About
The Badalona Neuromuscular Research Group (GRENBA) is made up of clinical staff from the Neurology and Paediatric services at Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital and specialised basic and translational researchers in the laboratory at IGTP.
This multidisciplinary team has the main objective of looking for solutions for neuromuscular patients. To achieve this, the team relies on its extensive clinical expertise in the diagnosis and management of these patients, and it has recently built a powerful patient database.
In the laboratory, the group has extensive expertise in genetic, epigenetic, transcriptomic and proteomic techniques to study at the molecular level the pathogenicity of prevalent neuromuscular diseases such as myotonic dystrophy type I, glycogenosis type V and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The team is also experienced in generating cellular models from patient samples and biopsies, and in testing new treatments in vitro, in animal models and in patients. Additionally, the researchers work on many collaborative projects with national and international researchers also involved in the study of these pathologies.
Keywords: Neuromuscular disorders, neurology, paediatrics, muscle (de)regeneration, muscle fibrosis and fat accumulation, and pathological mechanisms
Group leader
- Gisela Nogales Gadea
Gisela Nogales Gadea
For more than 20 years, Dr Gisela Nogales-Gadea has been working as a biomedical researcher studying neuromuscular diseases in different laboratories around the world. She completed her doctoral thesis program at the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR). As a postdoctoral researcher, she obtained a Sara Borrell contract from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), which allowed her to strengthen her specialisation in immune-based neuromuscular diseases at the neuromuscular diseases laboratory of the Sant Pau Research Institute (IR Sant Pau) and at the Maastricht School for Mental Health and Neuroscience (The Netherlands). Following the Miguel Servet program of ISCIII that was awarded to her in 2015, she formed the Badalona Neuromuscular Research Group (GRENBA) at Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP). In 2023, she was awarded a MICINN research consolidation incentive program, through which GRENBA was consolidated as a research group at IGTP. Dr Nogales-Gadea's team efforts are aimed at improving the management and finding new treatments for patients suffering from various neuromuscular diseases, especially in the area of muscular dystrophies.
Contact: gnogales(ELIMINAR)@igtp.cat
ORCID: 0000-0002-7414-212X - Mònica Suelves Esteban
Mònica Suelves Esteban
Dr Mònica Suelves is a molecular and cell biologist with more than 20 years of experience and a solid background in the fields of myogenesis, tissue regeneration, muscular dystrophies, stem cells and epigenetics. Dr Suelves completed her doctoral thesis at Centre d'Investigació i Desenvolupament - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CID-CSIC, Barcelona). She was trained as a postdoctoral researcher for 10 years at world-leading institutions such as Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (IGBMC, Strasbourg, France), Institut de Recerca Oncològica (IRO, Barcelona), Centro de Regulación Genómica (CRG, Barcelona) and Centro de Medicina Regenerativa de Barcelona (CMRB, Barcelona). In 2006, she was awarded by the Ramón y Cajal Program (Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation – MICINN) and, in 2010, she started her stage as principal investigator at Institute of the Predictive and Personalized Medicine of Cancer (IMPPC), currently merged with the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP). In 2020, Dr Suelves joined the Neuromuscular Unit at IGTP (GRENBA: Badalona Neuromuscular Research Group) and, in 2023, she was recognised as an established researcher by MICINN. Currently, Dr Suelves' research focuses on addressing new pathophysiological mechanisms in neuromuscular diseases and the search for treatments for patients with muscular dystrophies.
Contact: msuelves(ELIMINAR)@igtp.cat
ORCID: 0000-0001-7095-5804
Team
Researchers and neurologists
Alicia Martinez Piñeiro, PhD, MD(ELIMINAR)
Sebastián Ariel Figueroa Bonaparte, PhD, MD(ELIMINAR)
Miriam Almendrote Muñoz, PhD, MD(ELIMINAR)
Giuseppe Lucente, PhD, MD(ELIMINAR)
Agustín Rodriguez-Palmero Seuma, PhD, MD(ELIMINAR)
Laura Monlleó Neila(ELIMINAR)
Anna Revert(ELIMINAR)
Clinical nurses
Ainoa Sancho Garcia(ELIMINAR)
Clara Moliner
Postdoctoral researcher
Marc Corral, PhD(ELIMINAR)
Senior Bioinfomatician
Daniel Borràs, PhD(ELIMINAR)
PhD students
Renato Rafael Odria(ELIMINAR)
Eva Coll Liesa(ELIMINAR)
Pau Maestre Mora(ELIMINAR)
Eduard Juanola Mayos, MD(ELIMINAR)
Alexandra Mercado Amarilla(ELIMINAR)
Project Manager
Alvaro Larran, PhD(ELIMINAR)
Laboratory technician
Alicia López Martín(ELIMINAR)
Research lines
Myotonic dystrophy type 1
Myotonic dystrophy type 1 is a multisystemic disorder that affects skeletal muscles, the heart and the central nervious system, among others. The symptoms can appear at any age, from birth to very late in life, and there is no current treatment to stop or delay the progression of the disease. The team is actively working in elaborating patients' registries, improving the diagnosis, stablishing pathological mechanims, studing possible phenotype modulators, discovering biomarkers and evaluting the utility of novel therapies.
