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Research Group on Asymmetric Catalysis with Metal Complexes and Organocatalysts - AsymCat

Chirality is a property related to the three-dimensional shape of molecules. Chiral molecules can exist in two forms (enantiomers) that are mirror images of each other. This subtle difference has tremendously important implications in chemistry, as two enantiomers can exhibit completely different or even opposite biological or pharmacological properties. Similarly, the mechanical, magnetic or electrical properties of many materials can vary completely depending on whether they are made up of a single enantiomer or mixtures of enantiomers.

As a consequence of all this, there is a real need at both laboratory and industrial level for synthetic procedures that allow chiral compounds to be obtained selectively in a defined enantiomeric form. Among the different methodologies available for this purpose, those using chiral catalysts are the most suitable, as they allow minimising the consumption of chiral starting materials and reducing waste production, contributing to more efficient, more economical and more environmentally friendly chemical processes.

In this context, the asymmetric catalysis group investigates the development of new chiral catalysts based on both metal complexes and organocatalysts and their application in various enantioselective C-C bond formation reactions aimed at the synthesis of enantiomerically enriched chiral organic compounds of pharmacological interest. These reactions include functionalisation reactions of aromatic and heteroaromatic compounds (Friedel-Crafts reactions), carbanion addition reactions (aldol reactions, Henry reactions), addition reactions of organometallic reagents (alkylation and alkynylation) or cycloaddition reactions (Diels-Alder reactions, 1,3-dipolar addition) etc.

We have recently incorporated the use of photoredox catalysis in C-C bond formation reactions.

Research Group on Community Social Services - SESOCO

The research group on the social cohesion and local dynamics is part of the social cohesion field of the Inter-university Institute for Local Development in the Universitat de València. The research on the community-based social work is still a recent new field at the Spanish university.

The SOCIAL-COM group aims to contribute to the knowledge and a research visibility of local dynamics that occur in Communities due to inequality, discrimination and social conflict, all of which hinder social cohesion. Generally, in all areas of local communities, but more deeply in social welfare services, human development is seen as a tool that reduces social inequalities and promotes social justice. The SOCIAL-COM Group of the Universitat de València is designed to increase knowledge of the social problems of the immediate environment, directing its action towards the local level to contribute to the development of social structures and the well-being of citizens, whose participation is a strategic element.

Ultimately, objectives of the SOCIAL-COM research group are aimed to participate in creation and development of new concepts, tools and evaluations in the area of municipal services, so that excellent and sustainable territories can be promoted effectively from perspectives of social spending and social welfare.

Research Group on Dental Pathology and Therapeutics - GIPTD

Our group develops its research activity in the following areas:

  1. Dental pathology: epidemiological and clinical studies.
  2. Public health and primary care dentistry.
  3. Tooth whitening.
  4. Endodontics: biomaterials and techniques.
  5. Restorative dentistry: materials and techniques.
Research Group on Environmental and Biomedical Viruses: Applications of Bacteriophages and Other Viruses in Global Health - EnBiVir

The Environmental and Biomedical Viruses Lab is located at the Insitute for Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio, UV-CSIC). Research at the EnBiVir lab is focused in the isolation and detection of viruses in nature with biomedical applications. Environmental virology, viral emergence, virus evolution, and phage discovery in the biomedical context, are the main research lines. Phages are ubiquitous in the environment and immensely diverse, making phage discovery a powerful source of new therapies against pathogenic bacteria, due to the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains. In addition, the lab is interested in environmental epidemiology, mainly in SARS-CoV-2 detection in wastewater and other natural environments, as a tool for monitoring populations and as early detection tool in surveillance. In addition, the group is interested in translational research, and has transfer contracts with national companies with biomedical and biotech purposes.

Research Group on Epidemiology and Environmental Health - GIESA

The research group conducts its research activity in different lines of work: 

  • Childhood and environment line

Cohort study in collaboration with other research centres (INMA project) to share methodologies and knowledge on the effects of the environment on children's health, to describe the level of exposure and pollution during gestation and early childhood, to assess the role of the most common environmental pollutants and dietary protective factors on foetal growth and neuro-endocrine-immune development in order to develop environmental health indicators. 

  • Air pollution and health line 

Study of the relationship between air pollution and health effects, developing multi-centre studies. Studies are also carried out to evaluate the impact of pollution on the health of the population.

  • Weather and climate line

Evaluation of the relationship between climatic factors and meteorological variables, especially ambient temperature and health, as well as public health measures that can minimise the impact of foreseeable future climate changes.

  • Line of evaluation of the health impact of various environmental risks 

Through the measurement of the degree of exposure to risks, the development of biological markers and the relationship between these factors and the incidence of various pathologies. This impact is evaluated from different perspectives, ranging from environmental pollution (through biomarkers of exposure) to climate change (heat and cold waves), as well as the impact of certain technologies affecting the environment (mobile telephony, power lines, etc.).

