At the IGTP TODAY

News

Innovation in Vesicles and Cells for Application in Therapy (IVECAT)

- Research

Mesenchymal stem cells reveal mechanisms of action in regulatory B cells independent of interleukin-10 useful for their identification and monitoring

Researchers from the REMAR-IVECAT ("Kidney Related Diseases Research" and "Innovation in VEsicles and Cells for Application in Therapy") group, from the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), identify molecular pathways in regulatory B cells that are essential for their therapeutic applications. In the article that has been recently published in Frontiers in Immunology, the use of mesenchymal stem cells has allowed distinguishing the molecules that are essential to monitoring regulatory B cells in kidney transplants. 

- Research

Sugars steer stem cell extracellular vesicles to epithelial cells

Researchers at the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP) discover new facets of the biology of extra-cellular vesicles that will advance their use in therapies. In an article published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences they describe the importance of glycosylation for the interactions between extracellular vesicles from mesenchymal stem cells and endothelial cells.

- Research

Bioimplants with extra-cellular vesicles from stem cells can improve cardiac function after an acute myocardial heart attack

Researchers from the ICREC Group (Cardiac Insufficiency and Regeneration) in cardiovascular diseases at the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP) continue to work on therapeutic technologies to repair cardiac tissue after a heart attack. In an article published in Theranostics, they present a study of extracellular vesicles from mesenchymal stem cells combined with tissue engineering as a therapy to repair the heart after a heart attack. They have carried out the study on a porcine heart attack model at the Centre for Comparative Medicine and Bioimage (CMCiB) at the IGTP.

- Research

Biomaterial scaffolds containing extracellular vesicles from stem cells to control and promote heart muscle repair after heart attack

Scientists of the ICREC group at the Germans Trias i Pujol Research institute (IGTP) continue to refine their technology for repairing cardiac tissue after a heart attack.  In a paper published in Bioactive Materials they present their latest work in which they use implanted scaffolds containing no cells, but extracellular vesicles that promote the repair of myocardium damaged in a heart attack.

- Research

New strategies to diagnose and treat kidney disease

11 March is World Kidney Day and this year it is focussing on quality of life for people living with kidney disease. Currently 10% of the world population is affected by chronic renal disease (CRD) and more than 2 million people receive dialysis or kidney transplants worldwide. At the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP) the Kidney Disease Group and the Innovation in Vesicles and Cells for Application in Therapy Group (REMAR-IVECAT) led by Francesc Borràs is working on improving diagnosis and treatments for these diseases. The group studies biomarkers for non-invasive monitoring of the conditions in patients and they are also study the application of advanced therapies. In fact they are pioneers in the use of extracellular vesicles as a therapeutic tool for kidney disease.

- Research

Two studies show the way ahead for better non-invasive monitoring of kidney transplants

Members of the Kidney-affecting Diseases Research Group and the Innovation in Vesicles and Cells for Application in Therapy (REMAR-IVECAT) have recently published two studies led by Dr Francesc E. Borràs, which identify possible biomarkers of irreversible damage to transplanted kidneys; a pathology that eventually causes them to stop working. The papers have been published in the International Journal of Molecular Science and the Journal of Nephrology.

- Research

Three IGTP Innovation projects receive CaixaImpulse grants

Three research groups at the IGTP have received three of the 21 grants in the 2019 call for CaixaImpulse, awarded by the "la Caixa" Foundation. The projects receiving the awards are led by Dr Katrin Beyer, Dr Francesc Borràs and Dr Alicia Martínez-Piñeiro and focus on improving the diagnostics for with Lewy body dementia; new non-invasive methods for monitoring renal dysfunction and new predictive markers for acute ischemic stroke respectively.

- Research

Seeking a consensus for Extracellular Vesicle Isolation

This year the Innovation in Vesicles and Cells for Application in Therapy (IVECAT) has published a protocol for Size-Exclusion Chromatography for separating extracellular vesicles from different biological fluids and a review of the current techniques available.

- Innovation, Research

Ana Gámez awarded the Pioner 2018 Award

Ana Gamez has been awarded one of the 2018 Pioner Awards from the CERCA Institute (Research Centres of Catalonia).  The aim of the prize is to recognize and highlight researchers who have just read their thesis and whose results have a clear commercial orientation.