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Research Lines

Content with Investigacion Entomología Médica .

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 Entomología Médica .

CURRENT PROJECTS

Project title: "Biochemical and functional characterisation of salivary proteins of Phlebotomus perniciosus and their role in infection by Leishmania infantum (PERNIPROT)"
Reference: Project PID2023-147773NA-I00 funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by FEDER, EU.
Start date: 01/09/2024
End date: 31/08/2028
Funding: €175,000
Principal investigator: Inés Elena Martín Martín. 
Funding agency: Agencia Estatal de Investigación (Proyecto de Generación del Conocimiento 2023).


 

Project title: "Surveillance of leishmaniasis in the Community of Madrid from a “One Health” perspective: study of the infectious capacity of patients with visceral leishmaniasis and their role as reservoirs"
Reference: PI24CIII/00026
Start date: 01/01/2025
End date: 31/12/2027
Funding: €60,000.00
Principal investigator: Inés Elena Martín Martín. 
Co-principal investigator: Maribel Jiménez Alonso
Funding agency: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Strategic Action in Intramural Health, AESI). 

Service Contract: "Analysis for the surveillance of the vector and wild reservoirs that transmit leishmaniasis in the Community of Madrid"
Reference: file no. 17/2024 (A/SER-008455/2024).
Start date: 26/06/2024
End date: 10/12/25, extendable to 2026
Total funding: €171,084
Principal Investigator: Maribel Jiménez Alonso
Funding agency: Service Contract between the Instituto de Salud Carlos III and the Directorate-General for Public Health, Regional Ministry of Health of the Community of Madrid 

Project Title: CIBERINFEC Research Group (CB21/13/00110)
Start date: 2021
End date: currently active
Principal Investigator: Dr. Mª Paz Sánchez-Seco, Arbovirus and Imported Viral Diseases Unit. 
Researchers from the Medical Entomology Laboratory: Maribel Jiménez (member), Inés Martín Martín (collaborator).
Funding: €108,134. File number: CB21/13/00110.
Funding agency: Consortium Centre for Biomedical Research in NETWORK (CIBER)


 

PAST PROJECTS

Service Contract: "Evaluation of the anti-leishmania effect of the bacteria Tc1 and its derivatives in the intravectorial cycle"
Reference: ISCIII-06896
Start date: 15/12/2022
End date: 15/04/2025
Funding: €71,265.67
Principal Investigator: Inés Elena Martín Martín
Funding agency: Service Contract between the company GlaxoSmithKline R&D (GSK) and the Instituto de Salud Carlos III

Service Contract: "Analysis for the surveillance of the vector and wild reservoirs that transmit leishmaniasis in the Community of Madrid"
Reference: 59/2020 (A/SER-040739/2020)
Start date: 10/12/2021
End date: 10/12/2023.   
Funding: €42,612.17 per year   Total 2021-2023: €127,836.51
Principal Investigators: Ricardo Molina /Maribel Jiménez Alonso
Funding agency: Service contract between the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) and the Directorate-General for Public Health, Regional Ministry of Health of the Community of Madrid

Project title: "Research and Integrated Surveillance of Emerging Arboviruses West Nile, Toscana and Dengue in some areas of Spain"
Reference: PI19CIII/00014
Start date: 2020
End date: 2022
Principal Investigator: Ana Vázquez González
Co-Principal Investigator: Ricardo Molina
Funding: €60,000.00
Funding agency: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Strategic Action in Intramural Health, AESI).

Project title: "Characterisation of the concept of ‘asymptomatic carrier’ in leishmaniasis: implications for treatment".
Start date: 01/01/2015
End date: 31/12/2017
Principal investigators: Javier Moreno and Javier García
Funding: €159,940
Funding agency: Study Agreement between Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi), the Spanish Foundation for International Cooperation, Health and Social Policy (FCSAI) and Fuenlabrada Hospital. Subcontractor: ISCIII Medical Entomology Unit (Maribel Jiménez and Ricardo Molina).

Project title: "Biology and control of vector-borne infections in Europe (EDENext Collaborative Project): Sandfly-borne diseases".  
Reference: Subproject (PBD) (EU, FP7-HEALTH-2010-single-stage, contract No. 261504).
Start date: 2011
End date: 2014
Principal investigator: Ricardo Molina     General coordinator: Petr Volf
Funding: €140,000
Funding agency: EU-FP7

Project Title: "Phlebotomus perniciosus saliva as a source in the search for potential targets for the development of vaccines against Leishmania infantum"
Reference: AGL2008-01592/GAN (MICINN)
Start date: 2009
End date: 2011
Principal investigator: Ricardo Molina
Funding: €70,180
Funding agency: Ministry of Science and Innovation

Publications

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Simian immunodeficiency virus engrafted with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-specific epitopes: replication, neutralization, and survey of HIV-1-positive plasma

Yuste E, Sanford HB, Carmody J, Bixby J, Little S, Zwick MB, Greenough T, Burton DR, Richman DD, Desrosiers RC, Johnson WE*. 2006. J Virol 80:3030-41.

