About
The Research Group on Oropharyngeal Dysphagia and Neurogastroenterology is made up of senior researchers, postdoctoral researchers and fellows from Hospital de Mataró. The group is a part of the Research Consortium CIBERehd (Spanish Ministry of Science) since 2007 (CB06/04/1087).
The goal of the group is to study the physiology of gastrointestinal motility and the pathophysiology of diseases associated with alterations of gastrointestinal motility, which are prevalent diseases with a high impact on health and quality of life of the population. The team combines basic and clinical researchers organised around the Mataró General Hospital and the Department of Physiology at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), and translates its research activity into clinical practice (Clinical Guidelines).
The group has been recognised and funded by the Agency for Management of University and Research Grants of the Government of Catalonia (2009 SGR708 / 2014 SGR789 / 2017 SGR772 / 2021 SGR/01344) and CIBEREHD (CIBERehd CB06/04/1087 - Grupo de Investigación para el estudio de la motilidad intestinal). It has received the 2024 Professional Excellence Award from the Barcelona Medical Association for Research in Orofaringea Dysphagia.
Keywords: Swallowing disorders, oropharyngeal dysphagia, neurogastroenterology, aging, stroke.
Group leader
- Pere Clavé Civit, MD, PhD
Pere Clavé Civit, MD, PhD
Pere Clavé is a digestive surgeon, professor at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and director of Research and Innovation at Consorci Sanitari del Maresme. He has an extensive career in research, more specifically in GI physiology, being the founding president of the European Society for Swallowing Disorders (ESSD) and founder of Fundació per a la Recerca en Gastroenterologia (FUREGA – Gastroenterology Research Foundation). Dr Clavé leads the Research Group on Oropharyngeal Dysphagia and Neurogastroenterology at Hospital de Mataró, a multidisciplinary team that works in conjunction for the diagnosis, treatment and research of oropharyngeal dysphagia; he is also principal investigator of the CIBERehd (Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III) group on Gastrointestinal Physiology. His proactivity in spreading knowledge on dysphagia to professionals from all over the world is well known: he is the director of the Master's Degree and Postgraduate Diploma on Swallowing Disorders, multidisciplinary courses offered by UAB, and is also the coordinator of an online practicum available for SLP students at UAB focused on dysphagia.
Contact: pere.clave(ELIMINAR)@ciberehd.org
ORCID: 0000-0002-0696-8560 - Omar Ortega Fernández, MSc, PhD
- Noemí Tomsen, PhD
Team
Neurologists
Ernest Palomeras, MD, PhD(ELIMINAR)
Desiree Muriana Batiste, MD, PhD(ELIMINAR)
Antonio Cano Orgaz, MD, PhD(ELIMINAR)
Virginia Casado Ruiz, MD, PhD(ELIMINAR)
Nicolau Guanyabens Buscà, MD
Postdoctoral researchers
Mireia Bolívar Prados, PhD(ELIMINAR)
Alberto Martín Martínez, PhD(ELIMINAR)
Neus Gimenez Carabaza, PhD(ELIMINAR)
Paula Viñas Beumala, PhD(ELIMINAR)
Sergio Marin Rubio, PhD(ELIMINAR)
Kovan Ismael Mohammed, PhD(ELIMINAR)
Silvia Carrión Bolorino, MD, PhD
Lluís Mundet Pons, PhD
Alba Raventós Villalba, PhD
Miguel Martínez Guillén, MD, PhD
PhD students
Cristina Amadó Ruiz(ELIMINAR)
Jordi Sureda Reina(ELIMINAR)
Clàudia Sitges Milà, MD
Abril Teixidor Casellas
Jorge Iván MA Castañeda Maldonado
Daniel Españo López
External scientific advisor
Ricard Farré Martí, PhD(ELIMINAR)
Laboratory technician
Adrian Núñez Lara(ELIMINAR)
Research dietitians
Marta Santiago Carrasco(ELIMINAR)
Laura Minguella Enriquez
Data scientist
Adil El Haji(ELIMINAR)
Others
Laura Chércoles Molina
Laia Angulo Anello
Research lines
Oropharyngeal dysphagia: pathophysiology and neurophysiology
PIs: Pere Clavé, Omar Ortega, Noemí Tomsen
Oropharyngeal dysphagia (OD) is a common swallowing disorder affecting more than 50% of hospitalised older patients and those who have experienced stroke or other neurological diseases. OD leads to severe nutritional and respiratory complications. Despite this, OD remains under-recognised and underdiagnosed, and there is currently no specific pharmacological treatment because the underlying therapeutic targets are still poorly understood.