Research Group on Histopathology and Tissue Engineering - gHIT

Regenerative Medicine Line: Study of cartilage regeneration. Study of bone regeneration. Study of the use of pulp precursors in regenerative therapies. Study of the regeneration of dental and peridental tissues. Study of induction and corneal regeneration. Histopathology line: Study of the extent of myocardial infarction and its determinants. Study of the vascularisation of renal tumours. Study of ciliary pathology.

Research Group on Immunoparasitology and Clinical Parasitology - IMPARCLI

Our research group analyses, from different points of view, parasite-host relationships in intestinal parasitosis and their implications in the clinical and epidemiology of these parasitosis. Several approaches are used in order to develop strategies to design control tools for these parasitosis. On the one hand, phenotypic alterations are studied, with emphasis on the differential regulation of proteins and post-translational modifications that a host species induces in intestinal parasites and their relationship with the establishment of a chronic infection or the natural expulsion of the parasite. Likewise, we also analyse the alterations that these parasites induce in the host intestine at the immunological and proteomic level in order to establish the factors that determine their capacity to eliminate the parasite and generate resistance to infection or, on the contrary, those that determine the establishment of chronic infections. 

For these studies, our research group uses intestinal helminths as experimental models, mainly the Digeneid Trematode Echinostoma caproni (Trematoda: Echinostomatidae) due to its great facility to infect different species of laboratory animals with a different course of infection in each of them. On the other hand, our group also analyses, from an epidemiological point of view, the current situation of different intestinal parasitosis both locally and internationally. The aim of this work is the diagnostic and epidemiological study of intestinal parasitosis in different areas of the world, with emphasis on populations living in poverty and/or social exclusion. Different types of diagnostic techniques are used, including etiological, immunological and molecular methods. The collection of these data can be useful and their correlation with socio-economic and hygienic variables can be very useful for the issuing of recommendations aimed at designing programmes for the control, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of specific conditions by the health authorities in the region.

Research Group on Molecular Biology of Parasites and Vectors - BMPV

The research activity developed by this group and directed by Dr. Bargues has the international recognition of being a "World Health Organization (WHO/WHO) Collaborating Centre on Fascioliasis and its Mollusc Vectors" (Ref. SPA-37) dependent on WHO (Headquarters, Geneva) and also "FAO-United Nations Reference Centre in Parasitology", dependent on FAO (Headquarters, Rome), as well as being part, as responsible researcher, of the Collaborative Research Network on Tropical Diseases (RICET) of the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, at national level. The group of this research unit has more than 26 years of experience in research projects on vector-borne parasitic diseases, such as Fasciolosis, Malaria, Leihsmaniosis, American Trypanosomosis or Chagas Disease, among others. Extensive experience in participation in European Commission projects, as well as in other projects with international, national and regional funding. The research activity of this line has focused and continues to focus on parasitic diseases, especially zoonotic and vector-borne diseases of public health interest.

This Molecular Biology Research Unit currently focuses its work on:

  • Mollusc vectors of Fasciolosis, Schistosomosis and Angiostrongylosis.
  • Triatomine vectors of Chagas disease.
  • Anopheles mosquitoes vectors of Malaria.
  • Culicidae mosquito vectors of Dirofilariasis and other viruses (Chikungunya, Denge, Zika, etc.).
  • Phlebotominae mosquitoes vectors of Leishmaniasis.

More information at:
http://doctoradoenparasitologia.com/master/informacion-general.html
http://www.ricet.es/grupos-investigacion
http://www.uv.es/farmacia (see links: WHO Collaborating Centre and FAO Reference Centre)

Research Group on Pathogens in Aquaculture: Fish and Zoonotic Pathogens - PAFZP
  1. Basic research on zoonotic pathogens of interest in aquaculture. Model bacteria Vibrio vulnificus, fish and human pathogen.
  • Aim: To understand the mechanisms of V. vulnificus-host interaction at functional and molecular level using eel and mouse as model animals to predict virulence for fish and humans, respectively. 
  • Methods: classical microbiology; molecular microbiology and genetics; classical and molecular immunology; tissue culture and cell lines; genomics, transcriptomics; microarrays; manipulation of laboratory animals.
  1. Research applied to aquaculture-related companies.
  • Aim: to develop:
    • diagnostic methods for infectious fish diseases.
    • molecular methods for pathogen detection.
    • vaccines and vaccination and immunostimulation procedures.
Research Group on Physiotherapy in Movement. Research Group on Multi-specialty - PTinMOTION

Today, a more sustainable health system is being pursued in which the individual takes an active role in his or her health care, while adopting healthier lifestyles that prevent secondary pathologies and co-morbidities.

