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Investigation
AIDS Immunopathology
Research Lines
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Hepatitis
- Diseño de métodos diagnósticos para el estudio de los virus de las hepatitis (VH) A, B, C, D, E: Diseñamos sistemas de PCR para su detección y caracterización.
- Evaluación de métodos diagnósticos de los VH. Colaboramos con empresas para estudios de sensibilidad y especificidad de equipos diagnósticos.
- Estudios de Seroprevalencia de los virus de las hepatitis.
- Epidemiología genómica de genomas completos de VHA, VHB, VHC, VHD y VHE en colaboración con el ECDC. Estudios de trazabilidad del VHE.
- Caracterización molecular de virus de las hepatitis mediante secuenciación masiva: a) VHB: mutantes de escape HBsAg (prevalencia y efectos en la detección del HBsAg). Estudio de mutaciones en epítopos de estimulación inmune y mutaciones asociadas a evolución clínica desfavorable.
- b) VHC: resistencias a los antivirales de acción directa. Análisis molecular de subtipos poco frecuentes.
c) Estudios filogenéticos del VHD.
d) Análisis genómico del VHE.
e) Investigación etiológica de hepatitis no filiadas mediante estudios de metagenómica.
- b) VHC: resistencias a los antivirales de acción directa. Análisis molecular de subtipos poco frecuentes.
Research projects
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1. Proyecto CIBEREPS 2022. Microbiological and genomic investigation of hepatitis in children by metagenomic approach in case and control subjects (IP: Ana Avellón).
2023-2024. En colaboración con el Hospital San Joan de Deu de Barcelona.
2. MPY 501-19: Tracking hepatitis E virus infection by means of epidemiological research and whole genome sequencing. Project TrazHE. (IP: Ana Avellón). 2020-2024.
3. Proyecto CIBEREPS 2021 Metagenomic sequencing to identify viral aetiologies in undiagnosed paediatric cases of meningitis and encephalitis (IP: D. Tarragó). 2021-2022.
4. MPY 383/19 (PEJ2018-004446-A). Ayudas para la promoción de empleo joven e implantación de la garantía juvenil en I+D+I. análisis de la complejidad de secuencias de los virus de la hepatitis A, B, C; D y E (VHA, VHB, VHC, VHD y VHE) mediante técnicas de secuenciación masiva. (IP: Ana Avellón). 2020-2021.
5. MPY 1285/16 Movilidad "Salvador de Madariaga" programa estatal de promoción de talento y su empleabilidad. (IP: Ana Avellón). 2016.
Publications
Emergence of cfr-Mediated Linezolid Resistance in a Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Epidemic Clone Isolated from Patients with Cystic Fibrosis.
4. Emergence of cfr-Mediated Linezolid Resistance in a Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Epidemic Clone Isolated from Patients with Cystic Fibrosis. de Dios Caballero J, Pastor MD, Vindel A, Máiz L, Yagüe G, Salvador C, Cobo M, Morosini MI, del Campo R, Cantón R; GEIFQ Study Group. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2015 Dec 14;60(3):1878-82.
PUBMED DOIThe dynamic changes of dominant clones of Staphylococcus aureus causing bloodstream infections in the European region: results of a second structured survey.
5. The dynamic changes of dominant clones of Staphylococcus aureus causing bloodstream infections in the European region: results of a second structured survey. Grundmann H, Schouls LM, Aanensen DM, Pluister GN, Tami A, Chlebowicz M, Glasner C, Sabat AJ, Weist K, Heuer O, Friedrich AW; ESCMID Study Group on Molecular Epidemiological Markers; European Staphylococcal Reference Laboratory Working Group. Euro Surveill. 2014 Dec 11;19(49).
PUBMED DOIPeptidoglycan recycling contributes to intrinsic resistance to fosfomycin in Acinetobacter baumannii.
6. Gil-Marqués ML, Moreno-Martínez P, Costas C, Pachón J, Blázquez J, McConnell M.J.* Peptidoglycan recycling contributes to intrinsic resistance to fosfomycin in Acinetobacter baumannii. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. 2018 Nov 1;73(11):2960-2968.
PUBMED DOIImmunization with lipopolysaccharide-free outer membrane complexes protects against Acinetobacter baumannii infection.
7. Pulido MR, García-Quintanilla M, Pachón J, McConnell M.J.* Immunization with lipopolysaccharide-free outer membrane complexes protects against Acinetobacter baumannii infection. Vaccine. 2018 Jul 5;36(29):4153-4156.
PUBMED DOIInhibition of LpxC increases antibiotic susceptibility in Acinetobacter baumannii.
8. García-Quintanilla M, Caro-Vega JM, Pulido MR, Moreno-Martínez P, Pachón J, McConnell M.J.* Inhibition of LpxC increases antibiotic susceptibility in Acinetobacter baumannii. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. 2016 Jul 22;60(8):5076-9.
