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News U2

News U2

1st Nanomedicine Forum of CIBER-BBN/NANBIOSIS and CSIC Nanomed Conection

During the days 30 of June and 1st of July took place in Barcelona, in the auditorium of the Institute of Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC), the 1st Forum on Nanomedicine gathering scientists from the CSIC net Nanomed Conection and from the CIBER-BBN and its ICTS NANBIOSIS.

This forum brought toguether researchers from the most eminent national research centers in nanomedicine, that during the two days meeting presented their works and findings and discussed the impact of nanomedicine in the fields of drug delivery, diagnosis and therapy.

The workshop was open by the Director of IQAC-CSIC,  Jesús Joglar, the  Scientific Coordinator of Nanomed Conection, Fernando Herranz, and the Scientific Director of CIBER-BBN, Ramón Martínez Máñez.

18 research groups gave their talks distributed in four sessions:

  • Nanobiotechnological solutions for diagnosis and therapy
  • Drug delivery nanosystems
  • Applications for oncology 
  • Nanomedicine & other frontier applications

The presentations aroused great interest and futher debate among the attendees present in the auditorium (around 50) and the on line participants (The event was also broadcast online previous registration with more than 125 registrations received).

The videos of the presentations will be soon available in the NANBIOSIS youtube channel.

Here we highlight the eight talks by researchers from NANBIOSIS units:

The first session of Nanobiotechnological solutions for diagnosis and therapy,  started  with the talk by Montserrat Rodríguez from Nb4D group NANBIOSIS U2 CAbS, from CIBER-BBN and IQAC-CSIC, entitled “Targeting aromatic amino acid metabolism for the early diagnosis of neurological diseases”, presenting their results on in vitro samples, on thermal power characterization experiments to study the thermal efficiency of non-sinusoidal stimulation and on efficiency characterization experiments in cell cultures with cancer cell liness.

Also in this session chaired by Miriam Royo, Scientific Coordinator of NANBIOSIS U3 Synthesis of Peptides Unit of  CIBER-BBN and IQAC-CSIC,  took place an interesting and passionate talk by Ramón Eritja, Scientific Director of NANBIOSIS U29 Oligonucleotide Synthesis Platform (OSP)

In the last years, interest in therapeutic applications of oligonucleotides has increased enormously, especially after the development of messenger RNA vaccines in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this way, metabolic diseases such as dyslipidemia and hereditary diseases such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy have been successfully addressed. The NANBIOSIS  Oligonucleotide Synthesis Platform (OSP) focuses on the design, synthesis and characterization of modified oligonucleotides, in order to enhance the therapeutic properties of the oligonucleotides and to improve the control of gene expression. Ramon Eritja presented their most recent results in the development of new conjugates with antiproliferative activity and in the design of DNA probes for the detection of viral genomes.

 

In the session of “Nanomedicine and other frontiers applications”, chaired by María del Puerto Morales Herrero (ICMM-CSIC), Elena Martínez Fraiz,  from the Nanobioengineering group of CIBER-BBN and IBEC running NANBIOSIS Unit 7 of Nanotechnology, presented  a nanostructured surface able to produce multivalent effects of surface-bound ephrinB1 ligands on the dynamics of oligomerization of EphB2 receptors  whic can benefit applications such as the design of new bioactive materials and drug-delivery systems.

The session of Drug delivery nanosystems, chaired by Ramón Martínez Máñez, began with the talk by Vanessa Díaz Riascos, presesnting the in vivo efficacy, biodistribution and toxicity testing of nanomedicines at NANBIOSIS U20 FVPR, of CIBER-BBN and VHIR, explaining how their texting expertise and their in vivo and ex vivo fluorescence imaging techniques facilitate a rapid and efficient preclinical development of candidates, reducing considerably the time and costs of conventional developments.


Santiago Grijalvo Torrijo, from NANBIOSIS U12 Nanostructured liquid characterization unit expoke about Nano-emulsion-derived polymeric carriers for biomedical applications also discussing the impact of the protein corona on colloidal stability, antioxidant activities, cytotoxicity and cellular uptake of drug-loaded nanoparticles.

