News

Safe-n-MedTech celebrates its 48th Month Management Committee Meeting

The event brought together high-level experts from 3 continents in the field of nanotechnology.

Barcelona, March 27th, 2023

The EU funded project Safe-n-MedTech celebrated its official 48th Month Management Committee Meeting on March 7th to 9th 2023 with a private event taking place in Lisbon. The event was organized and hosted by Instituto Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes (IMM), who are partners in this project.

The Consortium had the pleasure to count with the virtual attendance of the Project Adviser, Ozlem Cangar (HADEA), who could follow the critical aspects of the project progress.

The meeting was opened by Ángel del Pozo, Deputy Manager of Programs Strategy at Biokeralty Research Institute, and Scientific and Technical Manager of the project, who offered a comprehensive overview of the latest developments concerning each of the work packages.

Following this, work package leaders and representatives from all partners presented the most significant advances in their current tasks, and highlighted the results obtained to date in each of the project’s work packages. They also had the opportunity to share the latest progress within the Test Cases that are being carried out. On the second day, the consortium established the critical tasks and timelines to fulfill for the successful completion of the project.

Prior to the main event, a business meeting was held at the facilities of IMM with the aim to discuss the next steps for the successful development of the OITB Pathway, a non-profit organization derived from this project, which will act as a single-entry point (SEP) to help technologies in health care into the market.

With less than 7 months ahead towards the end of the project it is expected that work will continue in a collaborative and committed manner to achieve the established objectives and goals. At this stage, partners are strongly focused on public relations and communication activities. Dissemination of project results is essential for long-term success.

The two and a half-day event offered all partners the opportunity to discuss about all the ongoing activities, next challenges and the best way to face them. “The project ends in 7 months, but we will continue building OITB Pathway and delivering all our services and knowledge. We have set the path with clear plans towards the future!”, Ángel del Pozo pointed.

About Safe-n-MedTech
The EU funded Safe-n-MedTech is a 4-year project that is working on an open access, innovative platform to provide the knowledge, networks and services needed for the development of nanotechnology-based medical and diagnostic devices. The objective is to offer the service to leading companies and laboratories.

For more information visit: www.safenmt.com

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NANBIOSIS U16 enlarges its capacities with a new FlexPS-ARPES-E kit

NANBIOSIS unit 16 Surface Characterization and Calorimetry Unit form CIBER-BBN and University of Extremadura has recently incorporated new equipment acquired through the execution of the project FICTS1420-14-09, cofinanced with FEDER funds, the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and Junta de Extremadura, Regional Ministry of Economy, Science and Digital Agency. A new FlexPS-ARPES-E kit, manufactured by SPECS, is now available for use by researchers

This new resource uses the technique of photoelectron spectroscopy generated by X-rays to analyze the chemical composition of a surface. The electrons given off by the irradiated surface generate a fingerprint of the molecules that make up that surface, yielding information about the chemical composition of approximately the first 10 nm (one millionth of a millimeter) of thickness, making it a technique of Last generation.

One of the advantages of the acquired equipment is that the type of analyzer it has allows for different configurations to obtain different measurement modes. Thus, depending on the application, you can choose between:

XPS/ESCA (X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy) mode: The excitation source is X-ray.

SEM/SAM (Scanning Electron Microscopy/Auger) mode: the excitation source is electrons.

UPS mode (Ultraviolet Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy): The excitation source is UV rays.

ISS (Ion Scattering Spectroscopy) mode: the excitation source is ions. This excitation source can also be used for depth profiling.

At a cost of 800,000 euros, its acquisition has been achieved thanks to financial support from the Ministry of Science and Innovation, the General Secretariat for Research and FEDER funds from the multi-regional operational program of Spain in the line of action of Singular Scientific and Technical Infrastructures ( ICTS). In addition, it has been co-financed by the Junta de Extremadura, the Ministry of Economy, Science and Digital Agenda and the General Secretariat of Science, Technology, Innovation and University.

Other equipment financed in this same action is:

A DMC8 Leica profilometer: a device that allows determining the 3D texture of surfaces through spatial, volumetric and height parameters, from the millimeter to the nanometer range.

