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Investigation
Viral Biology
Research Lines
Content with Investigacion .
The Laboratory of Medical Entomology (LME) develops an intense reference and research activity, focused on the field of disease vectors of interest in Public Health. The LME has an insectary where biological cycles of insect vectors are currently maintained, allowing the performance, among others, of vector competence and xenodiagnostic studies. The LME supports the national health system by offering techniques available in the portfolio of services for the taxonomic identification of arthropods of health interest. In addition, it performs entomological surveillance of outbreaks, supporting Surveillance Plans. In particular, the LME plays a leading role in the Entomological Surveillance Plan for Leishmaniasis in the Community of Madrid. On the other hand, the LME offers scientific advice to the CCAES (Centro de Coordinación de Alertas y Emergencias Sanitarias, Ministerio de Sanidad, Consumo y Bienestar Social), and participates in the elaboration of reports and rapid risk assessments.
The main research lines of the Laboratory of Medical Entomology are:
1. Maintenance of insect vector colonies: phlebotomine sand flies (Phlebotomus perniciosus, Phlebotomus papatasi and Phlebotomus argentipes, vectors of Leishmania infantum, Leishmania major and Leishmania donovani, respectively), Culex and Aedes mosquitoes (vectors of various arboviruses) and Rhodnius prolixus (vector of Trypanosoma cruzi).
2. Biology of disease vectors of public health interest: biology, vector competence, experimental infections. The CNM has a BSL3 safety laboratory to carry out vector competence studies with culicidae and phlebotomine sand flies.
3. Entomological sampling, infectivity of potential reservoirs of leishmaniasis.
4. Insecticides and repellents: evaluation of their efficacy.
5. Characterization of saliva proteins of hematophagous Diptera: genomics, proteomics, biochemistry and gene editing. Study of salivary proteins as markers of bite exposure, virulence factors and/or vaccines.
6. Xenodiagnosis of leishmaniasis.
7. Molecular biology and taxonomy of phlebotomine sand flies. Molecular detection of Leishmania infantum in phlebotomine sand flies and characterization of Leishmania spp. Molecular identification of blood ingested by vectors.
Research projects
Content with Investigacion .
1. Project Title: Determination of the degree of identity of common antigens of N. meningitidis and N. gonorrhoeae using genomic and immunological tools.
Principal Investigator: Raquel Abad Torreblanca
Funding Entity: ISCIII. Program: Strategic Action in Intramural Health
Reference: PI23CIII/00040
Period: 2024-2026
Amount Awarded: €68,500
2. Project Title: Meningococcal Disease and Molecular Epidemiology (MEMORY).
Principal Investigator: Raquel Abad Torreblanca and Julio A. Vázquez Moreno
Funding Entity: Pfizer Inc.
Reference: MVP 352/21
Period: 2022-2024
Amount Awarded: €82,834.50
3. Project Title: Modelling Approaches to Guide Intelligent Surveillance for the Sustainable Introduction of Novel Antibiotics. MAGIcIAN.
Principal Investigator: Raquel Abad Torreblanca
Funding Entity: ISCIII / International Joint Action / Joint Programming Initiatives (JPI) Program
Reference: AC19CIII/00002
Period: 2020-2024
Amount Awarded: €46,000
4. Project Title: Epidemiological, Microbiological, and Clinical Analysis of the Listeriosis Outbreak in Andalusia. LISMOAN Study.
Principal Investigator: José Miguel Cisneros Herreros
Funding Entity: FISEVI (Andalusian Public Foundation for Health Research Management)/FPS2020 Call for Proposals
Reference: PI-0001-2020
Period: 2020-2023
Amount Awarded: €114,954
5. Project Title: Population Structure of Neisseria meningitidis Using Massive Sequencing: A Potential Tool for Estimating Vaccine Effectiveness?
Principal Investigator: Raquel Abad Torreblanca
Funding Entity: ISCIII / Strategic Action in Intramural Health
Reference: PI19CIII/00030
Period: 2020-2023
Amount Awarded: €67,153
6. Project Title: Management agreement between the Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality (Directorate General of Public Health, Quality and Innovation) and the Carlos III Health Institute, for the laboratory determinations corresponding to the 2nd seroprevalence study in Spain.
