Jaume Veciana Miró, Director of NANBIOSIS, has been awarded by the Catalan Society of Chemistry in its 2021 edition of Awards in research, education and dissemination with the Prize to the Scientific Excellence for his scientific career.
From 30 August 2021 to 29 September 2021 Jesus Usón Minimally Invasive Surgery Centre (JUMISC) has organized an on line course on Procedures and Introduction to Mesenchymal Stem Cell Culture. The course is directected by Francisco Miguel Sánchez Margallo and run by researchers of NANBIOSIS U14 Cell Therapy Unit at JUMISC
Stem cells are cells capable of differentiating into a wide variety of cell types and can be isolated from different tissues. They have regenerative and anti-inflammatory properties thanks to the secretion of paracrine factors. Currently, these cells are being widely used in clinical trials for the treatment of different diseases such as Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis or myocardial infarction.
The objectives of this course is to teach the student to work in cell culture rooms, perform stem cell isolations, as well as the maintenance, expansion and conservation of these cell lines. You will also learn to characterize and differentiate these cell lines.
Once the course is finished, the student will be able to know the necessary equipment in a cell culture laboratory, the risks derived from working in these laboratories and the basic rules that must be taken into account to work in cell culture rooms. The student will also learn to prepare culture media, isolate stem cells from different tissues and everything necessary for the maintenance, expansion and conservation of cell lines. In addition, she will be able to acquire knowledge related to the differentiation protocols to different lineages: adipogenic, osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation.
▶ DIRECTORS
Francisco Miguel Sánchez Margallo
Scientific Director of CCMIJU / Deputy Scientific Director of NANBIOSIS
Esther Lopez Nieto
Researcher at the Cell Therapy Unit of NANBIOSIS of the JUMISC
▶ TEACHERS
Dr Javier García Casado.
Scientific Director of NANBIOSIS U14 Cell Therapy Unit Postdoctoral researcher at the Cell Therapy Unit of the JUMISC
Dr Esher López.
Researcher at the Cell Therapy Unit of the JUMISC / NANBIOSIS
Federica Marinaro.
Researcher at the Cell Therapy Unit of the JUMISC / NANBIOSIS
Mª de los Angeles de Pedro
Researcher at the Cell Therapy Unit of the JUMISC / NANBIOSIS
Maria Pulido
Researcher at the Cell Therapy Unit of the JUMISC / NANBIOSIS
Veronica Alvarez.
JUMISC Superior Laboratory Technician
Information and enrollment here
Víctor Sebastián Cabeza, researcher of NANBIOSIS U9 Synthesis of Nanoparticles of CIBER-BBN and the Institute of Nanoscience and Materials of Aragón, INMA, has obtained a research grant in the XX National Contest of the Ramón Areces Foundation in the category of Life and Matter Sciences with a funding of € 112,000 for the development in 3 years of nanovesicles using microfluidic technology.
As explained by Victor Sebastian “the characterization of the nanovesicles will be carried with the equiment and expertise of NANBIOSIS Unit 9
The project entitled “Engineering of extracellular vesicles-exosomes using microfluidic technology for its application in biomedicine: ExoFluidTT” aims to develop new procedures to improve the selectivity and efficiency of therapeutic treatments, such as, for example, cancer. The nanocarriers considered in ExoFluidTT are called exosomes and are nano-sized extracellular vesicles, produced by the patient’s own cells and whose structure and composition is so complex that their production by synthetic procedures is not possible. The application of these vesicles is creating a revolution in cellular treatments, since they allow to face the problems in which artificial nanocarriers fail. However, its clinical use is complex, due to the difficulty of its production, isolation and reconfiguration for the treatment of diseases.