Antoni Llopis Lorente, (NANBIOSIS U26 NMR: Biomedical Applications II), expoke about Gated silica nanoparticles for controlled release. Chemical communication, based on the exchange of molecules as messengers, allows different entities to share information, cooperate and orchestrate collective behaviors. Communication using chemical messengers (such as neurotransmitters, hormones and pheromones) is the main way of communication across the natural world; yet engineering chemical communication between micro/nanosystems is a key emergent topic in micro/nanotechnology, biomimicry and related areas. Santiago explainined recent progress by their group in the development of engineered particles for chemical communication and nanomedicine applications.

And closing the session, Mariana Köber (Nanomol Group –NANBIOSIS U6 of Biomaterial Processing and Nanostructuring Unit  from CIBER-BBN and ICMAB-CSIC) gave a talk on Quatsomes as versatile nanovesicles for biomedical applications.

In the session of Applications for Oncology, Pilar Martín Duque from NFP group – NANBIOSIS U9 Synthesis of Nanoparticles Unit of CIBER-BBN and INMA-CSIC, gave a very interesting talk explained their approach and recent progress on the search of trojan horses for an improved theragnosis of cancer.

Here we want to thank the Institute of Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC) for hosting this event and for the help in its preparation and development.

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New results evidence new biomarkers for early diagnosis of P. aeruginosa infections

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common multidrug-resistant pathogen that causes acute and chronic infections. However, P. aeruginosa, as many other bacterial species, has developed resistance to antibiotics being difficult to treat. For this reason diagnostic methods allowing detection at early  stages of the infection are required  and, therefore, efficient biomarkers of infection are very helpful. These fast diagnosis will help on the subsequent therapeutic treatment.

The Nb4D group of CIBER-BBN and IQAC-CSIC (led by M.-Pilar Marco) has recently conducted a research to develop a highly sensitive, specific and reliable immunochemical assay to detect pyocyanin (PYO), one of the most important virulence factors of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

The assay uses a high-affinity monoclonal antibody produced by the unit 2 of the ICTS NANBIOSIS Custom Antibody Service (CAbS) (Dr. Núria Pascual).

The microplate-based ELISA developed is able to achieve a limit of detection (LoD) of 0.07 nM, which is much lower than the concentrations reported to be found in clinical samples (130 µM in sputa and 2.8 µM in ear secretions). The ELISA has allowed the investigation of the release kinetics of PYO and 1-OHphz (the main metabolite of PYO) of clinical isolates from P. aeruginosa-infected patients. Significant differences have been found between clinical isolates obtained from patients suffering an acute or a chronic infection (~6,000 nM vs. ~8 nM of PYO content, respectively).

The results found point to a real potential of PYO as a biomarker of P. aeruginosa infection and the possibility to use such virulence factor also as a biomarker for patient stratification and for an effective management of these kinds of infections.

Article of referece:

Rodriguez-Urretavizcaya, B., Pascual, N., Pastells, C., Martin-Gomez, M.-T., Vilaplana, Ll.*, Marco. M.-P. (2021). “Diagnosis and Stratification of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infected Patients by Immunochemical Quantitative Determination of Pyocyanin From Clinical Bacterial Isolates.” Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology 11(1215). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmbbm.2021.104793

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Nanomedicine in the Medicine of the Future

Scientists of CIBER-BBN and NANBIOSIS ICTS have participated in the 4th Conference “Anticipating the Medicine of the Future”, which took place on November 30th, organized by the Roche Institute Foundation. The topics for this ediction had been identified by the Observatory of Trends in the Medicine of the Future: Pharmacogenomics, Nanomedicine and Epigenomic

The event counted with three roundtables for discussion in relation to the three topics. The second one, on Nanomedicine, was moderated by Joaquín Arenas, Director of the Research Institute of the 12 de Octubre University Hospital.

Ramón Martínez Máñez, Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at the Interuniversity Research Institute for Molecular Recognition and Technological Development (IDM) of the Polytechnic University of Valencia and Scientific Director of CIBER-BBN and Unit 26 of NANBIOSIS gave a talk entitled “Macro problems, nano solutions”. After that, the debate was openwith the participation of Maria Pilar Marco, Research Professor of the Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) and Coordinator of the Nanomedicine Research Program CIBER-BBN and Scientific Director of unit 2 of NANBIOSIS, CAbS, José Becerra, Emeritus Professor of of Cell Biology of the University of Malaga and Principal Investigator of CIBER-BBN, BIONAND and IBIMA and Maria Jesús Vicent, Coordinator of the Advanced Therapies Area of the Principe Felipe Research Center.

