Regenerative Medicine

PI: Manuel Mazo

We are focused on generating mature human cardiac tissue in the laboratory using tissue engineering strategies, both for therapeutic application and for in vitro modeling of drug effects.

To this end, we aim to gain a better understanding of the factors that determine cardiac maturity, in addition to applying state-of-the-art additive manufacturing strategies. This will be achieved by implementing a highly interdisciplinary strategy, including advanced genomic and gene editing technology in tissue engineering models, fabrication using 3D printing strategies, intelligent materials ("smart materials") and bioreactors among others, together with cardiac phenotypes derived from human iPSCs.

Objectives:

• To build models of diseased and healthy cardiac tissues for use in drug testing as well as precision medicine applications from the use of new fabrication strategies and biomaterials, human iPSC-derived cells and biostimulation (bioreactors).
• Implement advanced genomics tools in the study of cardiac maturation regulation and apply this knowledge to tissue engineering.
• Coordinate the efforts of engineers, chemists, biotechnologists and clinicians to develop a new generation of therapeutic and diagnostic tools.

PI: Xabier Aranguren

We develop new therapeutic alternatives based on the generation of xeno-organs in vivo using stem cells. This will be achieved by microinjecting pluripotent stem cells into genetically modified embryos incapable of generating a certain type of organ/cell type.

The generation of such organs could confer an immune advantage for xenotransplantation into the species of origin of those stem cells.

Objectives:

• To generate "naïve" pluripotent stem cells from different species.
• To produce pre-implanted organ-deficient embryos by Crispr/cas9 technique or by transgenesis.
• To generate rat organs in murine host and primate organs in pigs.

PI: Beatriz Pelacho

We are developing new therapeutic alternatives based on the application of cell and gene therapy, as well as their combination with bioengineering and nanotechnology strategies to prevent and treat adverse cardiac remodeling induced after myocardial ischemia. 

Prior knowledge of the molecular mechanisms involved in these processes, together with the reparative action of stem cells, will enable the promotion of different strategies for their clinical application.

Objectives:

• To determine the molecular mechanisms involved in the adverse remodeling that occurs after infarction in order to find new therapeutic targets.
• To demonstrate the efficacy of controlled release systems for proteins/RNA and/or viral vectors for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.
• Develop tissue engineering strategies based on the combination of collagen membranes and allogeneic stem cells.

PIs: Froilán Granero y Ana Pérez

Due to the increase in life expectancy in advanced societies, diseases of the musculoskeletal system are one of the major causes of disability and chronic pain.

They are highly prevalent in the general population and it is estimated that about a quarter of the European population suffers or has suffered from a disease of this type. In total, more than 100 million European citizens suffer from chronic pain of musculoskeletal origin, and this type of disorder gives rise to the highest recorded proportion of temporary disability of any other type of ailment.

Our aim is not only to develop new therapeutic strategies for musculoskeletal diseases but also to advance our understanding of the basic mechanisms of disease. In general, bone tissue presents a good regenerative capacity that is not exempt from complications, the most serious being the appearance of fracture pseudarthrosis.

The mechanisms that result in the appearance of fracture pseudarthrosis are unknown, so prevention or pharmacological treatment is not possible. On the other hand, the absence of joint tissue regeneration or repair mechanisms means that any damage results in a degenerative process leading to osteoarthritis, characterized by the total loss of joint function. Current pharmacological treatments are palliative and do not halt the progression of the disease, so there is a need to develop therapies that halt the progression of joint degeneration and activate tissue repair mechanisms.

For the treatment of these pathologies, we are interested in the therapeutic potential of mesenchymal progenitor cells (MSCs). Our ultimate goal is to develop effective therapies for the treatment of osteoarticular diseases and their complications, through tissue engineering strategies that combine MSCs, biomaterials and growth factors.

Identification of the molecular mechanisms involved in the natural processes of osteoarticular regeneration.