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RESEARCH GROUPS
Cell Therapy Research Group
Programme: Biomaterials and Advanced Therapies
Lead Researcher: Blanco Fernández, Jerónimo Group Members
STAFF MEMBERS: Garrido López, Cristina Pilar ASSOCIATED MEMBERS: Mateo González, Francesca | Ramos Romero, Sara | Rubio Vidal, Nuria | Thomson
Okatsu, Thimothy CONTRIBUTORS: Aguilar Bohorquez, Elisabeth | Alieva Kraseninnikova, María | Meca Cortés, Óscar
Main lines of research
• TISSUE ENGINEERING: Study of interactions between cells and biomaterials implanted in live animals for tis- sue regeneration . We use an analysis platform based in bioluminescence and fluorescence procedures, that allows rapid and comparative analysis of biomaterials to optimize individualized applications .
• TUMOUR CELL THERAPY: Development of optimized cell therapies against brain tumors and other types of incurable cancers . The therapy strategy is based on the use of stem cells with tumour homing capacity, that are genetically modified to express a cytotoxic gene (e .g ., thymidine kinase) that can transform a harmless pro-drug into a cytotoxic agent, inducing localized cell death in the tumour proximity (bystander effect) .
• INTERACTION BETWEEN TUMOUR AND THERAPEUTIC CELLS: The objective is to understand the interac- tions between therapeutic and tumour cells, that lead to the elevated tumour killing effect in our model of bystander therapy . Bioluminescence and fluorescence imaging procedures are used to monitor the fate of therapeutic cells and tumours .
• SYSTEMS BIOLOGY AND THERAPEUTIC TARGET IDENTIFICATION OF METASTATIC CANCER STEM CELLS In this line of research, we generate and characterize cell models through the manipulation of genes known or suspected to confer metastatic cancer stem cell (CSC) properties to tumor cells . The characterizations include phenotypic analysis in vitro and in mouse xenograft models, whole transcriptomic analysis (microa-
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CIBER-BBN » Annual report 2014