The Roundtable discussed the applications of nanomedicine in the Medicine of the Future and in Personalized Precision Medicine, as well as the challenges facing nanomedicine.

The Observatory of Trends in the Medicine of the Future, promoted by the Roche Institute Foundation, aims to generate and disseminate knowledge in areas of incipient knowledge related to Personalized Precision Medicine and that are part of the Medicine of the Future.

In this context, the fundation Instituto Roche has recently published a report on nanomedicine coordinated by Ramón Martínez in which José Becerra, María Pilar Marco and María Jesús Vicent have participated as experts.

Currently, nanoparticles or nanostructures are being applied for the controlled release of drugs in cancer and other pathologies and nanodevices for the diagnosis of diseases or the development of nanomaterials for applications in regenerative medicine. In the coming years, and with the translation into clinical practice of more and more developments based on these technologies, nanomedicine will contribute to the medicine of the future approaching the diagnosis and treatment of diseases earlier, more efficiently and in a more efficient and personalized way.

https://www.institutoroche.es/observatorio/nanomedicina

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‘Point-of-care or PoC’ devices are able to directly detect the genetic material of the virus in just 30 minutes

Twenty five Spanish researchers linked to the Higher Center for Scientific Research, CSIC, who are working more directly on the project ‘Point-of-care tests for the rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2’ – Studies for the development of technologies effective diagnosis and early detection of SARS-CoV-2- have met since last Wednesday and until this Friday at the Benasque Science Center ‘Pedro Pascual’ to analyze the state or of the different programs and lines of research on the covid-19.

After months of intense work, among the most outstanding achievements in relation to the detection of the genetic material of the virus, is the development of a series of technologies that allow this detection without the need for PCR. Researchers have managed, by designing specific probes, to directly detect the genetic material of the virus in just 30 minutes.

Dra. Pilar Marco, researchar of CSIC and Scientific Director of Nanbiosis U2 Custom Antibody Service (CAbS) – explains that “the PCR technique, which it is very sensitive and very precise, has a disadvantage in terms of time because it requires an amplification stage of this genetic material that makes the process long, this is going to revolutionize the diagnosis, not only for Covid-19, but also of other infectious diseases”.

Researcher of three units of NANBIOSIS, attended the meeting and some of them gave talks:

  • Nuria Pascual, Scientific Coordinator of NANBIOSIS U2 CAbS espoke about Antibodies production
  • Also from NANBIOSIS Unit 2, J. Pablo Salvador espoke about Immunochemical tests and .
  • Serological test of peptide epitopes were explained by Julian Guercetti.
  • Anna Avigñó, Scientific Coordinator of NANBIOSIS U29, espoke about Design of oligonucleotides for a new method in Covid-19 detection without PCR.
  • And Macarena Duran, representing MS4N group and the Peptide synthesis unit of NANBIOSIS (U3) explained the synthesis of potential SARS-COV2 epitopes that have been applied for hybridome selection for mAb and to generate epitope microarrays to analyze serological samples.

The meeting has served to share the most relevant results that have been obtained in the context of the project, as well as discussion of new strategies to address problems that have arisen throughout the project and in turn, discuss future objectives.

Other related news by NANBIOSIS:

Source of information: Heraldo de Aragón

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Nanobodies for biosening at the European Biosensor Symposium digital seminars

Next November 8, the researcher of NANBIOSIS U2 Custom Antibody Service (CAbS)  J.-Pablo Salvador will host the Seminar “Nanobodies for biosensing” in the framework of European Biosensor Symposium digital seminar series which are schedulled on the third Tuesday of every month.

Nanobodies® (Nbs) are the recombinant binding domain from the heavy chain antibodies tipically produced from camèlids.  Besides their great potential as molecules in drug development, Nanobodies possess excellent functional properties that aid in their development for diagnostic tools. In this seminar, Dr. Salvador will explain the the outstanding properties of Nanobodies. Three graduate student speaker and up to five graduate student poster presenters will will take the opportunity to show different applications in the biosensing area.

The online event will take place on 16th November at 18:00 

Registration is free.

Further information on the European Biosensor Symposium digital seminars

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High quality antibodies for very challenging projects

Researchers of Nb4D group – Unit 2 of the ICTS NANBIOSIS (led by Pilar Marco, from CIBER-BBN and the IQAC-CSIC) have participated in Expoquimia 2021, the International Chemistry Meeting, which took place from 14 to September 17 at the Fira de Barcelona.

