12/02/2024

VIDEO: Life Cycle of 'Plasmodium vivax': Highlighting New Cryptic Erythrocytic Stages

To better understand the complexity of P. vivax infections, the CaixaResearch project "Novel organ-on-a-chip technology to study extracellular vesicles-mediated cryptic infections in Plasmodium vivax malaria" has produced this video to disseminate key insights into cryptic erythrocytic infections. The initiative is led by Hernando A del Portillo and Carmen Fernandez-Becerra, group leaders of the Plasmodium vivax and Exosome Research Group (PvREX) at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) and the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP) in Spain.

22/11/2023 - Research

New guidelines for parasite studies using extracellular vesicles

A collaborative document outlining new guidelines for the isolation and characterisation of extracellular vesicles in parasitic disease research has been published in the Journal of Extracellular Biology. A research group from IGTP and ISGlobal contributed to the study, which could enhance our understanding of host-parasite interactions and advance early diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of parasite-caused diseases.

08/11/2022 - Research

Study Sets the Basis for Identifying Biomarkers of Latent Malaria Vivax Infections

Using a mouse model, the research team characterized the protein profile of small vesicles secreted by liver cells, where the latent form of the parasite hides.

21/07/2021 - Projects, Research

An ISGlobal Project on Malaria Vivax at the IGTP will Receive Funding from the CaixaResearch Programme

The project, led by Hernando A del Portillo, is one of the 30 projects selected from over 600 proposals presented in the 2021 call. The "CaixaResearch" programme on Health Research has selected 30 new cutting-edge biomedical research projects in Spain and Portugal, including the one led by Hernando A del Portillo, ICREA researcher at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) and co-affiliated with the Germans Trias i Pujol Institute (IGTP).

23/06/2021 - Research

Multiparameter Flow cytometry shines a light on interactions between human spleen cells and extracellular vesicles from Plasmodium vivax patients

The Plasmodium vivax and Exosome Research Group (PVREX) has worked closely with the Cytometry Core Facility of the IGTP to use multiparameter cytometry combined with cell purification techniques to study the complex cell populations in the human spleen. The study published in Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology also looked at the interactions extracellular vesicles taken from plasma from patients with Plasmodium vivax infections, a parasite which causes malaria, and the different types of spleen cells. This is the first time this type of study has been done using spleen samples from donors.

10/06/2021 - Research

New studies show that chronic Plasmodium vivax malaria is an infection of the spleen and most of the biomass of the parasite is found there

The new studies change the accepted facts about the biology of Plasmodium vivax, a parasite that causes an often chronic and sometimes fatal form of malaria. The work focuses on the spleen, which has been thought to be the organ that cleared malaria parasites from the blood; the new data shows that in fact it is a reservoir and nursery for the parasite. This work can explain why malaria caused by P. vivax can have a latent liver form responsible for clinical relapses together with intrasplenic parasites likely responsible for chronic asymptomatic infections, thus providing new avenues for alternative control strategies.

21/08/2020 - Research

Plasmodium vivax parasites are shown to be present and causing changes in bone marrow during Malaria Infections

Three groups from the IGTP have collaborated on a study of the parasite Plasmodium vivax with several Brazilian groups. The paper published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases provides proof of the presence of P. vivax in bone marrow during infections, something which has been controversial until now. They also showed that it disrupts normal red blood cell production, as well as altering the immune response.

22/07/2020 - Research

Advance for researchers from the IGTP and ISGLobal seeking biomarkers for Chagas disease

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) that circulate in the blood of Chagas disease patients are a valuable tool to identify potential markers of therapeutic response, according to a study led by researchers at the ISGlobal, an institution supported by "la Caixa",  and the IGTP. With this strategy, the research team identified for the first time a series of proteins, including one from the parasite, that could serve to assess the response to existing or new treatments

02/06/2020 - Research

Extracellular vesicles play an important role in the pathology of ‘Plasmodium vivax’ malaria

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) play a role in the pathogenesis of malaria vivax, according to a study led by researchers from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), an institution supported by "la Caixa", and the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP). The study was carried out at the Can Ruti Campus with the participation of the Genomics Facility of the IGTP, the Nephrology Service of the Germans Trias i Pujol Hospital and researchers from the AIDS Research Institute, IrsiCaixa. The findings, published in Nature Communications, indicate that EVs from P. vivax patients communicate with spleen fibroblasts promoting the adhesion of parasite-infected red blood cells. These data provide important insights into the pathology of vivax malaria. 

19/05/2020 - Research

The malaria parasite ‘P. vivax’ can remain in the spleen upon expression of certain proteins

The malaria parasite Plasmodium vivax can adhere to human spleen cells through the expression of so-called variant proteins. These are the conclusions of a study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global health (ISGlobal), an institution supported by "la Caixa" and the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP). The results, published in PNAS, suggest that this could represent an additional challenge to eliminating the disease.