Principal Investigator: Fernando de Ory and Julio A. Vázquez
Funding Entity: Directorate General of Public Health, Ministry of Health
Reference: MEG151/17
Period: 2018-2020
Amount Awarded: €565,663
7. Project Title: Effectiveness of the Meningococcal B Vaccine in Immunocompromised Children with Sickle Cell Disease
Principal Investigator: Raquel Abad Torreblanca
Funding Entity: Spanish Society of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Foundation (SEHOP)
Reference: MVP 199/18
Period: 2018-2020
Amount Awarded: €18,285
8. Project Title: Application of Massive Sequencing and Immunological Approaches in the Expression Analysis of New Vaccine Antigens in Meningococcal Populations
Principal Investigator: Raquel Abad Torreblanca
Funding Entity: ISCIII / Strategic Action in Intramural Health
Reference: PI16CIII/00023
Period: 2017-2020
Amount Awarded: €115,084
9. Project Title: fHbp variability over time and potential coverage of the new meningococcal serogroup B vaccine (bivalent rLP2086/fHbp) in Spain.
Principal Investigators: Raquel Abad and Julio A. Vázquez
Funding Entity: Pfizer SLU
Reference: MVP 1273/16
Period: 2017-2020
Amount Awarded: €125,350
10. Project Title: Estimation of protection of a conjugate vaccine against meningococcus serogroup C based on a mathematical model.
Principal Investigator: Julio A. Vázquez and Javier Díez
Funding Entity: Higher Center for Research in Public Health (CSISP)
Reference: MVP 1116/11
Period: 2011-2017
Amount awarded: €143,750
Publications
Toll-like receptor signaling-deficient cells enhance antitumor activity of cell-based immunotherapy by increasing tumor homing
A. Morales-Molina, M.A. Rodríguez-Milla, S,. Gambera, T. Cejalvo, B. de Andrés M.L. Gaspar, J. Garcia-Castro. Cancer Res Commun 2023 Mar 1;3(3):347-360. eCollection 2023 Mar
PUBMED DOIImmune stress suppresses innate immune signaling in preleukemic precursor B-cells to provoke leukemia in predisposed mice
Isidro-Hernández M, Casado-García A, Oak N, Alemán-Arteaga S, Ruiz-Corzo B, Martínez-Cano J, Mayado A, G. Sánchez E, Blanco O, Gaspar ML, Orfao A, Alonso-López D, De las Rivas J, Riesco S, Prieto-Matos P, González-Murilo A, García Criado FJ, García Cenador MB, Ramírez-Orellana M, De Andrés B, Vicente-Dueñas C, Cobaleda C, Nichols KE, Sánchez-García I. Nat Commun 2023 Aug 24;14(1):5159.
PUBMED DOIRole of Toll-like receptor 4 in intravascular hemolisis-mediated injury
Vázquez-Carballo C, Herencia C, Guerrero-Hue M, García-Caballero C, Rayego-Mateos S, Morgado-Pascual JL, Opazo-Rios L, González-Guerrero C, Vallejo-Mudarra M, Cortegano I, Gaspar ML, de Andrés B, Egido J, Moreno JA. J Pathol. 2022 Nov; 258(3): 236–249.
PUBMED DOIAge-dependent nasal immune responses in non-hospitalized bronchiolitis children
Cortegano I, Rodríguez M, Hernángómez S, Arrabal A, Garcia-Vao C, Rodríguez J, Sandra Fernández S, Díaz J, de la Rosa B, Solís B, Arribas C, Garrido F, Zaballos A, Roa S, López V, Gaspar ML, de Andrés B. Front Immunol 2022 Dec 6:13:1011607.
PUBMED DOIToll-like receptors in acute kidney injury
Vázquez-Carballo C, Guerrero-Hue M, García Caballero C, Rayego-Mateos S, Opazo-Rios L, Morgado-Pascual JL, Herencia-Bellido C, Vallejo-Mudarra M, Cortegano I, Gaspar ML, de Andrés B, Egido J, Moreno-Gutiérrez JA. Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Jan; 22(2): 816.