The researchers presented their work in several projects: the FoodSmartPhone project (MSCA-ITN-720325 action), the QS4CF (RTI2018-096278-B-C21), the QS-Motion (TV32018-201825-30-31) and on the PoC4CoV project (PIE-202050E090; PTI Salud Global, CSIC).

Research at the FoodSmartPhone(MSCA-ITN-720325 action) is focus on developing devices for the monitoring of contaminants of interest in food safety through the use of mobile phones. The production of the necessary antibodies for the detection of antibiotics and pesticides has been carried out by NANBIOSIS U2 Custom Antibody Service (CAbS). These are very specific monoclonal antibodies against pesticides, used by researchers Klaudia Kopper and Julian Guercetti to bind them to the functionalized surface and implemented in plasmonic detection sensors for antibiotics in milk and electrochemical biosensors for the detection of pesticides in cereals.

The scientific activity within the QS4CF (RTI2018-096278-B-C21) and QS-Motion (TV32018-201825-30-31) is focused on the Quorum Sensing communication system as an strategy to develop more efficient and specific diagnostic tools and therapeutic approaches to diagnose and treat P. aeruginosa and S. aureus infections.

The PoC4CoV project (PTI Salud Global, CSIC) seeks a comprehensive approach to diagnose COVID-19 developing devices to detect genetic material and proteins of the SARS-CoV2 virus, but also the response of the host against the infection. High quality antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins (spike and nucleocapsid) have been produced by CAbS at NANBIOSIS

The camera flash is able to excite the functionalized surface of the chip and generate the specific response to the contaminant. This signal is picked up by the mobile through a Bluetooth connection and quantified.

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The European Researcher’s Night with NANBIOSIS’ scientists.

The European Researchers’s Nigth is a public event dedicated to the dissemination of science that is held every year in more than 300 cities in 30 countries of Europe at the same time, organized on the last Friday and Saturday of September.

This year face-to-face activities are progrmmed in different locations of Catalonian cities and also the “Nit de la Recerca” YouTube channel offers more than 20 noves microxerrades led by researchers from Catalonia.

Two NANBIOSIS’ researchers have joined this event to explain their research:

Julian GuercettiNb4D Group – NANBIOSIS U2 CAbS, from IQAC-CSIC and CIBER-BBN, will give two Face-to-face micro-talks entitled “Tell me who you hang out with and I’ll tell you … what antibodies you have!” and “Small solutions for a big pandemic

Jordi EsquenaNANBIOSIS U12 Nanostructured liquid characterization unit from IQAC-CSIC and CIBER-BBN with “Play as you know? How “kill” the virus

The European Researchers’s Nigth is a project founded by the European Commission (Horizon 2020 project EuNightCat-954506) with the aim of familiarizing the public with the research developed in Europe.

Further information:

ICMAB-CSIC

IQAC-CSIC

MSCA and Citizens page

lanitdelarecerca.cat

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European Biosensor Symposium digital seminars, co-organized by Pilar Marco

Pilar Marco, the Scientific Director of NANBIOSIS U2 , Custom Antibody Service (CAbS), and leader of the group Nanobiotechnology for Diagnostics (Nb4D) from CIBER-BBN and IQAC-CSIC, coorganises the European Biosensor Symposium digital seminar series.

The aim of these seminar series is to continue with the purpose of the European Biosensor Symposium, held in March 2021, to allow especially juior reseachers to present their research, exchange ideas and built networds.

The seminars are scheduled on the third Tuesday of every month at 18:00 CET, via zoom. Each of the seminars is organized by a host focussing on a specific topic:

  • Interferometric sensors“, hosted Claudia Pacholski, University of Potsdam, 15th June
  • Emerging biosensor technologies“, hosted by Yi Sun, DTU Health Tech, 17th August
  • Raman – Based Biosensors“, hosted by Dana Cialla May, LEibniz Institute of Photonic Tecnology. 21th September
  • Emerging trends in Bioelectronics“, hosted by Larysa Baraban, Helmholtz Center Dresden, 19th October
  • Nanobodies for Biosensing” hosted by J.Pablo Salvador, CIBER-BBN, 16th November
  • Microbial Biosensors” hosted by Galina Pankratova, DTU Health Tech, 21th December

Each seminar with one invited speaker, three graduate student speaker and up to five graduate student poster presenters.

