About
This research group aims to uncover the mechanisms and molecular pathways driving cancer cell programs and progression using cutting-edge genomic technologies and with a primary focus on colorectal cancer. Its research also extends to other cancer types and genetic diseases.
The team’s current interests lie in the development of technical and bioinformatic tools that facilitate the processing and interpretation of genomic and epigenomic data, bridging the gap between next-generation technologies and clinical applications. To this end, they have created web applications and tools that make it easier to manage and access genomic data. For the study of colorectal tumorigenesis and cell differentiation processes they use human samples and in vitro models to create reference frameworks and working models for understanding the mechanisms behind malignant transformation.
The research group has also developed novel methods to interrogate genetic and epigenetic information, and established a spin-off company to translate these advances in genomic and epigenomic technologies into clinical practice. Finally, the group has developed a technique to pinpoint the epigenetic state of the "dark genome" with the aim of understanding the functional properties of specific repeat elements and how they contribute to genome regulation colon cancer cells.
Keywords: Colorectal cancer, epigenetics, biomarker, integrative molecular profiling, tumour progression.
Group leader
- Miguel Ángel Peinado
Miguel Ángel Peinado
Miguel A. Peinado has a degree in Biology (Univiversity of Barcelona) and a long track of research at Hospital Clínic (Master’s thesis, 1985-1986), Hospital de Sant Pau (PhD, 1986-1989), California Inst. Biol. Res (postdoc, 1990), IRO (reincorporation contract, 1992) and as a principal investigator at IRO (1992-2005), IDIBELL (2005-2007), IMPPC (2007-2015) and IGTP (2016-). He has also had management responsibilities as Department director at IRO, Scientific coordinator at IMPPC and Deputy Director at IGTP. Currently, Peinado is codirector of the Cancer Research Translational Program (CARE) of IGTP.
MA Peinado has participated in more than 25 research projects and has published >140 research articles, including leading multidisciplinary journals such as Nature, Science, NEJM and PNAS, and specialised journals in the fields of Genetics (Nat Genet, Nucl Acids Res, Genome Res, etc) and Cancer (JNCI, Cancer Res, J Clin Oncol, Cancer Cell, etc.). MA Peinado has also led research contracts with industry and is coinventor of five patents. Since 2015, he is CSO of Aniling, a start-up company dedicated to accelerating the transfer of Epigenetics advances to Medicine through the development of NGS technologies.
Contact: mpeinado(ELIMINAR)@igtp.cat
ORCID: 0000-0002-4090-793X
Research lines
The main focus of this research group is the characterisation of the molecular mechanisms underlying cell programs and the identification of molecular markers with clinical application. The specific topics currently being developed in the lab include:
- Chromatin architecture in cell differentiation and cancer
- The role of repeat elements in genome structure and function
- Clinically oriented research on the epigenetic changes involved in human cancer
Active projects
Enabling personalized colorectal cancer management by coupling unified genetic and epigenetic testing to organoid-based treatment screening (Spot & Hit)
PI: L. Coll
Funding agency: Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MCINN)
Agency code: CPP2021-008602
Duration: 2022 - 2025
Proyecto CPP2021-008602 financiado por:
Proyecto CPP2021-008602 financiado por MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 y por la Unión Europea NextGenerationEU/ PRTR
Integration of specific and interspersed genetic and epigenetic signals as a multi-tool to type colorectal cancer (GEALUS)
PI: MA Peinado
Funding agency: Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MCINN)
Agency code: PID2021-124315OB-I00
Duration: 2022 - 2025
Past projects
DEEP-GEUS: a new Artificial Intelligence assisted integrative genomic diagnostics system of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
Funding agency: Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico Industrial (CDTI)
Agency code: IDI-20191104
Duration: 2019 - 2023
Germline predisposition to serrated polyposis syndrome: functional charaterization of candidate genes by CRISPR-CAS and organoid modeling
PI: S. Castellví
Funding agency: Fundació Marató de TV3
Agency code: 2019 2020008
Duration: 2021 - 2023
Use of artificial intelligence and systems biology for diagnosis and personalized risk assessment for inherited kidney diseases, focusing on Alport Syndrome
PIs: R Torra, MA Peinado, A Ortiz, M Vallverdú
Funding agency: Fundació Marató de TV3
Agency code: 22/C/2020
Duration: 2021 - 2023
Scientific publications
Highlighted publications
Mallona I, Díez-Villanueva A, Martín B, Peinado MA. Chainy: an universal tool for standardized relative quantification in real-time PCR. Bioinformatics. 2017 May 1;33(9):1411-1413. DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btw839.
