gimeno L, Illa X, Laborda P, Guimerà A, Sánchez-Marín JP, Villa R, Giménez I “A perfusion chamber for monitoring transepithelial NaCl transport in an in vitro model of the renal tubule “, Biotechnology and Bioengineering 115 (2018) 1604-1613 [3] Moya A, Ortega-Ribera M, Guimerà X, Sowade E, Zea M, Illa X, Ramon E, Villa R, Gracia-Sancho J, Gabriel G., “Online oxygen monitoring using integrated inkjet-printed sensors in a Liver-On-a-Chip system” Lab on a Chip (2018),18, 2023-2035 [4]Moya A, Illa X, Gimenez I, Lazo-Fernandez Y, Villa R, Errachid A, Gabriel G. “Miniaturized multiparametric flexible platform for the simultaneous monitoring of ionic compounds: Application in real urine” Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical 255 (2018) 2861-2870
Transfiere, the European Forum for Science, Technology and Innovation, the bigest professional and multisectoral forum for the transfer of knowledge and technology held in Spain, took place last February 12 and 13 in Malaga in its 9th edition.
Among the events held at Transfiere, there has been a round table organized by all health-related platforms under the title: Challenges in precision medicine on the 12th at 6pm.
Maria Luisa García Martín, Scientific Director of NANBIOSIS U28 of Nanoimaging Unit and head of Nano-Imagen facilities at BIONAND, was invited by the Nanomedicine platform, NanomedSpain as a speaker at the aforementioned round table to discuss metabolomics and cancer. The rest of the participants were:
• Amelia Martín Uranga. Responsible for the Innovative Medicines Platform (Pharmaindustry) – Data protection in precision medicine.
• Beatriz Palomo. Coordinator of Biotechnology Markets Platform Responsible for projects and the ASEBIO Health Area
• Patricia Fernández. Coordinator of the Vet + i-Spanish Technology Platform for Animal Health Foundation
• Antonio Riobás. Medical Director and Health Advisor at Biocrew – Aspects of meso and micro-management in relation to the incorporation of Precision Medicine. Spain and its challenges.
Among subjects discussed, ethical aspects, data protection, limitations and challenges to overcome, the role of patients and clinicians, as well as the role of new technologies, such as metabolomics, in precision medicine, Maria Luisa García shared her experience about the role of magnetic resonance metabolomics in the precision medicine of the futue, focused on tumor diagnosis.
NANBIOSIS has been informed about a recent publication in the pretigious scientific magzine SCIENTIFIC REPORTS (Q1) of Nature Research group, mentioning NANBIOSIS Unit 17 in the Methods section:
Immunofluorescence analysis: Detection was performed by using a Leica SP5 confocal microscope (Leica Microsystems, Wetzlar, Germany), through the Confocal Microscopy Service of the ICTS ‘NANBIOSIS’ Unit 17 of the Biomedical Research Networking Centre on Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN) at the University of Alcalá, Madrid, Spain. HIF-1α-dependent immunofluorescence intensity was quantified after digital capture using image-J software.
The Leica TCS-SP5 confocal microscope with especial features allows studying interactions between cells/tissues and materials. Indeed, the experience of the research group in charge of this service makes it a unique service for the study of cells and tissues and the interactions between various materials and cell components as well as between implants/scaffolds and tissues of the recipient organism.
Article of reference:
Mechanism and Consequences of the Impaired Hif-1α Response to Hypoxia in Human Proximal Tubular HK-2 Cells Exposed to High Glucose. Coral García-Pastor, Selma Benito-Martínez, Victoria Moreno-Manzano, Ana B. Fernández-Martínez, Francisco Javier Lucio-Cazaña. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, (2019) 9:15868 | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-52310-6
CCMIJU has organised the VII Course of Microscopic and Piezoelectric Techniques in Dentistry: Endodontics, Implantology and Prosthetics, which wil take place at JUMISC from March 3 till June 27 2020 under the Direction of Alberto Anta Escudero. (Profesor of the UPV-EHU), Gorka Santamaría Arrieta (Professor of the UPV-EHU), Jon Eskurza Pérez (Endodontics Specialist. Private Clinic) and Francisco Miguel Sánchez Margallo (Deputy Scientific Director of NANBIOSIS)
The general objective of the course is the knowledge of the enodontology magnification, necessary materials and instruments and related ergonomic aspects. Training in magnification in dentistry
In order to achieve full and equitable access and participation in science for women and girls, and also to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, the United Nations General Assembly decided to proclaim in 2016 (resolution A / RES / 70/212) February 11 as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
We want to take this day to congratulate all the women who lead research and innovation and contribute to the breakdown of the barriers that still exist, especially to the scientists from NANBIOSIS ICTS.
Happy International Day of Women and Girls in Science!