PUBMED DOIImmunization with lipopolysaccharide-deficient whole cells provides protective immunity in an experimental mouse model of Acinetobacter baumannii infection.
9. García-Quintanilla M., Pulido M.R., Pachón J. and McConnell, M.J.* Immunization with lipopolysaccharide-deficient whole cells provides protective immunity in an experimental mouse model of Acinetobacter baumannii infection. PLOS One. 2014 Dec 8;9(12).
PUBMED DOIEncephalitis associated with human herpesvirus-7 infection in an immunocompetent adult.
M. Parra; A. Alcala; C. Amoros; A. Baeza; A. Galiana; D. Tarragó; M.Á. García-Quesada; V. Sánchez-Hellín. Encephalitis associated with human herpesvirus-7 infection in an immunocompetent adult. Virology Journal. 14 - 1, 2017.
PUBMED DOIMolecular epidemiology of enterovirus and parechovirus infections according to patient age over a 4-year period in Spain.
M. Cabrerizo; M. Díaz-Cerio; C. Muñoz-Almagro; N. Rabella; D. Tarragó; M.P. Romero; M.J. Pena; C. Calvo; S. Rey-Cao; A. Moreno-Docón; I. Martínez-Rienda; A. Otero; G. Trallero. Molecular epidemiology of enterovirus and parechovirus infections according to patient age over a 4-year period in Spain. J Med Virol. 2017 Mar;89(3):435-442.
PUBMED DOIViral epidemic outbreaks and public health alerts studied at the National Centre of Microbiology during a two-year period (2012-2013).
J.M. Echevarría Mayo; A.A. Avellón Calvo; M. Cabrerizo Sanz; I. Casas Flecha; J.E. Echevarría Mayo; Fd.eO. de Ory Manchón; A. Negredo Antón; F. Pozo Sánchez; M.P. Sánchez-Seco Fariñas; D. Tarragó Asensio; G. Trallero Masó. Viral epidemic outbreaks and public health alerts studied at the National Centre of Microbiology during a two-year period (2012-2013). Revista española de salud pública. 90, pp. E16 - E16. 2016
PUBMEDMolecular epidemiology of enterovirus 71, coxsackievirus A16 and A6 associated with hand, foot and mouth disease in Spain.
M. Cabrerizo; D. Tarragó; C. Muñoz-Almagro; E. del Amo; M. Domínguez-Gil; J.M.-S. Eiros; I. López-Miragaya; C. Pérez; J. Reina; A. Otero; I. González; J.E. Echevarría; G. Trallero. Molecular epidemiology of enterovirus 71, coxsackievirus A16 and A6 associated with hand, foot and mouth disease in Spain. Clinical Microbiology and Infection. 20 - 3, pp. O150 - O156. 2014.
PUBMED DOIMolecular epidemiology of the first Spanish enterovirus A71 outbreak associated with severe neurological diseases, 2016.
R Gonzalez-Sanz*, D Casas-Alba, C Launes, C Muñoz-Almagro, M Ruiz-García, MJ Gonzalez-Abad, M Alonso, G Megias, N Rabella, M del Cuerpo, M Gozalo-Margüello, A González-Praetorius, A Martínez-Sapiña, MJ Goyanes-Galán, MP Romero, C Calvo, A Antón, M Imaz, M Aranzamendi, Á Hernandez, A Moreno-Docón, S Rey Cao, A Navascuences, A Otero, M Cabrerizo. Molecular epidemiology of the first Spanish enterovirus A71 outbreak associated with severe neurological diseases, 2016. Euro Surveill. 2019 Feb;24(7).
PUBMED DOIAcute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance: challenges and opportunities from 18 years’ experience, Spain, 1998 to 2015.
J Masa-Calles, N Torner, N López-Perea, MV Torres de Mier, B Fernández-Martínez, M Cabrerizo, V Gallardo-García, C Malo, M Margolles, M Portell, N Abadía, A Blasco, S García-Hernández, H Marcos, N Rabella, C Marín, A Fuentes, I Losada, A Nieto, V García Ortúzar, M García Cenoz, JM Arteagoitia, Á Blanco Martínez, A Rivas, D Castrillejo, Spanish AFP Surveillance Working Group. Acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance: challenges and opportunities from 18 years’ experience, Spain, 1998 to 2015. EuroSurveill 2018 23(47):pii=1700423.
PUBMED DOIRecommendations for enterovirus diagnostics and characterisation within and beyond Europe.