McArdle disease
McArdle disease is a rare inherited metabòlic disorder, caused by the deficiency of the muscle glycogen phosphorylase. Patients have exercise intolerance, muscle cramps, weakness and fatigue, when performing activities that require aerobic exercise and isomètric contractions. The group has been involved in the generation of the Spanish registry of patients, in improving the diagnosis, in descifering the pathological mechanisms associated to this condition, understanding the role of phenotype modulators, identifying biomarkers and assessing new therapies.
Duchenne muscular dystrophy
DMD is a very severe genetic muscle disorder marked by progressive muscle degeneration, where chronic inflammation, fibrosis, and fatty deposition replace functional muscle tissue over time. Based on previous studies of the group, they are analysing a new therapeutic target to reduce fibrosis, intramuscular fat accumulation and inflammation in DMD and deciphering the molecular mechanisms involved.
Sarcopenia
The age-related loss of muscle mass and strength, is due to a complex interplay of biological mechanisms, including muscle atrophy, stem cell depletion, mitochondrial dysfunction and metabolic deterioration. As life expectancy increases worldwide, so does the prevalence of sarcopenia, which contributes to frailty, falls, hospitalisation and increased mortality. The group is working to identify new therapies to prevent or reverse the muscle loss associated with ageing.
Active projects
DM1-Corazón: Buscando biomarcadores de daño cardíaco en pacientes con Distrofia Miotónica tipo 1
PI: Gisela Nogales
Funding agency: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCII)
Agency code: PI22/00104
Duration: 01/01/2023 - 31/12/2025
DM1-HEART: Searching biomarkers of heart damage in Myotonic Dystrophy type 1 patients
PI: Sebastián Figueroa Bonaparte
Funding agency: Proyectos del Legado JMC de Can Ruti
Agency code: 2022_55
Duration: 2023 - 2027
DM1-HEART-EXTEND: Extending the search for biomarkers of heart damage in Myotonic Dystrophy type 1
PI: Gisela Nogales Gadea
Funding agency: AFM Telethon
Agency code: #24757
Duration: 2023 - 2026
Creation of an integral node for Myotonic Dystrophy type 1 in Spain: clinical record, genomic, epigenomic and proteomic maps (DM1-Hub)
PI: Gisela Nogales-Gadea
Funding agency: Instituto de Salud Carlos III
Agency code: PMPER24/00007
Duration: 01/01/2025 – 31/12/2026
Investigación translacional en distrofia miotónica para el desarrollo de un tratamiento avanzado de RNA (DISMIOTAXT project)
PI: Gisela Nogales
Funding agency: Proyecto de Incentivación de la consolidación investigadora del Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación
Agency code: CNS2022-135519
Duration: 2023 - 2025
Investigación traslacional sobre la distrofia miotónica para el desarrollo de una terapia avanzada basada en ARN
PI: Gisela Nogales
Funding agency: Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación
Agency code: CPP2022-009960
Duration: 2023 - 2025
Evaluation of HDAC11 inhibitors as anti-fibrotic and pro-regenerative molecules to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy
PI: Mònica Suelves
Funding agency: Duchenne Parent Project Spain
Agency code: DPPE/02_2024
Duration: 01/01/2025 – 31/12/2026
WHOLE_ Myotonic Dystrophy type 1 (DM1)
PI: Eduard Juanola Mayos
Funding agency: Fundació llegat JMC
Agency code: 2024-27
Duration: 01/04/2025 – 31/12/2030
Past projects
DIMINUTOS, Childhood and adult myotonic dystrophy: evaluation of new treatments and pathogenicity through genetic, epigenetic and molecular imaging analysis
PI: Gisela Nogales
Funding agency: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCII)
Agency code: PI18/000713
Duration: 01/01/2019 - 30/06/2023
Exploring HDAC11 functions in muscular dystrophies
PI: Mònica Suelves
Funding agency: Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN)
Agency code: PID2020-118730RB-I00
Duration: 01/01/2021 - 31/12/2024
Exploring HDAC11 functions in Duchenne muscular dystrophy
PI: Mònica Suelves
Funding agency: AFM Telethon
Agency code: 23557
Duration: 15/09/2021 - 30/01/2024
Scientific publications
Highlighted publications
Odria R, Cardús A, Gomis-Coloma C, Balanyà-Segura M, Mercado-Amarilla A, Maestre-Mora P, Poveda-Sabuco A, Domingo JC, Nogales-Gadea G, Gomez-Sanchez JA, Hurtado E, Suelves M. HDAC11 deficiency regulates age-related muscle decline and sarcopenia. Geroscience. 2025 Apr 12. DOI: 10.1007/s11357-025-01611-y.