The group's objective is to gain a deeper understanding of the pathophysiology of OD, particularly the cerebral swallowing network, in order to develop new treatments. These studies have represented a major methodological and conceptual advance for the group, enabling the assessment of both the sensory or afferent pathway (pharyngeal sensory evoked potentials following intrapharyngeal electrical stimulation) and the motor swallowing pathway (pharyngeal motor evoked potentials following transcranial magnetic stimulation).
The development of this research line has provided an in-depth understanding of the pathophysiology of OD across different patient phenotypes, demonstrating that impaired swallowing response is not only biomechanical but also neurophysiological.
Oropharyngeal dysphagia: complications and compensatory interventions
PIs: Pere Clavé, Omar Ortega, Paula Viñas, Alberto Martín
OD may lead to two groups of severe complications with a major impact on patients' health and quality of life: a) if swallowing is ineffective, patients may develop malnutrition and/or dehydration; and b) if swallowing safety is impaired, tracheobronchial aspiration may occur, potentially causing pneumonia. The group's main objective is to study the risk factors associated with these complications and to develop protocols aimed at reducing their incidence through minimally invasive compensatory strategies, including fluid and diet adaptation, nutritional supplementation, and oral hygiene interventions.
Another objective of this research line is the quantitative characterisation of food fluids and texture-modified diets. Regarding fluids, the group evaluates viscosity (mPa·s) at two shear rates associated with swallowing, as well as the effect of alpha-amylase (oral enzyme activity). In relation to solid textures, by quantifying maximum force (N), adhesiveness (N·s), cohesiveness, and the impact of oral processing and mastication, the group is establishing optimal values to define objective criteria for texture-modified diets prescribed to patients with swallowing and chewing disorders.
Novel treatments for oropharyngeal dysphagia: peripheral and central neurostimulation
PIs: Pere Clavé, Noemí Tomsen, Omar Ortega
The aim of this research line is to develop new neurorehabilitation treatments - including pharmacological stimulation, intrapharyngeal or transcutaneous electrical stimulation, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) - in order to move from compensation towards recovery of swallowing function.
Peripheral stimulation research focuses on developing active treatments specifically designed to rehabilitate swallowing function through oropharyngeal chemical stimulation, with agonists of Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) channels showing the most promising results. The group has also demonstrated the potential of peripheral sensory stimulation using transcutaneous or intrapharyngeal electrical stimulation.
Central stimulation research focuses on the effects of non-invasive brain stimulation using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS).
The group evaluates the immediate (acute studies), medium-term (subacute studies), and long-term effects of these treatments, as well as their mechanisms of action. In all studies, the therapeutic effects on both the biomechanical and neurophysiological swallowing response are assessed, including both afferent and efferent pathways, together with cerebral activation and neurotopography, and salivary neuropeptides SP and CGRP.
Digestive and anorectal motility disorders and pelvic floor pathology
PIs: Pere Clavé, Lluís Mundet, Alba Raventós
This research line focuses on the study of faecal incontinence (FI) and functional constipation (FC), integrating expertise from nursing, gastroenterology, psychology, and colorectal surgery. The objective is to investigate the prevalence and pathophysiology of FI and FC, particularly in women, in order to develop novel therapeutic strategies.
The group's work includes the design of personalised treatment algorithms, functional diagnostic assessments, and collaborative approaches aimed at improving patient care and outcomes.
Big data and artificial intelligence tools for the large-scale screening of prevalent diseases
PIs: Pere Clavé, Alberto Martín, Neus Giménez
As a result of this research line, the group developed AIMS RISK (Artificial Intelligence Massive Screening - RISK), an artificial intelligence-based software platform that automatically provides clinicians with real-time risk assessments for several geriatric syndromes directly through clinical workstations. The software analyses information collected from electronic health records in order to enable systematic and universal screening. This represents an innovative solution to the challenge of underdiagnosis of geriatric syndromes in older patients across different levels of care.
AIMS-RISK has been selected for two start-up acceleration programmes (CaixaImpulse by "la Caixa" Foundation and StartHealth by TecnoCampus) in order to assess the asset and support the creation of a spin-off for technology transfer.