PUBMED DOI

Molecular characterization of invasive serogroup B Neisseria meningitidis isolates from Spain during 2015-2018: Evolution of the vaccine antigen factor H binding protein (FHbp)

Abad R, García-Amil C, Navarro C, Martín E, Martín-Díaz A, Vázquez JA. J Infect. 2021 Apr;82(4):37-44

PUBMED DOI

The fluoroquinolone levofloxacin triggers the transcriptional activation of iron transport genes that contribute to cell death in Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Ferrándiz MJ, de la Campa AG. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 58:247-257 (2014)

PUBMED DOI

The 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 DOI

Carbapenemase-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae From Transplanted Patients in Brazil: Phylogeny, Resistome, Virulome and Mobile Genetic Elements Harboring blaKPC-2 or blaNDM-1.

16. Carbapenemase-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae From Transplanted Patients in Brazil: Phylogeny, Resistome, Virulome and Mobile Genetic Elements Harboring blaKPC-2 or blaNDM-1. Autores: Raro OHF, da Silva RMC, Filho EMR, Sukiennik TCT, Stadnik C, Dias CAG, Oteo Iglesias J, Pérez-Vázquez M. Revista: Front Microbiol. 2020 Jul 15;11:1563.

PUBMED DOI

Balancing selection and the evolution of functional polymorphism in Old World monkey TRIM5alpha

Newman RM, Hall L, Connole M, Chen GL, Sato S, Yuste E, Diehl W, Hunter E, Kaur A, Miller GM, Johnson WE; Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006 Dec 12;103(50):19134-9

PUBMED DOI

High susceptibility to zoliflodacin and conserved target (GyrB) for zoliflodacin among 1209 consecutive clinical Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates from 25 European countries, 2018.

Unemo M, Ahlstrand J, Sánchez-Busó L, Day M, Aanensen D, Golparian D, Jacobsson S, Cole MJ, Torreblanca RA, Ásmundsdóttir LR, Balla E, De Baetselier I, Bercot B, Carannante A, Caugant D, Borrego MJ, Buder S, Cassar R, Cole M, Dam A, Eder C, Hoffmann S, Hunjak B, Jeverica S, Kirjavainen V, Maikanti-Charalambous P, Miriagou V, Mlynarczyk-Bonikowska B, Pakarna G, Patterson L, Pavlik P, Perrin M, Shepherd J, Stefanelli P, Unemo M, Jelena V, Zákoucká H. J Antimicrob Chemother. 2021 Feb 10:dkab024

PUBMED DOI

Fluoroquinolone-resistant pneumococci: dynamics of serotypes and clones in Spain in 2012 compared with those from 2002 and 2006

Domenech A, Tirado-Vélez JM, Fenoll A, Ardanuy C, Yuste J, Liñares J, de la Campa AG. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 58:2393-2399 (2014).

PUBMED DOI

DNGR-1+ dendritic cells are located in meningeal and choroid plexus membranes of the non-injured brain.

Quintana, E., Fernández. A, de Andrés, B., Liste, I., Sancho, D., Gaspar, ML. and Cano, E. Glia (2015) 62 (12):2231-2248

PUBMED DOI

Dissemination of extensively drug-resistant NDM-producing Providencia stuartii in Europe linked to patients transferred from Ukraine, March 2022 to March 2023

17. Dissemination of extensively drug-resistant NDM-producing Providencia stuartii in Europe linked to patients transferred from Ukraine, March 2022 to March 2023. Autores: Witteveen S, Hans JB, Izdebski R, Hasman H, Samuelsen Ø, Dortet L, Pfeifer Y, Delappe N, Oteo-Iglesias J, Żabicka D, Cormican M, Sandfort M, Reichert F, Pöntinen AK, Fischer MA, Verkaik N, Pérez-Vazquez M, Pfennigwerth N, Hammerum AM, Hallstrøm S, Biedrzycka M, Räisänen K, Wielders CC, Urbanowicz P, de Haan A, Westmo K, Landman F, van der Heide HG, Lansu S, Zwittink RD, Notermans DW, Guzek A, Kondratiuk V, Salmanov A, Haller S, Linkevicius M, Gatermann S, Kohlenberg A, Gniadkowski M, Werner G, Hendrickx AP. Revista: Euro Surveill. 2024 Jun;29(23):2300616.