Núñez-Manchón J, Capó J, Martínez-Piñeiro A, Juanola E, Pesovic J, Mosqueira-Martín L, González-Imaz K, Maestre-Mora P, Odria R, Cerro-Herreros E, Naldaiz-Gastesi N, López de Munain A, Artero R, Savic-Pavicevic D, Vallejo-Illarramendi A, Mamchaoui K, Bigot A, Mouly V, Suelves M, Nogales-Gadea G. Immortalized human myotonic dystrophy type 1 muscle cell lines to address patient heterogeneity. iScience. 2024 May 7;27(6):109930. DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109930. Erratum in: iScience. 2024 Dec 09;27(12):111499. DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.111499.
Cerro-Herreros E, Núñez-Manchón J, Naldaiz-Gastesi N, Carrascosa-Sàez M, García-Rey A, Losilla DP, González-Martínez I, Espinosa-Espinosa J, Moreno K, Poyatos-García J, Vilchez JJ, de Munain AL, Suelves M, Nogales-Gadea G, Llamusí B, Artero R. AntimiR treatment corrects myotonic dystrophy primary cell defects across several CTG repeat expansions with a dual mechanism of action. Sci Adv. 2024 Oct 11;10(41):eadn6525. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adn6525.
García-Puga M, Saenz-Antoñanzas A, Gerenu G, Arrieta-Legorburu A, Fernández-Torrón R, Zulaica M, Saenz A, Elizazu J, Nogales-Gadea G, Gadalla SM, Araúzo-Bravo MJ, López de Munain A, Matheu A. Senescence plays a role in myotonic dystrophy type 1. JCI Insight. 2022 Oct 10;7(19):e159357. DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.159357.
Koehorst E, Odria R, Capó J, Núñez-Manchón J, Arbex A, Almendrote M, Linares-Pardo I, Natera-de Benito D, Saez V, Nascimento A, Ortez C, Rubio MÁ, Díaz-Manera J, Alonso-Pérez J, Lucente G, Rodriguez-Palmero A, Ramos-Fransi A, Martínez-Piñeiro A, Nogales-Gadea G, Suelves M. An Integrative Analysis of DNA Methylation Pattern in Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 Samples Reveals a Distinct DNA Methylation Profile between Tissues and a Novel Muscle-Associated Epigenetic Dysregulation. Biomedicines. 2022 Jun 10;10(6):1372. DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10061372.