Additional projects currently under development in this laboratory and planned for the next three years include: a) analysis of clinical signals from electroencephalography, videofluoroscopy, oesophageal manometry, and mastication in patients with OD; and b) extraction of information from medical reports using transfer learning techniques and Natural Language Processing (NLP).
Gastro-oesophageal motility
PI: Pere Clavé, Ricard Farré, Silvia Carrión
The aim of this research line is to improve understanding of oesophageal, gastrointestinal, and bladder motility in order to determine their relationship with appetite regulation in different population groups, including robust and frail older adults, individuals with obesity, and patients who have undergone bariatric surgery. Specifically, the research focuses on identifying alterations in gastrointestinal motility or in the neurohormonal system regulating appetite and satiety, studying gastrointestinal motility disorders and neurohormonal appetite control in obesity, and analysing the physiological changes induced by restrictive bariatric surgery and associated hormonal alterations.
Clinical studies on oesophageal motility during this new research period continue to focus on: a) investigating the pathophysiology of gastro-oesophageal reflux occurring after surgery for morbid obesity, which may affect up to 50% of patients, as well as in post-cholecystectomy patients; and b) characterising motor patterns in patients with oesophageal achalasia and primary motility disorders before and after treatment.
In this field, the group collaborates closely with Professor Farré, who trained within the same team and is currently Professor at the University of Leuven, in studying the role of alterations in epithelial physiology, including barrier function, in the pathophysiology of disorders affecting the upper gastrointestinal tract (non-erosive reflux disease and functional dyspepsia). The collaboration also investigates the role of TRPs and acid-sensitive ion channels (ASICs), located in the submucosal plexus, in water secretion within the upper gastrointestinal tract.
Basic gastrointestinal studies
PIs: Pere Clavé, Noemí Tomsen, Ricard Farré
The aim of this research line is to describe the basic mechanisms involved in all gastrointestinal disorders studied within the group's laboratory, focusing on:
- In vitro gastrointestinal motility studies using organ baths to establish motility alterations at the neurotransmission and muscular levels occurring during different stages of disease progression and as a result of interactions with immune cells, as well as to evaluate novel therapeutic targets.
- Localisation and quantification of TRP and ASIC receptors in human oropharyngeal samples using RT-qPCR, immunohistochemistry, and Western blot techniques.
- Quantification of SP and CGRP in blood and saliva using ELISA in order to identify peripheral biomarkers of pharyngeal sensory impairment and responsiveness to neurostimulation treatments. The ultimate goal is to determine which neurotransmitters could be used as non-invasive biomarkers of clinical response to peripheral sensory stimulation in patients with dysphagia of neurological or ageing-related origin.
- Characterisation of the humoral immunological alterations present in patients with OD that facilitate the development of infectious complications associated with dysphagia, such as respiratory infections and aspiration pneumonia.
Active projects
Hidrocoloides con agonistas TRP para tratar la disfagia orofaríngea en personas mayores: de la investigación básica a la clínica
PI: Noemí Tomsen
Co-PI: Pere Clavé
Funding agency: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)
Agency code: ICI25/00044
Duration: 2026-2029
Efectos biomecanicos, neurofisiologicos y clinicos de 6 meses de estimulacion con agonistas TRPV1 y TRPA1 en pacientes ancianos con disfagia orofaríngea
PI: Pere Clavé
Co-PI: Omar Ortega
Funding agency: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)
Agency code: PI22/01101
End date: 2025 (extended 2027)
Projectes Transformadors en Salut: Implantació d'un protocol d'innovació assistencial pel maneig de disfàgia orofaríngea: cribatge sistemàtic i protocol·lització del tractament compensatori
PI: Pere Clavé
Funding agency: Servei Català de la Salut
Duration: 2022 - 2026