Registration is free writting an e-mail to the corresponding hots of each session.

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Five experts explain the results of the CSIC Global Health Platform after a year of research on the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus

Margarita del Val, Pilar Marco, Mario Mellado, Diego Ramiro and Iñaki Comas will disseminate, in a webinar through YouTube, the works on the disease, diagnosis and social impact
– The platform investigates the new coronavirus in six areas: prevention, disease, containment and diagnosis, treatment and vaccines, social impact and communication

Five experts from the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) will explain in a webinar broadcast on YouTube, on Wednesday, May 5 at 6:00 p.m., the results of a year of research at the CSIC on the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus carried out by the Global Health Platform. In the session, titled El CSIC y la covid-19. A year later, five coordinators of the platform will participate: the virologist and immunologist Margarita del Val, from the Severo Ochoa Molecular Biology Center (CBMSO-CSIC-UAM), who will moderate the debate; the nanobiotechnologist Pilar Marco, who leads the group Nb4D of CIBER-BBN/IQAC-CSIC and Scientific Director of NANBIOSIS unit 2Custom Antibody Service (CAbS); the demographer Diego Ramiro, from the Institute of Economics, Geography and Demography (IEGD-CSIC), the immunologist Mario Mellado, director of the National Center for Biotechnology (CNB-CSIC), and the biologist Iñaki Comas, from the Institute of Biomedicine of Valencia (IBV -CSIC). Interested parties may ask questions via email webinar@csic.es or live through the chat on the CSIC Comunicación YouTube channel.
The CSIC Global Health Platform, launched in March 2020, coordinates more than 100 projects to unravel the new coronavirus and seek medium and long-term solutions. The platform has mobilized and coordinates more than 300 research groups from more than 90 CSIC centers, out of a total of 120, in six work topics, which try to cover all aspects of the pandemic with an interdisciplinary approach: prevention, prevention, disease, containment and diagnosis, treatment and vaccines, social impact, and communication.
The platform has coordinated 100 research projects and actions, ranging from the development of antivirals and anti-inflammatory treatments, the monitoring of transmission, the study of the virus genome and the impact of mutations, the genetics of patients, their immune response to infection and vaccination, up to the launch of systems for diagnosis and containment of the virus.
The platform has also included studies carried out on the social perception of the measures, especially on the impact on nursing homes.

The Global Health platform has become a stable structure for scientific cooperation, as well as for the generation of patented technologies. Its consolidation, reinforcing its structure and coordination mechanisms, in particular the link with the clinical sector, prepares the body to face new challenges and opportunities, and for the development of initiatives with companies in Spain, necessary to configure a response to this and future pandemics.


The speakers
Margarita del Val (CBM-CSIC-UAM) is a virologist and immunologist. She coordinates the CSIC Global Health Platform, where she directs a project to characterize the immune response to infection by the SARS-CoV-2 virus and to vaccination.
Pilar Marco (IQAC-CSIC) is a nanobiotechnologist. She runs a project (POC4COV) to develop rapid detection tests for the coronavirus. The objective is to obtain low-cost tests to detect biomarkers of the virus using electrochemical technology and nanostructures.
Mario Mellado (CNB-CSIC) is an immunologist and directs the CSIC’s National Center for Biotechnology, which has become the agency’s center on research into treatments for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. At the CNB-CSIC, two vaccine prototypes for covid-19 and treatments with monoclonal antibodies are being developed, and drugs with possible efficacy to treat the new coronavirus are being screened.
Diego Ramiro (IEGD-CSIC) is a demographer and directs three projects to assess the impact of the covid-19 pandemic on residences for the elderly.
Iñaki Comas (IBV-CSIC) is a biologist and an expert in genomics. He co-leads a genomic epidemiology project on the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in Spain. His team has observed that there were multiple introductions of SARS-CoV-2 in Spain, but that only a few caused a large number of infections.

Source of information: CSIC

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A GLOBAL VISION OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC by CSIC

A report from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) collects in open access the results of a year of research on SARS-CoV-2. The book ‘A global vision of the COVID-19 pandemic’ shows the responses and solutions obtained by the 300 research teams of the CSIC Global Health Platform. The Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC) has participated in the preparation of the chapter ‘Actions in containment and diagnosis’:

Visit CSIC website to read the full news.

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