Jordà M, Díez-Villanueva A, Mallona I, Martín B, Lois S, Barrera V, Esteller M, Vavouri T, Peinado MA. The epigenetic landscape of Alu repeats delineates the structural and functional genomic architecture of colon cancer cells. Genome Res. 2017 Jan;27(1):118-132. DOI: 10.1101/gr.207522.116.
Barrera V, Peinado MA. Evaluation of single CpG sites as proxies of CpG island methylation states at the genome scale. Nucleic Acids Res. 2012 Dec;40(22):11490-8. DOI: 10.1093/nar/gks928.
Rodriguez J, Muñoz M, Vives L, Frangou CG, Groudine M, Peinado MA. Bivalent domains enforce transcriptional memory of DNA methylated genes in cancer cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2008 Dec 16;105(50):19809-14. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0810133105.
Wang Y, Jorda M, Jones PL, Maleszka R, Ling X, Robertson HM, Mizzen CA, Peinado MA, Robinson GE. Functional CpG methylation system in a social insect. Science. 2006 Oct 27;314(5799):645-7. DOI: 10.1126/science.1135213.
Rodriguez J, Frigola J, Vendrell E, Risques RA, Fraga MF, Morales C, Moreno V, Esteller M, Capellà G, Ribas M, Peinado MA. Chromosomal instability correlates with genome-wide DNA demethylation in human primary colorectal cancers. Cancer Res. 2006 Sep 1;66(17):8462-9468. DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-06-0293.
Frigola J, Song J, Stirzaker C, Hinshelwood RA, Peinado MA, Clark SJ. Epigenetic remodeling in colorectal cancer results in coordinate gene suppression across an entire chromosome band. Nat Genet. 2006 May;38(5):540-9. DOI: 10.1038/ng1781.
Risques RA, Moreno V, Ribas M, Marcuello E, Capellà G, Peinado MA. Genetic pathways and genome-wide determinants of clinical outcome in colorectal cancer. Cancer Res. 2003 Nov 1;63(21):7206-14. PMID: 14612515.
González-García I, Moreno V, Navarro M, Martí-Ragué J, Marcuello E, Benasco C, Campos O, Capellà G, Peinado MA. Standardized approach for microsatellite instability detection in colorectal carcinomas. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2000 Apr 5;92(7):544-9. DOI: 10.1093/jnci/92.7.544.
Arribas R, Capellà G, Tórtola S, Masramon L, Grizzle WE, Perucho M, Peinado MA. Assessment of genomic damage in colorectal cancer by DNA fingerprinting: prognostic applications. J Clin Oncol. 1997 Oct;15(10):3230-40. DOI: 10.1200/JCO.1997.15.10.3230.
News
Translational Program in Cancer Research II Workshop: A hub for research and collaboration
The second CARE Workshop, held on 9-10 October, brought together more than 70 researchers from across the cancer research community at the Can Ruti Biomedical Campus for two days of scientific exchange. The event served as a platform for sharing the current cancer research being developed on the Campus and fostering stronger connections among researchers.
Researcher Sofía España receives a €140,000 grant from the Spanish Association Against Cancer
Dr Sofía España, a researcher from the Cancer Mechanisms and Pathways Group at IGTP and the Badalona Applied Research Group in Oncology (B·ARGO) IGTP-Institut Català d'Oncologia (ICO), has been awarded one of the prestigious Clínico Junior Grants by the Spanish Association Against Cancer. This grant will enable her to balance her clinical duties with research, focusing on the development of a minimally invasive diagnostic tool to classify different types of colorectal cancer, advancing towards precision medicine.
Contact
(+34) 93 554 3057
More links
Online tools and group information · Spin-off company Aniling · This group is a BIB Partner