The ExoFLuidTT project aims to design an innovative platform based on the use of exosomes for its application in targeted therapies. The basis of this innovative platform is based on the use of microfluidic technology to obtain the exosomes of the patient’s cells. These exosomes would be isolated for their reconfiguration aimed at obtaining nanocarriers that allow the administration of drugs in a targeted manner. This microfluidic technology consists of a complex system of pipes and micrometric-scale reactors (similar to the dimensions of a human hair) that mimic the highly efficient network of blood capillaries that the human body has, so that, in an efficient way, they can be manipulate volumes of fluid on the scale of picoliters (one millionth of a drop).
This project is based on the previous experience of Víctor Sebastián Cabeza in the development of microfluidic technology for multiple uses in Catalysis, Materials Engineering and Nanobiomedicine, as well as the experience of his work team, ExoFLuidTT, in the use of exosomes as therapeutic nanocarriers. This team has recently published a study where they were able to successfully develop exosomes modified with palladium nanosheets for the selective activation of prodrugs in-vitro and to treat tumor cells selectively. The results of this work were published in the prestigious journals Nature Catalysis and Nature Protocols and open a therapeutic pathway that can have a great social impact.
The project work team, led by Víctor Sebastián, is made up of CIBER-BBN researchers Manuel Arruebo and Jesús Santamaría, all of them professors from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technologies at UNIZAR, and researchers from INMA and IISAragón . Researchers Silvia Irusta (INMA / CiberBBN / IIS Aragón) and Pilar Martín Duque (ARAID / IACS / IISAragón) collaborate with this team.
Ibane Abasolo, the Scientific Coordinator of NANBIOSIS U20 of the CIBER-BBN at the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), has been appointed new Scientific Director, replacing Simó Schwartz, who has recently assumed the Directorate of the Blood and Tissue Bank of Catalonia. With her, there are 11 women who are Scientific Directors of NANBIOSIS units (46%), with the incorporation of Nora Ventosa and Rosa Villa during the past year 2020. Ibane Abasolo has also been appointed IP of the CIBER group that coordinates unit 20 of NANBIOSIS. The female replacement in the leadership of the CIBER groups is one of the priorities of the consortium and all the recent IP substitutions of the CIBER-BBN have been appointed researchers as group leaders.
Ibane Abasolo obtained degrees in Biochemistry and Biology from the University of Navarra in 1997 and 1998, respectively. During her doctorate in the laboratories of Dr. Alfonso Calvo (CIMA, Pamplona) and Prof. Zhou Wang (Northwestern University, Chicago, USA), she studied the role of a peptide hormone, adrenomedullin, in the prostate cancer. Dr. Abasolo continued her postdoctoral training in the group of Prof. F.X. Real (IMIM, Barcelona), where she focused on the study of key factors on the progression of pancreatic cancer and the development of the cerebellum. During this time, she gained extensive experience in experimental mouse models, including all steps from the generation of new transgenic models, to the molecular and cellular characterization of existing ones. Later, Dr. Abasolo moved to the High Technology Institute (PRBB, Barcelona), where she was trained in molecular imaging techniques such as microPET, SPECT and CT.
Dr. Abasolo has been part of the CIBER-BBN since 2007, when she joined the group led by Dr. Schwartz at the Vall d’Hebron Hospital, where she launched the Functional Validation and Preclinical Research Area (FVPR) of the CIBBIM -Nanomedicine as a technological platform from which industry or academic groups can advance in the preclinical development of its compounds. In fact, FVPR is part of Unit 20 and the Singular Scientific Technical Infrastructure (ICTS) Nanbiosis and is certified with ISO9001: 2015.
As a researcher, Dr. Abasolo currently collaborates in 4 European projects (NoCanTher, EvoNano, Safe-Med-Tech and Mimic-Key) and leads many other national projects, focused on improving the treatment of lysosomal storage disorders (PI18 / 00871 from ISCIII and ExoProd funded by FIPSE) or in the study of the role of tumor stem cells in cancer progression (NanoDireCT, RETOS-Collaboration project). At CIBER-BBN, Dr. Abasolo directly coordinates 3 intramural projects and a recently awarded valorization project (ADVERT).