Effect of standardization of screening, diagnosis and treatment of aspiration pneumonia in hospitalized older patients with community-acquired pneumonia
PI: Omar Ortega
Co-PI: Ramon Boixeda
Funding agency: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)
Agency code: PI25/01440
Duration: 2026-2028
Bioactive hydrocolloids releasing TRP agonists as an active treatment for oropharyngeal dysphagia
PI: Pere Clavé
Co-PI: Noemí Tomsen
Funding agency: Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR)
Agency code: 2025 LLAV 00100
Duration: 2025-2026
Treatment of post-stroke oropharyngeal dysphagia with paired stimulation through peripheral TRVP1 agonists and non-invasive brain stimulation
PI: Pere Clavé, Omar Ortega
Funding agency: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)
Agency code: ICI20/00117
Duration: 2020 - 2024 (extended until 2026)
Past projects
Efecto subagudo de la estimulación sensorial farmacológica de la orofaringe mediante agonistas de los receptores TRP en la neurofisiología de la deglución en ancianos con disfagia orofaríngea
PI: Pere Clavé, Omar Ortega
Funding agency: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)
Agency code: PI18/00241
Start date: 2018
End date: 2022
Validació de artificial intelligence massive screening-malnutrition (AIMS-MN) per el cribratge massiu de malnutricio i priorització del diagnòstic clínic
PI: Pere Clavé
Funding agency: PERIS. Departament de Salut de la Generalitat de Catalunya
Agency code: SLT033/23/000063
Duration: 2022 - 2023
AIMS-OD, a systematic screening for oropharyngeal dysphagia in hospitals using Artificial Intelligence
PI: Alberto Martín
Funding agency: Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR) - Generalitat de Catalunya
Agency code: 2021 PROD 00193
Duration: 2022 - 2024
Grup de Recerca en Disfàgia Orofaríngia i Neurogastroenterologia (DYSPOD). SGR consolidated group
PI: Pere Clavé
Funding agency: Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR) - Generalitat de Catalunya
Agency code: 2021 SGR 01344
The Territorial Competitiveness Specialization Project (PECT) of Mataro-Maresme
PI: Alberto Martín
Funding agency: Generalitat de Catalunya within the framework of the European Regional Developments Funds of Catalonia Operational Programme 2019-2024
Agency code: PRE/161/2019
Duration: 2020 - 2023
CaixaImpulse Validate: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN THE SERVICE OF SYSTEMATIC DYSPHAGIA SCREENING - AIMS-OD
PI: Alberto Martín
Funding agency: Fundació la Caixa
Agency code: CI20-00158
Duration: 2020 - 2023
Scientific publications
Highlighted publications
Tomsen N, Guanyabens N, Clavé P, Ortega O. A Randomized Clinical Trial on the Effect of a Two-Week Treatment with Capsaicin on Older Patients with Oropharyngeal Dysphagia. Curr Neuropharmacol. 2025 Oct 27. DOI: 10.2174/011570159X374720250930055705.
Martín-Martínez A, Sitges-Milà C, Miró J, Amadó C, Boixeda R, Yoshimatsu Y, Melgaard D, Clavé P, Ortega O. Assessing the prevalence and the underdiagnosis of aspiration pneumonia among older hospitalized patients with community-acquired pneumonia using an artificial intelligence algorithm. Pneumonia (Nathan). 2025 Sep 25;17(1):23. DOI: 10.1186/s41479-025-00175-x.
Ismael-Mohammed K, Bolivar-Prados M, Laguna L, Nuñez Lara A, Cera M, Viñas P, Clavé P. The Effectiveness of Fork-Mashable Dishes in Managing Older Patients with Mastication and Swallowing Impairments. Foods. 2025 May 13;14(10):1723. DOI: 10.3390/foods14101723.
Viñas P, Clavé P, Tomsen N. Prevalence of dehydration in older hospitalized patients with oropharyngeal dysphagia. Geroscience. 2025 Apr;47(2):2495-2505. DOI: 10.1007/s11357-024-01448-x.
Mundet L, Karunaratne TB, Ortega O, Raventós A, Clavé P. Study of the Corticoanorectal Neurophysiology in Women With Fecal Incontinence. Am J Gastroenterol. 2025 Jan 10. DOI: 10.14309/ajg.0000000000003295.
Additional information
AIMS-OD
The research group has built the spin-off Artificial Intelligence Massive Screening - Medical S.L. (AIMS-Medical) on April 22, 2022 in Barcelona (B10622793). The registered office is Av. Ernest Lluch, 32 - 08302 Mataró (Barcelona). It is the first Spin-off of the Consorci Sanitari del Maresme, created to carry out the technology transfer of the Artificial Intelligence Massive Screening - Oropharyngeal Dysphagia (AIMS-OD) project, with patent number P201931028 (OEPM) and PCT (PCT/ES2020/070723).
