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Translational Molecular Pathology

53
Publications
67.92
%Q1
110
Number of citations
68.09
% Open Access Publications
32
Ongoing Projects
2
Number of Presented Theses
3
Number of Active Clinical Trials
The major aim of our group is to identify innovative approaches for cancer treatment, focusing on targeting intercellular communication. We have proven that exosome uptake via the ITGB3/HSPG axis is a druggable process and demonstrate efficacy of these inhibitors in metastasis models. We also develop our MNK1/2 inhibitor EB1 towards a clinical drug candidate. Publications will follow patent protection. This work is supported by grants from Planes Complementarios, Ramón Areces and ISCIII. Following our discovery that the gap junction protein Cx43 promotes the formation of tunneling nanotubes, which contributes to malignancy and therapy-resistance, we have expanded our research in this area with further support from ISCIII. We have also initiated new studies on the pannexin 1 channel protein in this context. The Department of Pathology plays an active role in these collaborative projects (>50 publications), contributing clinical samples, expert knowledge, and specialized techniques.

eCORE

  • Cancer
  • Personalized Medicine, Innovative Diagnostics, Molecular Imaging & Digital Health

Team

Group Leader
Santiago Ramon y Cajal Agüeras

Principal Investigator (PI)
Trond Aasen, Cleofé Romagosa Pérez-Portabell

Researchers
Josep Castellví Vives, Domínguez Oronoz, Elena Antima Martinez Saez, Vicente Peg Camara, Maria Teresa Salcedo Allende, Irene Sansano Valero, Javier Hernandez Losa, Marta Sese Faustino, Stefan Hümmer

PhD Students
Nikaoly Ciriaco Cortés, Jordi Temprana Salvador, Marta Cano Galietero, Elena Muro Blanc, Sara Garcia Ortega, Aldo Di Vito (visiting)

Lab Technicians
Teresa Moline Marimon, Maria Rosa Somoza Lopez de Haro

Selected Publications

Peg V, Moline T, Roig M, Saruta Y, Ramon y Cajal S
Clinical application of the HM-1000 image processing for HER2 fluorescence in situ hybridization signal quantification in breast cancer
Diagn Pathol. 2024 Feb 15;19(1):32
DOI: 10.1186/s13000-024-01455-8
IF: 2.6

Casanova-Salas I, Aguilar D, Cordoba-Terreros S, Agundez L, Brandariz J, Herranz N, Mas A, Gonzalez M, Morales-Barrera R, Sierra A, Soriano-Navarro M, Cresta P, Mir G, Simonetti S, Rodrigues G, Arce-Gallego S, Delgado-Serrano L, Agustí I, Castellano-Sanz E, Mast R, de Albert M, Celma A, Santamaria A, Gonzalez L, Castro N, Suanes MDM, Hernández-Losa J, Nonell L, Peinado H, Carles J, Mateo J
Circulating tumor extracellular vesicles to monitor metastatic prostate cancer genomics and transcriptomic evolution
Cancer Cell. 2024 Jul 8;42(7):1301-1312.e7
DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2024.06.003
IF: 50.3

Román Alonso M, Grinyó-Escuer A, Duro-Sánchez S, Rius-Ruiz I, Bort-Brusca M, Escorihuela M, Maqueda-Marcos S, Pérez-Ramos S, Gago J, Nogales V, Espinosa-Bravo M, Peg V, Escrivá-de-Romaní S, Foradada L, Soucek L, Braña I, Galvao V, Martín-Lluesma S, Moessner E, Klein C, Garralda E, Saura C, Arribas J
Generation of chimeric antigen receptor T cells targeting p95HER2 in solid tumors
Nat Commun. 2024 Nov 18;15(1):9589
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-53265-7
IF: 16

Domingues N, Catarino S, Cristóvão B, Rodrigues L, Carvalho FA, Sarmento MJ, Zuzarte M, Almeida J, Ribeiro-Rodrigues T, Correia-Rodrigues Â, Fernandes F, Rodrigues-Santos P, Aasen T, Santos NC, Korolchuk VI, Gonçalves T, Milosevic I, Raimundo N, Girão H
Connexin43 promotes exocytosis of damaged lysosomes through actin remodelling
EMBO J. 2024 Sep;43(17):3627-3649
DOI: 10.1038/s44318-024-00177-3
IF: 11.4

Pasquali S, Vallacchi V, Lalli L, Collini P, Barisella M, Romagosa C, Bague S, Coindre JM, Dei Tos AP, Palmerini E, Quagliuolo V, Martin-Broto J, Lopez- Pousa A, Grignani G, Blay JY, Beveridge RD, Casiraghi E, Brich S, Renne SL, Bergamaschi L, Vergani B, Sbaraglia M, Casali PG, Rivoltini L, Stacchiotti S, Gronchi A
Spatial distribution of tumour immune infiltrate predicts outcomes of patients with high-risk soft tissue sarcomas after neoadjuvant chemotherapy
EBioMedicine. 2024 Aug;106:105220
DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2024.105220
IF: 11

Selected Projects

Targeting extracelluar vesicel mediated intercellular communication as a novel approach to combat cancer metastasis.
Principal Investigator: Santiago Ramon y Cajal Agüeras
Agency: Fundación Ramón Areces
Funding: 127,486 €
Period: 06/07/2023 - 05/07/2026

Overcoming therapy resistance and immune evasion with a novel MNK inhibitor
Principal Investigator: Santiago Ramon y Cajal Agüeras
Agency: Planes Complementarios, Fundació Institut Bioenginyeria de Catalunya(IBEC)
Funding: 178,000 €
Period: 02/01/2023 - 31/12/2024

Inhibición de la comunicación celular para la prevención del desarrollo de metástasis y la resistencia a terapias antitumorales. Desarrollo de dos nuevas aproximaciones terapéuticas
Principal Investigator: Santiago Ramon y Cajal Agüeras
Agency: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ICSIII)
Funding: 240,000 €
Period: 01/01/2024- 31/12/2026

Cx43-regulated intercellular protrusions in cancer: functional elucidation, target discovery, biomarker development and tumor screening.
Principal Investigator: Trond Aasen
Agency: Trond Aasen
Funding: 147,620 €
Period: 01/01/2022 - 31/06/2026

Cx43 Cell Communication In Cancer
Principal Investigator: Trond Aasen
Agency: VALLVIVA - Fundació Eudald Morera (Vallviva.cat)
Funding: 10,000 € (annual)
Period: 01/03/2024-01/03/2027

Patents

Inhibitor of Map Kinase Interacting Serine/Threonine Kinase 1 (Mnk1) and Map Kinase Interacting Serine/Threonine Kinase 2 (Mnk2), Cancer Therapy Methods And Therapeutic Combinations Spain
Priority Number: WO2021005183
Priority Date: 14/01/2021
Applicants: 48.5% VHIR, 1.5% CIBER, 50% IQS

Selected Dissemination Activities

Proyecto MnkImmunOnco - Superar la resistencia a la terapia y la evasión inmune con un inhibidor MNK
Place: YouTube
Date: 01/01/1970
Brief: Explanation of the project MnKImmunOnco.
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El Vall d’Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR) recibió a alumnos del Programa EURORDIS Open Academy Training
Place: VHIR
Date: 06/06/2024
Brief: Students from the EURODIS Open Academy Training program visited the laboratories of the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), where they discovered the facilities where projects such as DRUG4-COXPD1 and MNKImmunOnco are being carried out.
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VHIR Annual Report 2024