PUBMED DOIThe TLR4-MyD88 Signaling Regulates Lung Monocyte Differentiation Pathways in Response to Streptococcus pneumoniae
Sánchez-Tarjuelo R, Cortegano I, Manosalva J, Rodríguez M, Ruiz C, Alía M, Prado MC, Cano EM, Ferrándiz MJ, de la Campa A, Gaspar ML, de Andrés B. Front Immunol 2020 Sep 16:11:2120.
PUBMED DOINrf2 plays a protective role against intravascular hemolysis-mediated acute kidney injury.
Rubio-Navarro A, Vázquez-Carballo C, Guerrero-Hue M, García-Caballero C, Herencia C, Gutierrez E, Yuste C, Sevillano A, Praga M, Egea J, Cannata P, Cortegano I, de Andrés B, Gaspar ML, Cadenas S, Michalska P, León R, Ortiz, A, Egido J, Moreno JA. Front Pharmacol. 2019; 10: 740.
PUBMED DOIPodocytes as new cellular targets of hemoglobin toxicity in massive intravascular hemolysis.
Rubio-Navarro A, Sanchez-Niño MD, Guerrero-Hue M, García-Caballero C, Gutiérrez E, Yuste C, Sevillano A, Praga M, Egea J, Román E, Cannata P, Ortega R, Cortegano I, de Andrés B, Gaspar ML, Cadenas S, Ortiz A, Egido J, Moreno JA. Podocytes as new cellular targets of hemoglobin toxicity in massive intravascular hemolysis. 2018. J.Pathol. 244(3):296-310.
PUBMED DOISpatially-restricted JAG1-Notch signaling in the human thymus provides permissive microenvironments for dendritic cell development.
Martín Gayo, E., González-García, S., García-León, M., Murcia-Ceballos, A., Alcain, J., García-Peydró, M., Allende, L., de Andrés, B., Gaspar, ML. and Toribio, ML. J.Exp.Med. (2017) 214:3361-3379
PUBMED DOIThe formation of titan cells in Cryptococcus neoformans depends on the mouse strain and correlates with induction of Th2-type responses
García-Barbazán, I., Trevijano-Contador, N., Rueda, C., de Andrés, B., Pérez-Tavárez, R., Herrero-Fernández, I., Gaspar ML., and Zaragoza, O. Cellular Microbiology (2015) 18:111-124
PUBMED DOIAdditional Information
The research activity of the Viral Biology group since its beginnings in the 1980s has focused on respiratory viruses, especially on the study of the mechanisms of virus entry into the cell, evolutionary aspects, antigenic properties and vaccine development.
Currently, the group's objectives are focused on the characterisation of the immune response and the development of vaccines against human pneumoviruses: human respiratory syncytial virus (hRSV) and human metapneumovirus (hMPV).
Both viruses are considered to be important respiratory pathogens of high clinical relevance, especially in the paediatric population.
Safe and effective vaccines against these viruses are currently not available. Soluble protein subunits based on the fusion protein (F-protein) of hRSV and hMPV are being developed in the laboratory by protein engineering for use as vaccines against human pneumoviruses.
On the other hand, and thanks to the characterisation of the type of humoral response induced by the F proteins of these viruses, the laboratory is also involved in the isolation of monoclonal antibodies and nanoantibodies for use as treatments against these viruses.
The research activity of the Viral Biology group since its beginnings in the 1980s has focused on respiratory viruses, especially on the study of the mechanisms of virus entry into the cell, evolutionary aspects, antigenic properties and vaccine development.
Currently, the group's objectives are focused on the characterisation of the immune response and the development of vaccines against human pneumoviruses: human respiratory syncytial virus (hRSV) and human metapneumovirus (hMPV).
Both viruses are considered to be important respiratory pathogens of high clinical relevance, especially in the paediatric population.
Safe and effective vaccines against these viruses are currently not available. Soluble protein subunits based on the fusion protein (F-protein) of hRSV and hMPV are being developed in the laboratory by protein engineering for use as vaccines against human pneumoviruses.
On the other hand, and thanks to the characterisation of the type of humoral response induced by the F proteins of these viruses, the laboratory is also involved in the isolation of monoclonal antibodies and nanoantibodies for use as treatments against these viruses.