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Laboratory of Neuroimaging and Biomarkers of Inflammation

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RESEARCH

The existence of in vivo neuroimaging methods has been indispensable for early diagnosis, in monitoring disease progression and therapy of a wide range of brain cerebrovascular diseases. The inflammatory response is a major factor in neurovascular pathophysiology and contributes to secondary ischemic damage in both acute and chronic stages of the ischemic injury. Recent work in experimental cerebral ischemia has demonstrated the involvement of neurotransmitter signaling in the modulation of neuroinflammation, providing evidence of the role of neurotransmission receptors as promising inflammatory biomarkers in neurovascular research that can contribute to accelerate the development of novel therapies for stroke (Theranostics. 2016 Jul 9;6(11):1753-67; Glia. 2018 Aug;66(8):1611-1624; Theranostics. 2021 Jan 1;11(1):410-425).

Therefore, our main goal is to evaluate the therapeutic potential and diagnostic perspectives of cholinergic and purinergic receptors in experimental stroke using non-invasive molecular imaging technologies. Besides, we are also interested in to visualize and quantify biological processes under conditions of normo and hyperglycemia (i) during acute phase of ischemic stroke, subarachnoid hemorrhage and arteriovenous malformations as metalloproteinase activity, oxidative stress, brain perfusion and cell death at the cellular/molecular level and (ii) affecting sub-acute phases as blood brain barrier permeability, inflammation, lipid biogenesis, angiogenesis and brain function recovery.

Finally, we use nanotechnology approaches to improve both diagnosis and therapy of ischemic stroke. This research line deals with the application of novel (i) 19F nanoparticles for a better diagnosis and treatment of blood brain barrier disruption, (ii) photon-activable functionalized metal nanoparticles to activate ischemic neurons from the ischemic penumbra and (iii) non-viral gene therapy to improve angiogenesis following ischemic stroke.

PROGRAMME

TECHNIQUES

Rodent models of stroke, subarachnoid hemorrhage and arteriovenous malformations; Stereotaxic surgery; PET, SPECT, MRI, two-photon and MALDI imaging; Patch clamp; Immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy; FACS; Western blot and Gel zymography; lipidomic analysis; nanotechnology and behavioral tests.

OUTREACH

Twitter: @MartinLab_Ach

Latest publications

  1. Neuroaxonal Injury May Mediate the Association Between Hyperglycemia and Prognosis in Spontaneous Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

    Santana, Daniel; Llull, Laura; Mosteiro, Alejandra; Pedrosa, Leire; Pujol, Gabriel; Zattera, Luigi; Werner, Mariano; Martín, Abraham; Justicia, Carles; Chamorro, Ángel; Torné, Ramón; Amaro, Sergio
    Molecular Neurobiology (Jul, 2024) DOI: 10.1007/s12035-024-04347-6
  2. Alpha7 nicotinic receptors as potential theranostic targets for experimental stroke

    Garbizu, Maider; Aguado, Laura; Martín, Abraham
    Neural Regeneration Research (May, 2024) DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.385294
  3. Urease-powered nanobots for radionuclide bladder cancer therapy

    Simó, Cristina; Serra-Casablancas, Meritxell; [...] Llop, Jordi; Sánchez, Samuel
    Nature Nanotechnology (Jan, 2024) DOI: 10.1038/s41565-023-01577-y
  4. Multimodal imaging of the role of hyperglycemia following experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage

    Joya, Ana; Plaza-García, Sandra; Padro, Daniel; Aguado, Laura; Iglesias, Leyre; Garbizu, Maider; Gómez-Vallejo, Vanessa; Laredo, Carlos; Cossío, Unai; Torné, Ramon; Amaro, Sergio; Planas, Anna M; Llop, Jordi; Ramos-Cabrer, Pedro; Justicia, Carles; Martín, Abraham
    Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism (Sep, 2023) DOI: 10.1177/0271678X231197946
  5. Therapeutic effect of α7 nicotinic receptor activation after ischemic stroke in rats

    Aguado, Laura; Joya, Ana; [...] Llop, Jordi; Martín, Abraham
    Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism (Mar, 2023) DOI: 10.1177/0271678X231161207
  6. Pharmacokinetic Evaluation of New Drugs Using a Multi-Labelling Approach and PET Imaging: Application to a Drug Candidate with Potential Application in Neuromuscular Disorders

    Passannante, Rossana; Gómez-Vallejo, Vanessa; [...] Aizpurua, Jesus M.; Llop, Jordi
    Biomedicines (Jan, 2023) DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11020253
  7. Assessment of Regional Lung Ventilation with Positron Emission Tomography Using the Radiofluorinated Gas [18F]SF6: Application to an Animal Model of Impaired Ventilation

    Passannante, Rossana; Gómez-Vallejo, Vanessa; Cossío, Unai; Ruiz-Cabello, Jesús; Lekuona, Aitor; Salinas, Victor; Amado-Rodríguez, Laura; Albaiceta, Guillermo M.; Martín, Abraham; Rejc, Luka; Llop, Jordi
    Molecular Imaging and Biology (Sep, 2022) DOI: 10.1007/s11307-022-01773-7
  8. Longitudinal evaluation of neuroinflammation and oxidative stress in a mouse model of Alzheimer disease using positron emission tomography

    Rejc, Luka; Gómez-Vallejo, Vanessa; Joya, Ana; Arsequell, Gemma; Egimendia, Ander; Castellnou, Pilar; Ríos-Anglada, Xabier; Cossío, Unai; Baz, Zuriñe; Iglesias, Leyre; Capetillo-Zarate, Estibaliz; Ramos-Cabrer, Pedro; Martin, Abraham; Llop, Jordi
    Alzheimer's Research & Therapy (Jun, 2022) DOI: 10.1186/s13195-022-01016-5
  9. Endovascular administration of magnetized nanocarriers targeting brain delivery after stroke

    Grayston, Alba; Zhang, Yajie; Garcia-Gabilondo, Miguel; Arrúe, Mercedes; Martin, Abraham; Kopcansky, Peter; Timko, Milan; Kovac, Jozef; Strbak, Oliver; Castellote, Laura; Belloli, Sara; Moresco, Rosa M; Picchio, Maria; Roig, Anna; Rosell, Anna
    Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism (Feb, 2022) DOI: 10.1177/0271678X211028816
  10. Opposite alterations of 5­HT 2A receptor brain density in subjects with schizophrenia: relevance of radiotracers pharmacological profile

    Diez-Alarcia, Rebeca; Muguruza, Carolina; Rivero, Guadalupe; García-Bea, Aintzane; Gómez-Vallejo, Vanessa; Callado, Luis F.; Llop, Jordi; Martín, Abraham; Meana, J. Javier
    Translational Psychiatry (May, 2021) DOI: 10.1038/s41398-021-01430-7