Neuropharmacology, Neuroepigenetics, Neurodegeneration and Ageing
Ageing is a significant risk factor for dementia and neurodegenerative diseases. Understanding the molecular basis of these brain circumstances is important for attaining their prevention and treatment. This programme focuses on unveiling the mechanisms implicated in neurodegeneration, including epigenetics and drug addiction. In addition, the validation of new pharmacological targets by using small molecules is one of our deals. Also, it includes the study of some polyglucosan structures that appear in these conditions, to find biomarkers related to them, and to study the neuroimmune interactions at central nervous system interfaces also detecting protein-protein interactions.
Principal Investigators
Jaume del Valle
Assistant Professor
Christian Griñan-Ferre
Associate Professor
Gemma Navarro
Associate Professor
Merce Pallas
Full Professor
Carme Pelegri
Full Professor
Jordi Vilaplana
Full Professor
Ana Guerrero
Ramon y Cajal Researcher (Assistant Professor)
Technologies & Methods
- Advanced and Confocal Microscopy
- Behavioral assays: Open Field, Elevated Plus Maze, Novel Object Recognition Test, Morris Water Maze, T-Maze for Mice
- Behaviour assays in mice and C. elegans
- C. elegans (in vitro) as a model in neurodegeneration
- Cell signalling
- Chemotaxic Assay, Motility Assay, Toxicity, among others for C. elegans
- Cloning
- Flow cytometry
- Histological techniques
- Image analysis
- Immunohistochemical and immunocytochemical staining
- In situ hybridisation
- Isolation and purification of tissue components
- Mice (in vivo) models of aging (SAMP8) and Alzheimer’s disease (5XFAD, App NL-G-F)
- Proximity Ligation assays
- Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)
- Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM)
- Resonant energy transfer techniques
- Proteomic and genomic analysis, including NGS techniques (RNA-Seq, miRNA-seq, among others)
Research Team
Ann aMaria Canudas
Associate Professor
Aina Bellver-Sanchis
Associate Professor
Julia Jarne-Ferrer
Early Stage Researcher
Jaume Lillo
Postdoctoral Researcher
Catalina Perez
Early Stage Researcher
Iu Raïch
Early Stage Researcher
Marta Riba
Assistant Professor
Rafael Rivas
Postdoctoral Researcher
Clara Romera
Early Stage Researcher
Irene Reyes-Resinas
Postdoctoral Researcher
Joan Biel Rebassa
Early Stage Researcher
Raquel Alsina
Early Stage Researcher
Teresa Taboada
Early Stage Researcher
Marta Ribalta
Early Stage Researcher
Carolin Wüst
Early Stage Researcher
Antoni Capó Quetglas
Early Stage Researcher
Clàudia Garrigós
Early Stage Researcher
Marina Sartorio
Early Stage Researcher
Selected publications
Bagán A, R.-A. S. T.-J. T. G.-F. C. P. M. B.-M. I. C. L. M.-G. J. P. B. D. C. F.-G. R. G. O. B. M. O. S. N. K. E. C. (2023). Preclinical Evaluation of an Imidazole-Linked Heterocycle for Alzheimer’s Disease. Pharmaceutics, 15(10), 2381.
Bellver-Sanchis, A., Ávila-López, P. A., Tic, I., Valle-García, D., Ribalta-Vilella, M., Labrador, L., Banerjee, D. R., Guerrero, A., Casadesus, G., Poulard, C., Pallàs, M., & Griñán-Ferré, C. (2024). Neuroprotective effects of G9a inhibition through modulation of peroxisome-proliferator activator receptor gamma-dependent pathways by miR-128. Neural Regeneration Research, 19(11), 2532–2542. https://doi.org/10.4103/1673-5374.393102
Guerrero, A. (2023). Nucleosome disruption by 5‐bromodeoxyuridine leads to senescence. The FEBS Journal, 290(3), 684–687. https://doi.org/10.1111/febs.16630
Guerrero, A., & Gil, J. (2023). 3-Deazaadenosine keeps senescence at bay. Aging, 15(7), 2369–2370. https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.204625
Jana, A., Bellver-Sanchis, A., Griñán-Ferré, C., & Banerjee, D. R. (2023). Repurposing of Raltitrexed as an Effective G9a/EHMT2 Inhibitor and Promising Anti-Alzheimer’s Agent. ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters, 14(11), 1531–1536. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmedchemlett.3c00344
Riba, M., del Valle, J., Romera, C., Alsina, R., Molina-Porcel, L., Pelegrí, C., & Vilaplana, J. (2023). Uncovering tau in wasteosomes (corpora amylacea) of Alzheimer’s disease patients. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2023.1110425
Riba, M., Romera, C., Alsina, R., Alsina-Scheer, G., Pelegrí, C., Vilaplana, J., & del Valle, J. (2023). Analyzing the Virchow pioneering report on brain corpora amylacea: shedding light on recurrent controversies. Brain Structure and Function, 228(6), 1371–1378. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-023-02664-5
Rivas-Santisteban, R., Rico, A. J., Muñoz, A., Rodríguez-Pérez, A. I., Reyes-Resina, I., Navarro, G., Labandeira-García, J. L., Lanciego, J. L., & Franco, R. (2023). Boolean analysis shows a high proportion of dopamine D2 receptors interacting with adenosine A2A receptors in striatal medium spiny neurons of mouse and non-human primate models of Parkinson’s disease. Neurobiology of Disease, 188, 106341. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nbd.2023.106341