14/04/2023 - Research

Comprehensive genomic characterisation of malignant peripheral nerve tumour-derived lines challenges current diagnostic criteria

The Hereditary Cancer research group from the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP) has led an international collaboration that has allowed the genomic characterisation of the most commonly used cell lines derived from malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumours (MPNSTs). This research has generated a detailed catalogue of genomic alterations for each cell line, which can be used to develop strategies for precision therapies. At the same time, a genomic repository has been created that is open to all researchers interested in these tumours. The work has been published in the journal iScience.

11/04/2023 - Research

International consensus highlights the importance of molecular testing for antibiotic resistance in tuberculosis management

A multidisciplinary group of tuberculosis experts from the TBnet and RESIST-TB networks have reached a consensus on key issues related to the molecular prediction of Mycobacterium tuberculosis antibiotic sensitivity or resistance and its clinical implications. The consensus document provides guidance for the design of therapeutic regimens and the optimization of treatments, and is intended to help clinicians manage tuberculosis patients. The paper, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases and led by Dr José Domínguez from IGTP, is an update of a similar statement made in 2016.

05/04/2023 - Research

Air Pollution is Linked to Lower COVID-19 Vaccine Responses

People exposed to higher levels of air pollution before the pandemic had lower antibody responses to COVID-19 vaccines, according to a study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), an institution supported by "la Caixa" Foundation, in collaboration with the  Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP). In particular, exposure to fine particulate matter (PM_2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and black carbon (BC) was associated with about a 10% decrease in IgM and IgG antibody responses in people without prior infection. The findings, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, provide further evidence on the adverse effects of air pollution on the immune system.

30/03/2023 - Innovation, Research

Aniling, IGTP and ICO awarded €1.8 million from the Spanish government to develop a theragnostic tool for personalised management of colorectal cancer

The consortium made up of Aniling, the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP) and the Institut Català d’Oncologia (ICO) has been awarded €1.8 million from the Spanish State Research Agency (AEI) for the development of a new theragnostic tool to personalise the management of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients.

22/03/2023 - Research, Success Stories

The Clinical and Environmental Infectious Diseases Research Group signs a collaboration for the development of a new biocide for the treatment of drinking water

The Clinical and Environmental Infectious Diseases Research Group (CEID) has discovered a molecule of natural origin with a high bactericidal, amoebicidal and biofilm reduction capacity. The collaboration signed by the group's researchers with a private company will finance the improvement of the molecule's characteristics to be applied in large water installations, preventing water for human consumption from acting as a vehicle for the transmission of bacterial diseases.

14/03/2023 - Research

Breaking barriers in hepatitis C diagnosis and treatment for populations at risk

A study with people who inject drugs evaluated a minimally invasive test based on dried blood spots (DBS) for the monitoring of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The use of DBS samples for HCV RNA detection and genotyping was shown to effectively assess cure after treatment and to differentiate between reinfection and treatment failure. The results support the viability of decentralizing treatment and post-treatment monitoring for people who inject drugs, who frequently face challenges accessing the healthcare system. The study has been published in the Journal of Medical Virology.

09/03/2023 - Research

New method for detecting nanoplastics in blood

A study uses for the first time flow cytometry to detect and measure nanoplastics in peripheral human blood. People with various medical conditions have been included in the study so as to investigate potential differences for nanoplastic accumulation across the population. In addition, mice have been used in a highly controlled environment to compare their nanoplastic levels to that of humans. This study, which has been published at the journal MethodsX.

08/03/2023 - Institutional, Outreach, Research

Women’s Day: giving our women scientists a voice

To commemorate International Women's Day, we asked four questions to different profiles of IGTP researchers to find out about the difficulties they have encountered as women scientists and how they see the future: Dr Carolina Armengol, leader of the consolidated Childhood Liver Oncology Research Group (c-LOG), Dr Raquel Guillamat, junior leader of the emerging group Translational Research in Pulmonary Immunity, and PhD student Daina Martínez from the ICREC laboratory of Cardiology Research.

03/03/2023 - Research

Studying partial remission of type 1 diabetes in children: New biomarkers and the immunoregulatory role of microRNA

A study led by researchers from IGTP's Immunology of Diabetes group has identified new microRNA as biomarkers for the partial remission phase, also known as "honeymoon phase", of type 1 diabetes, and has linked the miR-30d-5p microRNA to immunoregulatory processes that may take place during this phase.

23/02/2023 - Campus Can Ruti, Research

Germans Trias discovers a biomarker to predict whether tuberculosis infection will lead to active disease

The discovery, published in the journal Pathogens, paves the way for accelerating the design of efficient vaccines and treatments against the disease.