A Krüss DSA100E/ DSA100M goniometry : system for determining the surface tension of solids and liquids. The equipment has a microdrop dosing system, a thermostatic chamber and a chamber for controlling the vapor saturation of the liquids being analysed. In addition, the microdroplet system has a tilting base that allows the samples to be tilted by at least 90°.

An additional cannon for a team of TOF-SIMs: a team of secondary ion mass spectrometry by time of flight (TOF-SIMS), a very sensitive technique for analyzing the composition of surfaces that provides detailed elemental and molecular information of coatings, layers fine lines and interfaces both at the superficial and three-dimensional level.

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A discovery in one of the most aggressive cancers will allow more efficient diagnosis

The extracellular vesicles secreted by triple-negative breast cancer stem cells are markers of lung metastasis, according to a study carried out by researchers at CIBER.

The work has been carried out by researchers from various CIBER-BBN groups (Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicia), and CIBERONC (CIBER area focused on cancer) has participated in it. The research has been led by Joaquín Seras, from the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), a specialist in targeted drug therapies.

Physicochemical EVs characterization and all the in vivo studies were performed by NANBIOSISunits of CIBER, specifically NTA analysis was carried out at Unit 6 of Biomaterial Processing and Nanostructuring, led by Nora Ventosa at ICMB-CSIC and animal experimentation at Unit 20 “In vivo experimental platform”, led by Ibane Abasolo at VHIR.

The vesicle, in cell biology, is an organelle that forms a small, closed compartment, separated from the cytoplasm by a lipid bilayer just like the cell membrane. The vesicles store, transport or digest cellular products and waste. According to Joaquin Seras, leader of the research: “the identification of this subpopulation of cancerous extracellular vesicles, and their important role in the progression of the disease, will allow in the future to develop systems more effective and less invasive diagnostic methods based on their detection directly from blood samples”.

In different types of tumors, including triple negative breast cancer, it has been observed that the extracellular vesicles generated by tumor cells play an important role in the generation of pre-metastatic niches. Triple negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive, highly plastic and heterogeneous, is characterized by a significant presence of malignant stem cells.

The study carried out by the Spanish researchers from CIBER with promising results, published in the “International Journal of Cancer”, shows, both in in vitro and in vivo models of the disease, that the vesicles actively contribute to the formation of areas with favorable conditions for the formation of metastases, thus favoring way, the spread of the disease.

Research contributions
In the opinion of Joaquin Seras, the great contribution of this work is that it “describes how the extracellular vesicles secreted by certain subpopulations of cancer cells, specifically those derived from cancer stem cells, have the potential to modify the microenvironment of the future metastatic niche to promote tumor growth.

In other words, continues the leader of the study: “the research sheds new information on the pathogenic mechanism of the disease, and suggests these extracellular vesicles as markers with diagnostic potential. It should be noted that these nanoparticles are secreted into the bloodstream by tumor cells, and effective capture and identification would allow them to be exploited as a diagnostic tool”.

On the characterization of extracellular vesicles of cancer cells
The complex composition and functional differentiation of cancer cells in a tumor also increases the heterogeneity of the subsets of vesicles secreted by cancer.

This phenomenon is particularly relevant in triple negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive, highly plastic and heterogeneous cancers, characterized by a significant presence of malignant stem cells. However, until now the diversity of the vesicles secreted by cancer cells had not been studied, a diversity that is closely related, in turn and as the study shows, to cellular heterogeneity in triple-negative tumors.

The importance of the CIBER study lies at this point: the vesicles secreted by different tumor subpopulations and grouped by their degree of differentiation show fundamentally different activities in terms of their impact on cancer progression.

In the investigation, the extracellular vesicles secreted by up to three different types of neoplastic cells have been isolated and characterized, observing different bioburdens for each type, with the consequent differential effect on stromal cells. In addition, and as the study shows, cancer stem cell-derived vesicles contribute to converting healthy lung cells into receptive niches for the metastatic growth of cancerous breast cells.

