Research Interest

This programme is interested in understanding the processes of development, neuronal plasticity and neurodegeneration of the central nervous system. The main objective is to determine the biochemical function of genes overexpressed during development and neurodegeneration and their particular roles in the central nervous system. Thus, current experiments focus on: the role of angiogenic mechanical factors during cortical development, developing new approaches to enhance axon regeneration after injury, characterisation new biomarkers and detection methods for Alzheimer and Parkinson diseases and characterisation of the role of the PrPc in neurodegeneration.

Technologies & Methods

• Cell culture methods
• Organotypic slices
• Optogenetics and chemogenetics methods in vitro and in vivo
• Calcium imaging and neural network analysis
• Lab-on-chip- technology
• Microfluidics blood-brain barrier models
• Estereotaxic and surgical methods
• Behavioural analysis of mice models of neurodegeneration

Active Projects

• • Bases cel·lulars i moleculars en neurodegeneració i neuroregeneració (CMBNN). Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca. 2017SGR648. Jose Antonio del Rio.

• • Modulation of Tau seeding and pathology in tauopathies by BBB-nanocarriers, epitope selective vaccination and ectoPrP Tau receptor bodies (STOPTauPATHOL). Fundació ‘La Caixa’. HR18-00452. Jose Antonio del Rio.

• • Molecular and cellular neurotechnology. Ministerio de Sanidad y Consumo. CB06/05/1115. Jose Antonio del Rio

• • Serveis científics i tècnics, autofinançament. Fundació Privada Institut de Bioenginyeria de Catalunya. P1-L14-zzzzzzzz. Jose Antonio del Rio

• • Nuevas aproximaciones para entender las funciones de la PrPC y miembros secretables de semaforinas durante el desarrollo del hipocampo y en neurotransmisión. Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades. RTI2018-099773-B-I00. Jose Antonio del Rio

Selected Publications

• • Andrés-Benito, P., Carmona, M., Pirla, M. J., Torrejón-Escribano, B., Del Rio, J. A., & Ferrer, I. (2021). Dysregulated Protein Phosphorylation as Main Contributor of Granulovacuolar Degeneration at the First Stages of Neurofibrillary Tangles Pathology. Neuroscience, S0306-4522(21)00534-0. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2021.10.023

• • Castaño, O., López-Mengual, A., Reginensi, D., MatamorosAngles, A., Engel, E., & Del Rio, J. A. (2021). Chemotactic TEG3 Cells’ Guiding Platforms Based on PLA Fibers Functionalized With the SDF-1α/CXCL12 Chemokine for Neural Regeneration Therapy. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 9,627805. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2021.627805

• • Diaz-Lucena, D., Kruse, N., Thüne, K., Schmitz, M., Villar-Piqué, A., da Cunha, J., Hermann, P., López-Pérez, Ó., Andrés-Benito, P., Ladogana, A., Calero, M., Vidal, E., Riggert, J., Pineau, H., Sim, V., Zetterberg, H., Blennow, K., Del Río, J. A., Marín-Moreno, A., Espinosa, J. C., … Llorens, F. (2021). TREM2 expression in the brain and biological fluids in prion diseases. Acta Neuropathologica, 141(6), 841–859. https://doi.org/10.1007/ s00401-021-02296-1raq

• •  Duran, J., Hervera, A., Markussen, K. H., Varea, O., LópezSoldado, I., Sun, R. C., del Río, J. A., Gentry, M. S., & Guinovart, J. J. (2021). Astrocytic glycogen accumulation drives the pathophysiology of neurodegeneration in Lafora disease. Brain, 144(8), 2349–2360. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awab110

• • Ferrer, I., Andrés-Benito, P., Ausín, K., Pamplona, R., del Rio, J. A., Fernández-Irigoyen, J., & Santamaría, E. (2021). Dysregulated protein phosphorylation: A determining condition in the continuum of brain aging and Alzheimer’s disease. Brain Pathology, 31(6), e12996. https://doi.org/10.1111/bpa.12996

• • Lidón, L., Llaó-Hierro, L., Nuvolone, M., Aguzzi, A., Ávila, J., Ferrer, I., Del Río, J. A., & Gavín, R. (2021). Tau Exon 10 Inclusion by PrPC through Downregulating GSK3 Activity. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 22(10), 5370. https://doi. org/10.3390/ijms22105370

• • Mesquida-Veny, F., Del Río, J. A., & Hervera, A. (2021). Macrophagic and microglial complexity after neuronal injury. Progress in Neurobiology, 200, 101970. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pneurobio.2020.101970

• • Moya-Andérico, L., Vukomanovic, M., Cendra, M., Segura-Feliu, M., Gil, V., Del Río, J. A., & Torrents, E. (2021). Utility of Galleria mellonella larvae for evaluating nanoparticle toxicology. Chemosphere, 266, 129235. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.129235