31/03/2021 - Research

A dietary supplement of betaine for mothers during lactation can reduce the risk of childhood obesity

A research group led by the Sant Joan de Déu Research Institute, with the participation of the IGTP, has shown that reduced levels of betaine in maternal milk are associated with more rapid growth of the baby during the first months of life, this is a risk factor for childhood obesity. The researchers have studied the changes in the presence of this nutrient in animal models and have observed temporary changes in the intestinal microbiota and long-term changes in their metabolic health.

23/03/2021 - 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.

15/03/2021 - Research

The CEEISCAT team coordinate the Sentinel Schools Project in Catalonia

In February the project started on-site in 7 of a total of 26 primary schools and high schools that are taking part in the Sentinel Schools Study. The project is being set up and coordinated by the CEEISCAT, a research group at the IGTP that aims to monitor and evaluate the covid-19 pandemic in schools in Catalonia in order to be able to design health and education policies for the immediate future.

11/03/2021 - 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.

09/03/2021 - Campus Can Ruti, Projects, Research

The start of a new international clinical trial to improve treatment for tuberculosis with anti-inflammatory agents

The Experimental Tuberculosis Group at the IGTP has set up this trial, coordinated from Can Ruti, within the European project H2020 ‘SMA-TB’. The study will evaluate the efficacy and safety of adding acetylsalicylic acid or ibuprofen to the antibiotic treatments applied for tuberculosis. It is a phase II trial which will be carried out in South Africa and Georgia, two of the countries the WHO has in its sights to control this infectious disease. The trial has been prepared in the midst of the pandemic, with the added challenge of coordinating it with the restrictions and different stages of the epidemic in each of the countries involved.

05/03/2021 - Research

New insights into the mechanisms of how tolerogenic therapies reduce aggressive immune activity in treatments for auto-immune and inflammatory diseases

The Immunopathology research group with the Immunology service and the Multiple Sclerosis Unit at the Germans Trias i Pujol Hospital and Institute continue their research to develop treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS). Their latest paper published in Frontiers of Immunology, examines the mechanisms by which vitamin D3-dendritic cells are used to alter a patient's own lymphocytes so they can be used to inhibit autoimmune responses.

24/02/2021 - Research

SNCA transcripts found in blood are candidate biomarkers for Lewy body dementia and Parkinson disease

In a new study published in the Journal of Molecular Science, the Genomics and Transcriptomics of Synucleinopathies Group, led by Dr Katrin Beyer, have got one step nearer to finding a reliable biomarker to differentiate between Lewy body dementia and Parkinson disease in the early stages, when symptoms are very similar. Correct diagnosis is extremely difficult, but essential for these patients as the wrong treatment can have very serious effects.

19/02/2021 - Research

The Barcelona Medical Photonics Network: united to improve the health and well-being of society

As the research institute of the Germans Trias i Pujol Hospital, the IGTP is one of 8 health research institutes that has joined the ICFO to consolidate a state-of-the-art bench to bedside Barcelona Photonics Technology Network. The Medical Photonics Network of Barcelona was presented on 18 February, it aims to promote the research and development activities in photonics being carried out in the Barcelona area by formalizing the long-running relationship between the ICFO and its biomedical and clinical partners.

08/02/2021 - Campus Can Ruti, Research

Blocking the spread of HIV or favouring the spread of the tuberculosis bacteria, the flip side of the Siglec-1 protein's absence

In 2016, the Retrovirology and Clinical Studies group at IrsiCaixa discovered how the absence of the Siglec-1 protein, involved in modulating the immune system, blocks the spread of HIV throughout the body. Now, a study led by the same research group and the Experimental Tuberculosis Unit of the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP) has shown that, on the other hand, this same deficiency favours the dissemination of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the tuberculosis-causing agent. 

29/01/2021 - Research

The CMCiB contributes to a new e-book on researcher and animal safety

A new e-book published by the Journal Laboratory Equipment, called Safe and Effective Research in the Vivarium features a case study from the Centre for Comparative Medicine and Bioimage of the IGTP (CMCiB-IGTP). Staff from the CMCiB have provided expert advice on aspects of safety.