H Harvala, E Broberg, K Benschop, N Berginc, S Ladhani, P Susi, C Christiansen, J McKenna, D Allen, P Makiello, G McAllister, M Carmen, M Sveinsdottir, K Zakikhany, T Gunnarsdottir, R Dyrdak, X Nielsen, T Madsen, J Paul, C Moore, K von Eije, A Piralla , M Strutt, M Carileir, L Vanoverschelde, R Poelman, A Anton, X López-Labrador, C Galli, K Keeren, M Maier, H Cassidy, S Derdas, C Savolainen-Kopra, S Diedrich, S Nordbø, P Minor, J Buesa, H Yu, Q Liao, JL Bailly, F Baldanti, A MacAdam, N Grossly, A Mirand, S Dudman, I Schuffenecker, S Kadamba, n Neyts, M Griffiths, J Richter, C Margaretto, S Govind, U Morley, S Krokstad, J Dean, M Salort, B Prochazka, H-R Honkanen, M Cabrerizo, M Majumdar, L Pellegrinelli, G Nebbia, M Wiewel, S Cottrell, P Coyle, O Adams, J Martin, S Midgley, P Horby, K Wolthers, B Hubert Niesters, P Simmonds and TK Fischer. Recommendations for enterovirus diagnostics and characterisation within and beyond Europe. J Clin Virol 101: 11-17 (2018).
PUBMED DOIMolecular surveillance of norovirus, 2005-16: an epidemiological analysis of data collected from the NoroNet network.
4. J van Beek, M de Graaf, H Al-Hhello, DJ Allen, K Ambert-Balay, N Botteldoorn, M Brytting, J Buesa, M Cabrerizo, M Chan, F Cloak, I Di Bartolo, S Guix, J Hewitt, N Iritani, M Jin, R Johne, I Lederer, J Mans, V Martella, L Maunula, G McAllister, S Niendorf, HG Niesters, AT Podkolzin, M Poljsak-Prijatelj, L Dam Rasmussen, G Reuter, G Tuite, A Kroneman, H Vennema, MPG Koopmans, on behalf of NoroNet. Molecular surveillance of norovirus, 2005-16: an epidemiological analysis of data collected from the NoroNet network. Lancet Infect Dis 18:545-553 (2018)
PUBMED DOIFirst Cases of Severe Flaccid Paralysis Associated with Enterovirus D68 Infection in Spain, 2015-2016.
M Cabrerizo*, JP García-Iñiguez, F Munell, A Amado, P Madurga-Revilla, C Rodrigo, S Pérez, A Martínez-Sapiña, A Antón, G Suárez, N Rabella, V Del Campo, A Otero, J Masa-Calles. First Cases of Severe Flaccid Paralysis Associated with Enterovirus D68 Infection in Spain, 2015-2016. Pediatric Infect Dis J; 36: 1214-1216 (2017).
PUBMED DOIOutbreak of brainstem encephalitis associated with enterovirus-A71 in Catalonia, Spain (2016): a clinical observational study in a children’s reference centre in Catalonia
6. D Casas-Alba, M de Sevilla, A Valero-Rello, C Fortuny, JJ Garcia, C Ortez, J Muchart, T Armangue, I Jordan, C Luaces-Cubells, I Barrabeig, R González-Sanz, M Cabrerizo, C Munoz-Almagro, C Launes. Outbreak of brainstem encephalitis associated with enterovirus-A71 in Catalonia, Spain (2016): a clinical observational study in a children’s reference centre in Catalonia. Clin Microbiol Infect 23: 874-881 (2017)
PUBMED DOIMolecular epidemiology of enterovirus and parechovirus infections according to patient age over a 4-year period in Spain.
7. M Cabrerizo*, M Díaz-Cerio, C Muñoz-Almagro, N Rabella, D Tarragó, MP Romero, MJ Pena, C Calvo, S Rey-Cao, A Moreno-Docón, I Martínez-Rienda, A Otero, G Trallero. Molecular epidemiology of enterovirus and parechovirus infections according to patient age over a 4-year period in Spain. J Med Virol 89: 435-442 (2017).
PUBMED DOIAdditional Information
The AIDS Immunopathology Unit has been coordinated since 2000 by Dr. José Alcamí, bringing together during its history more than 20 independent researchers who collaboratively study different aspects of HIV infection. During this years, more than 30 visiting researchers and more than 50 national and international students have passed through the unit. From the beginning of the year 2025, Javier García Pérez and Francisco Díez Fuertes assumed the coordination of the AIDS Immunopathology Unit, with the aim of projecting its scientific competitiveness following multidisciplinary approaches and through the maintenance of the current close collaborations, as well as the promotion of participation in new national and international research networks.
Historically, the current members of the unit have focused on different lines of basic research that include the study of antibodies and the development of vaccines against HIV-1, the study of viral entry and tropism of the virus or the study of the host through the genomic characterization of populations with an extreme phenotype. Currently, the activity of our unit in the field of HIV-1 is focused on three main lines:
1. Mecanismos moleculares asociados a la protección de la infección por VIH-1 en pacientes con distrofia muscular de cinturas dominante D2 (LGMDD2).