Article reference:

González-Callejo P, Gener P, Díaz-Riascos ZV, Conti S, Cámara-Sánchez P, Riera R, Mancilla S, García-Gabilondo M, Peg V, Arango D, Rosell A, Labernadie A, Trepat X, Albertazzi L, Schwartz S Jr, Seras-Franzoso J, Abasolo I. Extracellular vesicles secreted by triple-negative breast cancer stem cells trigger premetastatic niche remodeling and metastatic growth in the lungs. Int J Cancer. 2023 Jan 27. doi: 10.1002/ijc.34447. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36705298.

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Nanoparticles to modulate topography and ligand distribution at the nanoscale: impact on cell behavior

Doctor Marc Martínez from the Nanomol-Bio group – NANBIOSIS U6 from CIBER-BBN at ICMAB-CSIC, defended his PhD thesis “Nanoparticles to modulate topography and ligand distribution at the nanoscale: impact on cell behavior” on 9 March 2023 at ICMAB.

he PhD thesis was supervised by Imma Ratera, Judith Guasch and Nora Ventosa from the Nanomol-Bio group at ICMAB-CSIC.

Ana Paula Candiota Silveira, Scientific Coordinator of NANBIOSIS U25 was part of the Committee that evaluated the Thesis tooghether with Jesús Martínez de la Fuente, Instituto de Nanociencia y Materiales de Aragón (INMA-CSIC) (President), and Anna Lagunas Targarona, Institut de Bioenginyeria de Catalunya (IBEC) (Vocal).

As Marc Martínez explained in an inteview to ICMAB “I produce nanoparticles in the lab and I use them to see how cells react to them. I work at the interface between cells and materials. My research can be applied to cell culture, which can be relevant for the development of new therapies for the regeneration of organs or for building implants to replace missing organs and body parts”.

Doctor Marc Martínez’s PhD thesis was part of the PhD Programme in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biomedicine from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB).

Further information at ICMAB webpage

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Resolution of the 1st competitive call of 2023 for access to NANBIOSIS

NANBIOSIS is a Research Infrastructure for Biomedicine made up of the Platforms of the Center for Centro de Ivesntigación Biomedica en Red (CIBER- in the area of Bioengineering, Biomaterials, and Nanomedicine -CIBER-BBN), the Preclinical Infrastructure and the Development of Minimally Invasive Technologies, of the Jesús Usón Minimally Invasive Surgery Center (CCMIJU) and the Nanoimaging unit of the Biomedical Research Institute of Malaga-Nanomedicine Platform (IBIMA-BIONAND Platform).

NANBIOSIS as part of the Spanish Map of ICTS (an acronym for “Scientific and Technical Unique Infrastructures” in Spanish), approved by the Ministry of Science and Innovation, is open to all interested national and international users who may come either from the public or the private sector, and who can apply for access under the “Competitive Open Access” or “Access on Demand” modalities.

The 20% of the NANBIOSIS Units’ capacity is granted on the Competitive Open Access modality and will be prioritized according to scientific and technical quality and singularity of the applictions.

Consult the Resolution and details here

Rare diseases international day 2023: some NANBIOSIS contributions

Today is the international day of rare diseases, a day to raise awareness and instigate change for people living with a rare disease. From NANBIOSIS we want to sume to this celebration and higtligh our commitment to helping people with rare diseases through research.

Dr. Ibane Abasolo, Scientific Director of NANBIOSIS U20, was at the WORLDSymposia conference last week in Orlando (FL, USA), where the latest advances in preclinical study and clinic of lysosomal storage diseases were explained. There, she presented the results obtained in the Smart4Fabry project coordinated by the CIBER-BBN where nanoliposomes were developed for the treatment of Fabry disease. The work, entitled “Preclinical Validation of Nanoliposomes for ERT for Fabry disease”, was a result of the collaboration of the groups of Dr. Ventosa and Dr. Corchero, both from CIBER-BBN, and the participation of units U1, U3, U6, and U20 of the ICTS Nanbiosis.

In addition, today Dr. Abasolo participated in the Nano Rare Day session, organized by the NanoMedSpain platform and the Barcelona Bioengineering Institute (IBEC) at the Sant Joan de Deu Hospital in Barcelona, presented the work entitled “Use of natural and artificial nanoparticles for the treatment of lysosomal storage diseases”, where in addition to nanoliposomes, she also detailed how extracellular vesicles can be a good vehicle to improve replacement enzyme therapy in lysosomal diseases.