PUBMED DOI

Virion envelope content, infectivity, and neutralization sensitivity of simian immunodeficiency virus

Yuste E, Johnson W, Pavlakis GN, Desrosiers RC; J Virol. 2005 Oct;79(19):12455-63.

PUBMED DOI

Meningococcal Serogroup B Disease in Vaccinated Children

Soler-Garcia A, Fernández de Sevilla M, Abad R, Esteva C, Alsina L, Vázquez J, Muñoz-Almagro C, Noguera-Julian A. J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc. 2020 Sep 17;9(4):454-459

PUBMED DOI

Postnatal and adult immunoglobulin repertoires of innate-like CD19(+)CD45R(lo) B Cells.

Prado, C., Rodriguez, M., Cortegano I., Ruiz, C., Alía, M., de Andrés, B., Gaspar, ML. J Inn Inmmunol. (2014) 6: 499-514

PUBMED DOI

Characterization of Carbapenemase-Producing Klebsiella oxytoca in Spain, 2016-2017.

18. Characterization of Carbapenemase-Producing Klebsiella oxytoca in Spain, 2016-2017. Autores: Pérez-Vazquez M, Oteo-Iglesias J, Sola-Campoy PJ, Carrizo-Manzoni H, Bautista V, Lara N, Aracil B, Alhambra A, Martínez-Martínez L, Campos J; Spanish Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance Program Collaborating Group. Revista: Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2019 May 24;63(6): e02529-18.

PUBMED DOI

HIV-1-specific CD8+ T cell responses and viral evolution in women and infants

Sanchez-Merino V, Nie S, Luzuriaga K*. 2005. J Immunol 175:6976-86.

PUBMED DOI

The global meningitis genome partnership

Rodgers E, Bentley SD, Borrow R, Bratcher HB, Brisse S, Brueggemann AB, Caugant DA, Findlow J, Fox L, Glennie L, Harrison LH, Harrison OB, Heyderman RS, van Rensburg MJ, Jolley KA, Kwambana-Adams B, Ladhani S, LaForce M, Levin M, Lucidarme J, MacAlasdair N, Maclennan J, Maiden MCJ, Maynard-Smith L, Muzzi A, Oster P, Rodrigues CMC, Ronveaux O, Serino L, Smith V, van der Ende A, Vázquez J, Wang X, Yezli S, Stuart JM. J Infect. 2020; 81(4): 510-520

PUBMED DOI

Notch1 regulates progenitor cell proliferation and differentiation during murine yolk sac hematopoiesis

Isabel Cortegano, Pedro Melgar-Rojas, Luis Luna-Zurita, Miguel Ángel Rodríguez-Marcos, MA., Gaspar ML., and José Luis de la Pompa, JL. Cell death and diff. (2014) 21: 1081-1094

PUBMED DOI

Spread of the FAR-MRSA clone, a fusidic acid- and meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ST121, Europe, 2014 to 2024.

19. Spread of the FAR-MRSA clone, a fusidic acid- and meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ST121, Europe, 2014 to 2024. Autores: Roer L, Yin N, Denis O, Vendrik KE, Zwittink RD, Notermans DW, Perrin M, Khonyongwa K, Tristan A, Youenou B, Layer-Nicolaou F, Werner G, Enger H, Eikrem ECH, Darenberg J, Mäkitalo B, Paulsson M, Björkman J, Fang H, Hallbäck ET, Sundqvist M, Lindholm L, Moganeradj K, García-Cobos S, Cañada-García JE, Holzknecht BJ, Eriksen HB, Hoppe M, Bartels MD, Samaniego Castruita JA, Urth TR, Larsen AR, Petersen A. Revista: Euro Surveill. 2025 Jul;30(28):2500452.

DOI

Modulation of Env content in virions of simian immunodeficiency virus: correlation with cell surface expression and virion infectivity

Yuste E, Reeves JD, Doms RW, Desrosiers RC*. 2004. J Virol 78:6775-85.