2. Generación de anticuerpos neutralizantes de uso terapéutico basados en la respuesta neutralizante de amplio espectro frente a virus fundadores.
3. Cribado y caracterización de nuevos fármacos anti-latencia frente al VIH-1.
A partir del año 2020, nuestra unidad se vuelca con la investigación sobre COVID-19, participando y liderando diferentes proyectos de investigación aplicada y clínica. Fruto de esta fuerte implicación en el campo, en la actualidad se mantienen diferentes estudios sobre la caracterización de la respuesta inmune frente a SARS-CoV-2, integrando diferentes técnicas de virología molecular, estrategias de inteligencia epidemiológica y tecnologías de célula única.
We also participate in different research consortiums and networks, such as the Spanish AIDS Research Network or the Center for Biomedical Research in Infectious Diseases Network (CIBER-INFEC), in which we participate as researchers in different lines and work packages within the research programs “Global Health, emerging and re-emerging infections” as well as “HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections”.
Supervised doctoral theses
1. GENOMIC AND FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS OF HIV-1 PROTECTION PARAMETERS IN PATIENTS WITH SLOW PROGRESSION OF INFECTION.
Student: Erick de la Torre Tarazona.
Supervisors: José Alcamí and Francisco Díez Fuertes.
Academic entity: Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.
Defense date: July 14th, 2020.
2. ANALYSIS OF MIARN EXPRESSION PROFILES AND FUNCTIONAL CHARACTERIZATION IN HIV-POSITIVE INDIVIDUALS WITH DIFFERENT PROGRESSION TO AIDS.
Student: Rubén Ayala Suárez.
Supervisors: José Alcamí and Francisco Díez Fuertes.
Academic entity: Universidad de Alcalá.
Defense date: June 12nd, 2023.
The AIDS Immunopathology Unit has been coordinated since 2000 by Dr. José Alcamí, bringing together during its history more than 20 independent researchers who collaboratively study different aspects of HIV infection. During this years, more than 30 visiting researchers and more than 50 national and international students have passed through the unit. From the beginning of the year 2025, Javier García Pérez and Francisco Díez Fuertes assumed the coordination of the AIDS Immunopathology Unit, with the aim of projecting its scientific competitiveness following multidisciplinary approaches and through the maintenance of the current close collaborations, as well as the promotion of participation in new national and international research networks.
Historically, the current members of the unit have focused on different lines of basic research that include the study of antibodies and the development of vaccines against HIV-1, the study of viral entry and tropism of the virus or the study of the host through the genomic characterization of populations with an extreme phenotype. Currently, the activity of our unit in the field of HIV-1 is focused on three main lines:
1. Mecanismos moleculares asociados a la protección de la infección por VIH-1 en pacientes con distrofia muscular de cinturas dominante D2 (LGMDD2).
2. Generación de anticuerpos neutralizantes de uso terapéutico basados en la respuesta neutralizante de amplio espectro frente a virus fundadores.
3. Cribado y caracterización de nuevos fármacos anti-latencia frente al VIH-1.
A partir del año 2020, nuestra unidad se vuelca con la investigación sobre COVID-19, participando y liderando diferentes proyectos de investigación aplicada y clínica. Fruto de esta fuerte implicación en el campo, en la actualidad se mantienen diferentes estudios sobre la caracterización de la respuesta inmune frente a SARS-CoV-2, integrando diferentes técnicas de virología molecular, estrategias de inteligencia epidemiológica y tecnologías de célula única.
We also participate in different research consortiums and networks, such as the Spanish AIDS Research Network or the Center for Biomedical Research in Infectious Diseases Network (CIBER-INFEC), in which we participate as researchers in different lines and work packages within the research programs “Global Health, emerging and re-emerging infections” as well as “HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections”.
Supervised doctoral theses
1. GENOMIC AND FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS OF HIV-1 PROTECTION PARAMETERS IN PATIENTS WITH SLOW PROGRESSION OF INFECTION.
Student: Erick de la Torre Tarazona.
Supervisors: José Alcamí and Francisco Díez Fuertes.
Academic entity: Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.
Defense date: July 14th, 2020.
2. ANALYSIS OF MIARN EXPRESSION PROFILES AND FUNCTIONAL CHARACTERIZATION IN HIV-POSITIVE INDIVIDUALS WITH DIFFERENT PROGRESSION TO AIDS.
Student: Rubén Ayala Suárez.
Supervisors: José Alcamí and Francisco Díez Fuertes.
Academic entity: Universidad de Alcalá.
Defense date: June 12nd, 2023.