Researchers of two CIBER-BBN Units of the ICTS NANBIOSIS U18 Nanotoxicology Unit at Hospital Sant Pau. and U1, Protein Production Platform (PPP), at the Institute of Biotechnology and biomedicine of the Autonomous University of Barcelona (IBB–UAB), led by Prof Ramón Mangues, have developed a new drug that selectively removes metastatic stem cells, inducing a powerful metastasis prevention effect.
Besides the participation of the “NANBIOSIS” ICTS Units
U1 Protein Production Platform where Protein production was partially performed and U18 Nantoxicology Unit where Biodistribution studies were performed, all in vivo experiments were performed by the Unit 20 In Vivo Experimental Platform of CIBER in Bioengineering, Biomaterials & Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN)
The researchers have ceated inclusion bodies of amyloid and nanostructured fibers that, when administered subcutaneously in mice, release soluble cytotoxic nanoparticles continuously. These nanoparticles are carriers of the exotoxin of Pseudomonas aeruginosa that manages to maintain a stable concentration of this nanomedicine in the blood and tissues. Dr. Mangues explains that “this new pharmaceutical form of subcutaneous administration for sustained release allows high doses of this nanopharmaceutical to be administered, at prolonged intervals (weeks in mice and probably months in humans) without toxicity at the injection site or in normal tissues, while generating a powerful antimetastatic effect. Apart from being controlled-release systems, these nanoparticles incorporate a ligand that interacts with the receptor (CXCR4), present at high levels in the membrane of metastatic stem cells capable of generating metastases (CMM CXCR4 +). Once the new pharmaceutical form is administered subcutaneously in mice with metastatic colorectal cancer, this ligand directs each nanoparticle released by this structure to the tumor tissues, increasing their uptake, to specifically internalize in the CXCR4 + CMMs and induce their selective destruction. “This effect achieves a notable reduction in tumor size in the colon while blocking the development of lymph node, lung, liver and peritoneal metastases, without appreciable uptake or toxicity in non-tumor tissues” continous the researchers.
The researchers estimate that this new therapeutic strategy will have a high clinical impact by reducing the requirement of its hospital administration, which most antitumor drugs have, and blocking metastatic dissemination, responding to an unmet clinical need. On the other hand, this new pharmaceutical form, which combines sustained release with targeting to the CXCR4 receptor, could be used in the treatment of at least 23 types of cancer that also express high levels of this receptor in tumor cells.
The new therapy offers an answer to the urgent medical need to inhibit the development of metastases, which represents the leading cause of death in cancer patients. The selective destruction of tumor and metastatic cells increases the therapeutic index of nanomedicine, obtaining a potent antimetastatic effect without generating associated adverse effects, which differentiates it from most of the currently used antitumor drugs.
Article of reference
María Virtudes Céspedes, Olivia Cano‐Garrido, Patricia Álamo, Rita Sala, Alberto Gallardo, Naroa Serna, Aïda Falgàs, Eric Voltà‐Durán, Isolda Casanova, Alejandro Sánchez‐Chardi, Hèctor López‐Laguna, Laura Sánchez‐García, Julieta M. Sánchez, Ugutz Unzueta, Esther Vázquez, Ramón Mangues, Antonio Villaverde. Engineering Secretory Amyloids for Remote and Highly Selective Destruction of Metastatic Foci Adv.Mater.2019, 1907348
Researchers of NANBIOSIS U12 Nanostructured liquid characterization unit and U29 Oligonucleotide Synthesis Platform (OSP) of CIBER-BBN at IQAC-CSIC have obtained successfully ethylcellulose nanoparticles with positive zeta potential formed from nano-emulsion complexation with an antisense oligonucleotide which result very promising complexes for “in vitro” cell transfection.
A new non-viral gene delivery vector has been developed, based on ethylcellulose, an easily available and low cost carbohydrate polymer, “generally recognized as safe” by the FDA. Although ethylcellulose is nonionic, positively charged nanoparticle dispersions have been obtained using nano-emulsion templates in cationic:non-ionic surfactant-based systems. The nanoparticles have been successfully complexed with negatively charged phosphorothioate antisense oligonucleotides. These short nucleic acid chains are advantageous as they show improved cell penetration ability and higher resistance to degradation by nucleases. The nanoparticle:oligonucleotide complexes obtained show suitable transfection efficiency and are promising for “in vitro” gene transfection purposes.
This research has been developed through the close collaboration between the Colloidal and Interfacial Chemistry group led by Dr. Carlos Rodríguez Abreu, and the Nucleic Acids Chemistry group led by Dr. Ramon Eritja as well as the NANBIOSIS U12 and U29 Units. Both groups belong to the Institute of Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC) and the CIBER-BBN.
Article of reference: Leitner, S.; Grijalvo, S.; Solans, C.; Eritja, R.; Garcia-Celma, M. J.; Caldero, G., Ethylcellulose nanoparticles as a new “in vitro” transfection tool for antisense oligonucleotide delivery CARBOHYDRATE POLYMERS 229,1, 115451, 2020; DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2019.115451