PUBMED DOI

Epidemiology, molecular characterisation and antimicrobial susceptibility of Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates in Madrid, Spain, in 2016

María D. Guerrero-Torres, María B. Menéndez, Carmen S. Guerras, Estela Tello, Juan Ballesteros, Petunia Clavo, Teresa Puerta, Mar Vera, Oskar Ayerdi, Juan C. Carrio, Inmaculada Monzo, Jorge del Romero, Julio A. Vázquez, Raquel Abad. 20. María D. Guerrero-Torres, María B. Menéndez, Carmen S. Guerras, Estela Tello, Juan Ballesteros, Petunia Clavo, Teresa Puerta, Mar Vera, Oskar Ayerdi, Juan C. Carrio, Inmaculada Monzo, Jorge del Romero, Julio A. Vázquez, Raquel Abad. Epidemiol Infect. 2019 Sep 24;147:e274

PUBMED DOI

Content with Investigacion Entomología Médica .

List of staff

Additional Information

La inducción de la tolerancia al aloinjerto sigue siendo una meta por alcanzar en el trasplante de órganos. La mayoría de las estrategias terapéuticas se centran en la inhibición del sistema inmunológico adaptativo, pero datos recientes demuestran que el reconocimiento alogénico de las células mieloides inicia el rechazo al trasplante. Terapias dirigidas hacia las células mieloides “in vivo” representan un objetivo potencial para inducir tolerancia inmunológica, pero permanece inexplorado clínicamente.Nuestro laboratorio utiliza una nanoinmunoterapia revolucionaria de nanopartículas de lipoproteínas de alta densidad (HDL) cargadas con rapamicina (mTORi-HDL) que previenen las modificaciones epigenéticas asociadas con la inmunidad entrenada, un estado funcional de los macrófagos recientemente descubierto. Usando un modelo experimental de trasplante en ratón, nuestros resultados demuestran que la administración de esta inmunoterapia con mTORi-HDL previene la respuesta inmunológica y promueve la tolerancia al órgano trasplantado.Nuestro laboratorio muestra un enfoque de investigación multidisciplinar articulado en tres objetivos diferentes para evaluar la relevancia clínica y los efectos terapéuticos de la inmunoterapia como preparación para un ensayo clínico en trasplante de órganos. Los objetivos generales estarán orientados a confirmar la identificación de la inmunidad entrenada como biomarcador y valor analítico para predecir el riesgo de rechazo en pacientes trasplantados bajo tres condiciones: periodos prolongadas de reperfusión isquémica (IRI) (objetivo 1), alosensibilización (objetivo 2) e infección (objetivo 3).

Induction of allograft tolerance remains a goal to be achieved in organ transplantation. Most therapeutic strategies focus on inhibition of the adaptive immune system, but recent data demonstrate that allogeneic recognition of myeloid cells initiates transplant rejection. Therapies targeting myeloid cells “in vivo” represent a potential target to induce immunological tolerance, but remain clinically unexplored. 

Our laboratory uses a revolutionary nanoimmunotherapy of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) nanoparticles loaded with rapamycin (mTORi-HDL) that prevents epigenetic modifications associated with trained immunity, a recently discovered functional state of macrophages. Using an experimental mouse transplant model, our results demonstrate that the administration of this immunotherapy with mTORi-HDL prevents the immune response and promotes tolerance to the transplanted organ. 

Our laboratory shows a multidisciplinary research approach articulated in three different objectives to evaluate the clinical relevance and therapeutic effects of immunotherapy in preparation for a clinical trial in organ transplantation. The general objectives will be aimed at confirming the identification of trained immunity as a biomarker and analytical value to predict the risk of rejection in transplant patients under three conditions: prolonged periods of ischemic reperfusion (IRI) (objective 1), allosensitization (objective 2) and infection (objective 3).

Induction of allograft tolerance remains a goal to be achieved in organ transplantation. Most therapeutic strategies focus on inhibition of the adaptive immune system, but recent data demonstrate that allogeneic recognition of myeloid cells initiates transplant rejection. Therapies targeting myeloid cells “in vivo” represent a potential target to induce immunological tolerance, but remain clinically unexplored. 

Our laboratory uses a revolutionary nanoimmunotherapy of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) nanoparticles loaded with rapamycin (mTORi-HDL) that prevents epigenetic modifications associated with trained immunity, a recently discovered functional state of macrophages. Using an experimental mouse transplant model, our results demonstrate that the administration of this immunotherapy with mTORi-HDL prevents the immune response and promotes tolerance to the transplanted organ. 

Our laboratory shows a multidisciplinary research approach articulated in three different objectives to evaluate the clinical relevance and therapeutic effects of immunotherapy in preparation for a clinical trial in organ transplantation. The general objectives will be aimed at confirming the identification of trained immunity as a biomarker and analytical value to predict the risk of rejection in transplant patients under three conditions: prolonged periods of ischemic reperfusion (IRI) (objective 1), allosensitization (objective 2) and infection (objective 3).

Content with Investigacion Entomología Médica .