Acute and chronic wounds are a growing global health problem. The incidence of non-healing chronic wounds has exponentially increased with the aging of the population and chronic diseases. It has been estimated that there is a 2% prevalence of chronic wounds in the general population, which is associated with an annual estimated cost of more than US$50 billion. Biomaterial-based treatments are helpful in improving small-sized and uncomplicated ulcers. Biologic molecules, named epidermal growth factors (EGFs) have demonstrated potent therapeutic efficacy along with limited side effects, however, exogenous EGF is rapidly cleared from the topical application site.
Jaume Veciana, Nora Ventosa and co-workers have reported a soft, reliable, and scalable method based on compressed CO2 for obtaining nanoconjugates of recombinant human epidermal growth factors and nanovesicles. These nanoconjugates exhibit appropriate physicochemical properties together with an antimicrobial activity preventing infections that promote complete closure of complex wounds. Therefore, such nanoconjugates are a potential nanomedicine for the topical treatment of complex wounds, particularly diabetic foot ulcers. The article published by the medical journal Advances in Therapy was chosen to be the cover of number 6 in June.
“The use of NANBIOSIS Unit 6 of Biomaterial Processing and Nanostructuring Unit (from CIBER-BBN and ICMAB-CSIC) has allowed the obtaining of various versions of the nanoconjugates as well as their physical-chemical characteristics” – explained prof. Jaume Veciana
Article of reference: Nanoconjugates: Lidia Ferrer-Tasies, Hector Santana, Ingrid Cabrera-Puig, Elisabet González-Mira, Lídia Ballell-Hosa, Carla Castellar-Álvarez, Alba Córdoba, Josep Merlo-Mas, Haydee Gerónimo, Glay Chinea, Viviana Falcón, Evelyn Moreno-Calvo, Jan Skov Pedersen, Jessica Romero, Claudia Navarro-Requena, Calixto Valdés, Miladys Limonta, Jorge Berlanga, Santiago Sala, Eduardo Martínez, Jaume Veciana and Nora Ventosa, Recombinant Human Epidermal Growth Factor/Quatsome Nanoconjugates: A Robust Topical Delivery System for Complex Wound Healing. Adv. Therap. 2021 14 June, 2000260 [DOI]
There is a growing demand, coming from the scientific community, to carry out studies with animal models in the best conditions for them. For this reason, the need of implementing a new control and recording system of environmental conditions within the stabling rooms of the CCMIJU Animal Housing arises.
The whole process and the awarded company, General de Instalaciones y Conservación S.L., have been published in the following link of the Public Sector Contracting Platform, within the framework of the project “Updating of the Infrastructures and implementation of a document control and LIMS management system to enhance the capacities of the NANBIOSIS Distributed ICTS Units managed by the CCMIJU (AILIMS-NANBIOSIS)”
AILIMS has been co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) within the framework of the Pluriregional Operational Program of Spain (POPE) of Singular Scientific and Technical Infrastructures (ICTS) 2014-2020.
The following actions are considered in the framework of the project:
-Within Unit 22 or Animal Facility, the Installation and development of an environmental treatment-control system of the housing rooms, an Improvement and adaptation of the spaces for experimental models, the Acquisition, installation and development of a two-door ultra- filtered air shower and the Acquisition, installation and development of a post-procedural recovery chamber.
– For the rest of the NANBIOSIS Units managed by the CCMIJU: Acquisition, installation and development of a LIMS Software.
The actions and their budget are detailed below, together with the FEDER co-funded rate and the national contribution.
Deposition of Polyimide (PI-2611) via spin-coating for the fabrication of flexible free-standing structures.
Conformal deposition of Parylene (different types available)
Customer benefits
Target customer
Research groups and SMEs
References
Fabrication of 3D structures using a dual extrusion 3D printer that delivers high-quality, composite-ready performance – in a smaller footprint
Customer benefits
Possibility to access to the 3D printing equipment in self-service mode to adapt the process to the customer needs.
Target customer
Research groups and SMEs