CareCityLab (CCL)
Several members of the research group participate in the CCL, a new research and innovation centre in the Maresme region (Catalonia, Spain) focused on patient-centred care and citizen science, involving several institutions (Consorci Sanitari del Maresme, Fundació Privada Salut del Consorci Sanitari del Maresme, TecnoCampus, Fundació Hospital, Ajuntament de Mataró, Fundació Maresme (FM), Eurecat, ICS, and IDIAP Jordi Gol). The activities of the CCL are organised into three areas: 1. services for people; 2. Research and Innovation; and 3. Knowledge Transfer. Dr Clavé is the Scientific Director of the CCL and leads Area 2. Within this area, Dr Clavé and Dr Tomsen created and coordinate the Strategic Action for Research and Innovation in Health, Ageing and Disability in the Maresme (AERI).
The main objective of the AERI is to establish a research and innovation network to promote complementarity of expertise and optimise existing resources among 30 research groups from social and healthcare institutions across the Maresme region, while also fostering the design of collaborative research projects between them. To date, we have established 7 collaborative projects, with notable collaborations between our group and FM.
The two projects currently being carried out with FM aim to study OD (oropharyngeal dysphagia) and its complications in both paediatric and adult populations with intellectual disabilities in the Maresme region. These studies have enabled us to determine the prevalence of OD, as well as its associated complications, making our group one of the first worldwide to investigate this condition in this specific population (PMID:34371923). In addition, both projects aim to implement nutritional and hydration interventions and assess their impact in order to improve patients' quality of life.
This collaboration between our research group and FM aligns with one of our main goals for the coming years: conducting socially impactful research that places patients at the centre. Within the framework of the CCL, we provide training courses for healthcare professionals, as well as for carers and relatives of patients with OD, teaching them how to prepare thickened fluids and TMDs (texture-modified diets) to ensure patients receive appropriate nutrition and hydration and to prevent serious complications.
We also organise an annual scientific meeting involving all partner organisations within the CCL to share progress on the strategic action, strengthen partnerships, and establish new collaborations. This meeting also provides an ideal platform for early-career researchers to present their latest findings in a supportive and collaborative scientific forum.
Collaborative networks
The group is recognised by the CIBERehd (CB06/04/1087), making use of all the intra- and inter-CIBER collaborative tools it offers.
In addition, the group coordinates the Strategic Action for Research and Innovation in Health, Ageing and Disability in the Maresme region, involving 30 groups from different social care and healthcare institutions to foster synergies and the development of collaborative projects.
Doctoral theses
Theses that will be defended during the 2025-2026 academic year: Paula Viñas and Kovan Mohammed Ismael.
Title: Mecanismes fisiopatològics relacionats amb les alteracions de l'obertura de l'esfínter esofàgic superior en pacients amb disfàgia orofaríngia
Author: Miguel Martínez Guillén
Supervisor: Pere Clavé
University: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Date of defence: 13/02/2026
Title: Evaluation of the effectiveness of an Optimal-Massive Intervention in older patients with oropharyngeal dysphagia
Author: Paula Viñas Beumala
Supervisors: Pere Clavé, Omar Ortega
University: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Date of defence: 25/07/2025
Title: Study of the healthcare costs of oropharyngeal dysphagia after stroke and its nutritional and respiratory complications, and cost-effectiveness of a therapeutic intervention.
Author: Sergio Marín Rubio
Supervisors: Pere Clavé, Mateu Serra, Omar Ortega
University: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Date of defense: 09/05/2025
Title: Estratègies per optimitzar el control del dolor agut postoperatori en cirurgia major ambulatòria: anàlisi i proposta de millora
Author: Isabel Fábregas
Supervisor: Pere Clavé, Mateu Serra
University: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Date of defence: 20/02/2026
Title: Safe to swallow: food with improved texture for safe swallowing in the elderly
Author: Kovan Ismael Mohammed
Supervisor: Pere Clavé, Laura Laguna, Mireia Bolívar
University: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Date of defence: 07/11/2025
Title: Avaluació d'un algorisme multimodal per al tractament de la incontinència fecal en dones de la comunitat. Impacte en la severitat clínica, la qualitat de vida i la fisiopatologia subjacent. Author: Alba Raventós Villalba
Supervisors: Pere Clavé and Lluís Mundet
University: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Date of defense: 07/04/2025
News
Researchers from IIS IGTP share their CIBER group advances at the consortium’s conference
Researchers from the Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria (IIS) - Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP) took part in the Consorcio CIBER congress, some of them sharing their advances during the 'flash talk' sessions.
Contact
(34) 93 741 77 00 extn 1046
More links
Consorci Sanitari del Maresme · Follow @ClavePere on X · CIBERehd Research Group · Follow @GIphysioLab on X · Fundació de Recerca en Gastroenterologia (FUREGA)