Inflammation in various pathologies, metabolic syndrome and connections between diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases are the three research designated as integrated projects of excellence of the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII).
The three investigations - all of the Biomedical Research Center in Network (CIBER) - will be financed with almost two million euros from the state subprogram for the generation of knowledge of the Strategic Health Action (AES).
"The objective of these projects is to encourage the integration of the activity of research groups from different areas in order to favor the obtaining of knowledge and therapies difficult to achieve through conventional projects," explains the CIBER manager, Manuel Sánchez, in arelease.
These aid, released by the AES last year, are aimed at accredited health institutes (IIS), but in this edition a new modality addressed to the CIBER has been included, a public consortium created to boost the research of excellence in biomedicineand Health Sciences.
Inflammation research in various diseases to achieve therapies is led by Antonio Zorzano, researcher at the Cyber of Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases (CIBERDEM) at the Biomedical Research Institute (IRB) of Barcelona and professor at the University of Barcelona.
The objective is to identify the divergent ways in which chronic inflammation occurs in various prevalent diseases such as type 2 diabetes, Crohn's obesity or disease.
"Recently, the scientific community has demonstrated the importance of inflammation in these pathologies but we know little about the elements that trigger it, and the specific mechanisms that occur in different tissues and lead to different inflammatory responses," says Zorzano.
The second project, led by José María Mato from Ciberehd, is dedicated to metabolic syndrome, a complex and heterogeneous clinical entity that has consequences such as the development of type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease, among others.
This syndrome is a worldwide problem;It is estimated that approximately a quarter of adults in Europe, in the United States and in Latin America, also considering an emerging epidemic in East Asia countries.
"For the first time in more than a century, we face the possibility that life expectancy stops increasing due to the high prevalence of metabolic diseases that lead to a higher mortality rate," says Mato.
The project aims to find the common and differential molecular mechanisms of obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes and fatty liver disease, identify biomarkers for early diagnosis and find new therapeutic approaches.
The last work, dedicated to looking for connections between diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases, is coordinated by Ángel Raya, which leads a research group of the cyber bioengineering, biomaterials and nanomedicin (cyber-bbn) cyber in the Center for Regenerative Medicine of Barcelona in Barcelona.
"Numerous studies have shown that patients with neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's"He says.
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