In this sense, this group considers, as a research activity, to determine ways of promoting health from Physiotherapy, taking into account the perspective of continuous change to which society is subjected on a daily basis. Specifically, this research group is characterised by its multi-speciality in the field of Physiotherapy, with the advantage that this entails in bringing together various new specialities in this area of health.

This group' s research activity aims, from the perspective of various physiotherapy specialities, to address different areas of assessment and intervention in healthy people (health promotion), in health problems of various kinds (chronic pain, haemophilia, neurological, cardiovascular, respiratory and musculoskeletal pathology, women's health) in different population groups, as well as in aspects related to professional ethics and health in physiotherapy.

Research Group on the Immunology of Fungal Infections - GIIF

The research group "Immunology of fungal infections" has focused its research over the last fifteen years on the study of the host immune response to Candida albicans. The group has a multidisciplinary background, both in Microbiology and Immunology, so it has an ideal profile to study the interactions between pathogenic fungi and cells of the immune system both in vitro and in vivo. Although the research conducted is primarily basic in nature, it has clear applied potential in the development of new immunotherapeutic approaches for the treatment of fungal infections.

C. albicans is an opportunistic pathogen that, depending on the underlying host defect, is capable of causing a variety of infections ranging from superficial mucocutaneous candidiasis to severe invasive candidiasis. The frequency and severity of the latter has increased considerably in recent decades, due to the increase in the at-risk population that is immunocompromised or weakened by various causes.

Resistance to candidiasis requires the coordinated action of innate and acquired immune defences. Mature cells of the innate immune system use different PRRs (pattern recognition receptors) to directly recognise MAMPs (molecular patterns associated with micro-organisms), so that with a limited number of these receptors they can recognise a wide range of pathogens. The most important families of PRRs in C. albicans recognition are Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and C-type lectins (CLRs, such as dectin-1). In this context, our group demonstrated that the TLR2 receptor is involved in the recognition of C. albicans, both yeast and hyphae, inducing cytokine and chemokine secretion through a pathway dependent on the adaptor molecule MyD88 and that such recognition is critical for protection against invasive candidiasis in a mouse model of infection. 

In 2006 it was described that haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs), from which all immune system cells are derived, express functional TLRs, and that signalling via TLRs in haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) triggers their entry into the cell cycle and their differentiation into the myeloid lineage. This discovery opened new perspectives on pathogen-host interactions, as these receptors could be involved in modulating haematopoiesis in response to micro-organisms during infection. At that time our group decided to study the involvement of PRRs in the interaction of C. albicans with HSPCs and its consequences for the resolution of the infection. Working along these lines, we have shown that C. albicans induces the proliferation of HSPCs and their differentiation towards the myeloid lineage, both in vitro and in vivo. This response requires signalling via TLR2 and dectin-1, and results in functional macrophages that are able to internalise and destroy yeast, as well as secrete inflammatory cytokines. These results indicate that pathogens can be directly recognised by HSPCs through PRRs, thereby promoting the replenishment capacity of the innate immune system during infection. These receptors may therefore be at least partly responsible for the emergency myelopoiesis that occurs during most infections, including invasive candidiasis.

On the other hand, numerous recent studies have challenged the dogma that immunological memory is an exclusive feature of specific immunity, as cells of innate immunity can exhibit some "memory" and respond differently to a second encounter with the same or another microbial stimulus. For example, exposure of monocytes and macrophages to C. albicans increases their response to a second encounter (trained, dectin-1-dependent immunity), while TLR4 or TLR2 ligands confer a reduced inflammatory response to macrophages (tolerance).

In parallel to the studies on the memory of innate immunity, our group set itself the new goal of studying the function of phagocytes formed after HSPCs contact with microbial ligands. Using in vitro and in vivo models, we have shown that stimulation of PRRs in HSPCs affects the functional phenotype of the macrophages they subsequently generate. Therefore, our results show that this new concept of "memory" of innate immunity can be applied not only to mature myeloid cells, but also to HSPCs, which contributes to increase the durability of innate memory over time.

Based on these results, and those of other authors in the same line, an active role is now assigned to HSPCs in the fight against infection. The hypothesis we are currently working on is that HSPCs can directly detect microorganisms and contribute to protection against infection by different mechanisms, including their ability to differentiate into myeloid cells with an enhanced phenotype to confront the pathogen and initiate the immune response.

The results already obtained open up new perspectives, which may be of great interest at the intersection between Immunology, Microbiology and Haematology. The existence of new mechanisms in the host-pathogen interaction, and their consequences in modulating the immune response during infection, may represent a new target for intervention against serious infections by enhancing the immune response. In addition, modulation of haematopoiesis by microorganisms could reveal new strategies for the treatment of diseases with alterations in myeloid cell production, such as myeloid leukaemias.