Also Dr. Juan Pablo Salvador from NANBIOSIS U2 CAbS has presented at in the Nano Rare Day session his talk on “Quorum Sensing to improve the management of cysticfibrosis“, explaining the difficulty of quickly identifying bacterial infections, which are common in patients with Cystic Fibrosis. In this sense, “Quorum Sensing”, a microbial communication mechanism through which the cells themselves regulate the expression of genes based on cell density, can help identify biomarkers and improve the management of cystic fibrosis.

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New method for the detection of RNA viruses such as SARS-CoV-2

Several CIBER-BBN groups at the University of Barcelona, the Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC), the Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona (IMB-CNM-CSIC) and the Institute of Nanoscience and Materials of Aragon (INMA) —a joint institute of the CSIC and the University of Zaragoza (UNIZAR)— have developed a new method for detecting RNA viruses based on the technology of using probes that form triplex structures. This innovative methodology opens up new options to detect viruses such as SARS-CoV-2, the influenza A (H1N1) virus or the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a pathogen that affects newborns and requires differential diagnostic care.

This interdisciplinary work, published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, is led by Carlos J. Ciudad and Verónica Noé, from the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences and the Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (IN2UB) of the University of Barcelona ; Ramón Eritja, Anna Aviñó, Lluïsa Vilaplana and M.Pilar Marco, from IQAC-CSIC and CIBER-BBN; Manuel Gutiérrez, Antoni Baldi and César Fernández, from the IMB-CNM-CSIC, and Valeria Grazu and Jesús Martínez, CSIC researchers at the Institute of Nanoscience and Materials and Aragon INMA (CSIC-UNIZAR) and CIBER-BBN.

The research has counted with the expertise of two NANBIOSIS Units from CIBER-BBN and IQAC-CSIC; NANBIOSIS U2 Customized Antibody Service (CAbS), led by Pilar Marco and Nuria Pascual, and U29 Oligonucleotide Synthesis Platform (OSP), led by Ramón Eritja and Anna Avinó.

This research work was carried out in the context of the PoC4CoV project, led by M. Pilar Marco and César Fernández and financed through the Interdisciplinary Thematic Platform of Global Health of the CSIC. Subsequently, the research has continued as part of a project financed by La Marató de TV3 in 2020 to fight against COVID-19 in which experts from the Faculty of Chemistry of the UB also participate.

Polypurine tweezers to capture viral RNA
The new methodology is based on the ability of polypurine tweezers (PPRHs) —designed by the UB cancer therapy group— to capture viral RNA and form a high affinity triplex. When this hybrid structure is connected to a molecular probe and is brought into contact with the affected patient’s sample, a viral agent detection signal is obtained. The method now presented in the scientific publication has been called the Triplex Enhanced Nucleic Acid Detection Assay (TENADA).

“PPRHs are unmodified single-stranded DNA hairpins that are made up of two mirror domains of antiparallel polypurines. These domains, connected to each other by a thymidine loop, are linked by intramolecular reverse Hoogsteen bonds. Molecular tweezers can specifically bind to polypyrimidine sequences in single-stranded (ssDNA), double-stranded (dsDNA) or RNA viruses through Watson-Crick bonds, thus forming an antiparallel triplex”, details Professor Carlos J. Ciudad, from the Department of Biochemistry and Physiology of the UB.

An effective and faster methodology than the PCR test
Among the advantages that it presents in the detection of viral RNA, it should be noted that the PPRHs methodology can be applied without the intervention of reverse transcriptase —the enzyme that converts RNA into DNA— or the thermocycler (the device that amplifies the material samples). DNA with polymerase chain reaction or PCR). In addition, it has a sensitivity and specificity equivalent to that of the PCR test and can provide results in less than an hour.

In the framework of the work, the team used the hybridization sandwich format in various biosensing devices. This approach uses two oligonucleotides: a triplex-forming PPRH hairpin to serve as the capture probe, and a labeled duplex-forming DNA oligonucleotide to serve as the detection probe.

“The triplex-forming PPRH hairpins were designed to bind to SARS-CoV-2 polypyrimidine sequences, while the detection probes were designed to complement a region near the polypyrimidine target site. Thus, the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA is detected by the formation of the ternary complex on the surface of the biosensor”, details Professor Verónica Noé (UB-IN2UB).