Additional information
Collaborative networks
- RED-DM: Spanish network in Myotonic Dystrophy type 1 (2023 – present)
- "Grup de Recerca de Malalties Neuromusculars i Neuropediatriques Can Ruti" Consolidated Group by the Generalitat de Catalunya (SGR00959)
- COST Action CA21113 "Genome editing to treat humans' diseases"
- GRENBA is core member of TREAT-NMD
Doctoral theses
Title: Caracterización clínica y genética de una serie de pacientes con distrofia miotónica tipo 1
Author: Miriam Almendrote Muñoz
Supervisors: Gisela Nogales Gadea, Alba Ramos Fransi
University: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB)
Date of defence: November 2023
Title: Deciphering the importance of heterogeneity in Myotonic Dystrophy type 1
Author: Judit Núñez Manchón
Supervisor: Gisela Nogales Gadea
University: Universitat de Barcelona
Date of defence: December 2024
Master’s theses
Title: Study of the normal population provides new information about the prevalence of Myotonic Dystrophy type 1 and Oculopharyngeal Muscular Dystrophy
Author: Nacho Jorda Llorens
Supervisors: Gisela Nogales Gadea
University: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB)
Title: Deciphering the impact of HDAC11 deficiency in the dystrophic fibrosis
Author: Paula Bueno
Supervisor: Mònica Suelves
University: University Internacional de Catalunya
Date of defence: June 2024
Title: HDAC11: a novel modulator of ageing skeletal muscle
Author: Aina Cardús Garcia
Supervisors: Mònica Suelves
University: Universitat de Barcelona
Outreach
- IGTP Podcast – Malalties Minoritaries Episode (Un Bri de Ciència). More information
- Talks at first year high school students at the Institut Caterina Albert (Barcelona, Centre FEDAC (Sta Coloma), Escola-Institut Manresa (Manresa)
- Host high school students for practices (Col·legi Claret and Escola Virolai, Barcelona)
- Participation at European Researcher's Night
- Participation in the organization of the Annual Cursa Benèfica per les Malalties Minoritaries (from 2016 at present Badalona)
- Participation in the organization of the Trail de Muntanya per les Malalties Minoritaries (2024, 2025, Badalona)
- Participation in the organization of the Gala Solidaria per la Recerca de les Malalties Minoritàries (from 2015 at present Badalona, Teatre Zorrilla, Badalona)
- Interviews at Radio POMAR, Radio Nacional de España, Radio Badalona
Others
The Badalona Neuromuscular Research Group unveils its new logo
(May 2023) The group previously known as Neuromuscular and Neuropediatric Research Group has updated its name to Badalona Neuromuscular Research Group (GRENBA) and has created its own logo. For the design process, students from the Escola d'Art Superior Pau Gargallo, Badalona, visited the research group at IGTP and presented various proposals. Choosing the logo was a challenge, as many were highly creative and well-designed, but in the end, Melissa Abigail Alava Mieles' design emerged as the winner. The research group would like to thank all students for their involvement in this project, as well as professors Miquel Aregay, Montserrat Sayol, and Júlia Cuyàs.
Dr Gisela Nogales Gadea awarded in the Consolidation Researcher Program 2022
(June 2023) The Ministry of Innovation and Science has awarded the Consolidation Researcher Program 2022 to Dr Gisela Nogales Gadea, leader of the Badalona Neuromuscular Research Group (GRENBA) at IGTP. This competitive program, included within the State Programme to Develop, Attract, and Retain Talent of the State Plan (and funded with European funds from the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan), aims to promote the consolidation of the research career of investigators, encouraging the creation of permanent positions in the affiliated institutions and facilitating the strengthening of the research line through the funding of a project of their own. Dr Nogales started GRENBA in 2015, together with clinical staff from the Neuromuscular Unit of the Neurology Service and the Neuropaediatrics Unit of the Paediatrics Service at HUGTiP, within the framework of a Miguel Servet program funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII). The award of this program represents a new boost for this team, as it allows the incorporation of Dr Nogales as IGTP staff, and funding for a research project, in which third-generation genetic sequencing technology will be implemented to improve the diagnosis, prognosis, and response to therapy of patients with myotonic dystrophy type 1.
News
DM1-Hub launches as a national multi-centre study to transform research and care for Myotonic Dystrophy type 1
On 2 June, IGTP hosted the kick-off event for the DM1-Hub, a multicentre project driven by the the group GRENBA, which aims to create a comprehensive national registry of patients with Myotonic Dystrophy type 1 (DM1). The event brought together researchers, clinical professionals, institutional representatives and patient associations from across Spain.
HDAC11 deficiency improves muscle function and regeneration during ageing
Researchers from GRENBA-IGTP have identified the HDAC11 protein, an enzyme involved in cellular regulation, as a new therapeutic target to combat sarcopenia, the loss of muscle mass associated with ageing. The study shows that HDAC11 deficiency reduces muscle atrophy, preserves the muscle stem cell reservoir, promotes regeneration after injury and improves muscle function, opening the door to new strategies to support healthy ageing.
Contact
(+34) 93 033 05 30
Mònica Suelves Esteban
More links
ResearchGate for Gisela Nogales · ORCID for Gisela Nogales · Follow @NMusIGTP on X · Donate via Amics de Can Ruti