This methodology has been implemented in a compact electrochemical device that integrates an electrochemical cell with two electrodes on a chip —manufactured in the Micro and Nanofabrication White Room of the IMB-CNM-CSIC— and a paper fluidic component, and in a Lateral thermal flow implemented in nitrocellulose and using plasmonic nanoparticles and thermal paper that has been developed at the INMA (CSIC-UNIZAR).

TENADA: applications in biomedical research
PPRHs are described in the scientific literature as gene silencing tools for various genes mainly involved in cancer. In addition, they have also been incorporated as probes in biosensors for the detection of small RNA molecules (micro-RNA) to determine the state of DNA methylation and for the diagnosis of pneumonia caused by the fungus Pneumocystis jirovecii.

Now, the new TENADA methodology proves to be effective not only in the detection of viral particles. The high affinity of PPRHs for viral RNA is a property that can be applied to inhibit the virus replication process. For this reason, the antiviral properties of CC1PPRH and CC2PPRH polypurine clamps in cells of the VeroE6 lineage infected with SARS-CoV-2 virions are now also being studied.

In parallel, the work of the different groups involved has also been the basis of a technology that was patented and licensed in July 2022 through the participation of the UB Patent Center, the CSIC and the CIBER-BBN. In turn, this patent has been licensed non-exclusively to the Spanish company Nanoinmunotech through the management of the Bosch i Gimpera Foundation (FBG-UB) in the technology protection process and the company’s license agreement. .

Article of reference:

Aviñó, A.; Cuestas-Ayllón, C.; Gutiérrez-Capitán, M.; Vilaplana, L.; Grazu, V.; Noé, V.; Balada, E.; Baldi, A.; Félix, A.J.; Aubets, E.; Valiuska, S.; Domínguez, A.; Gargallo, R.; Eritja, R.; Marco, M.-P.; Fernández-Sánchez, C.; Martínez de la Fuente, J.; Ciudad, C.J. «Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Virus by Triplex Enhanced Nucleic Acid Detection Assay (TENADA)». International Journal of Molecular Sciences, diciembre de 2022. Doi:10.3390/ijms232315258

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“CIBER is collaboration”

CIBER Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red (Consortium for Biomedical Research Network), one of the ICTS NANBIOSIS nodes to which 18 of its 26 units belong, presents the new institutional video “CIBER is Collaboration”

This video puts a face to the scientific activity of CIBER researchers and highlights CIBER capacity for synergy. CIBER researchers speak about the main research lines of its 13 subject areas and highlights the collaboration between its more than 500 groups and more than 6,000 researchers belonging to more than 100 institutions of different natures that make up CIBER: hospitals, research centers, universities, foundations, etc.

The ICTS NANBIOSIS, created between CIBER and the Jesús Usón Minimally Invasive Surgery Center in 2014, (to which Bionand joined in 2019 as a third node), is a clear example of CIBER’s capacity for synergy, bringing together 3 nodes and 26 units or platforms research to provide cutting-edge solutions to the problems faced by researchers in bio and nanomedicine.

Likewise, the video highlights some of the most relevant CIBER projects as well as the importance of technology transfer and scientific dissemination.

The researcher Elisabeth Prats is one of the “faces” in the video. She is part of the NANBIOSIS Unit 8 Micro– Nano Technology Unit at IMB-CNM CSIC

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You are here : Home / News (Page 9)

New look of Nb4D – CAbS (NANBIOSIS U2) “Revolutionising Diagnosis”

NABIHEAL project launches website

Safe-n-MedTech celebrates its 48th Month Management Committee Meeting

NANBIOSIS U16 enlarges its capacities with a new FlexPS-ARPES-E kit

A discovery in one of the most aggressive cancers will allow more efficient diagnosis

Nanoparticles to modulate topography and ligand distribution at the nanoscale: impact on cell behavior

Resolution of the 1st competitive call of 2023 for access to NANBIOSIS

Rare diseases international day 2023: some NANBIOSIS contributions

New method for the detection of RNA viruses such as SARS-CoV-2

“CIBER is collaboration”