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A new study by the University of Barcelona has analized the viability of a new nanomolecule as drug delivery vehicle. The results, published in the journal Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces , show that liposomes designed by researchers are able to transport and deliver an anticancer drug that has been used as a model inside the cells.

Metformin, the most prescribed drug for treating diabetes mellitus, known as type 2 diabetes, requires the presence of the growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) —a protein whose expression increases in response to cellular stress— to present its antidiabetic effects.

A group of researchers from the Institute of Corpuscular Physics (IFIC, UV-CSIC) has collaborated in the publication of the first international manual of supportive therapies for cancer patients.

Glucocorticoids —such as cortisone— are among the most widely used anti-inflammatory drugs, and are used to treat asthma, psoriasis, organ transplantation and even COVID-19. Regarding their pharmacological action, the activity of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) is crucial. The GR is a transcription factor that regulates vital processes in human physiology.

The Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) is conducting research that analyses antibiotic resistance patterns with the aim of finding trends that can help decide which treatment to apply to each type of patient and stop the spread of bacteria. This study, recently published in the scientific journal Nature Communications, has been carried out together with the University of Exeter, the University of Birmingham (both in the United Kingdom) and the Westmead Hospital in Sydney (Australia).

Researchers of the University of Barcelona and Hospital Clínic-IDIBAPS published a review article in the journal Nature Cancer in which they describe the molecular alterations observed in the evolution of the hepatocellular carcinoma -the most common type of liver cancerand propose a sequencing strategy for systemic treatment incorporating all the approved therapies to date.

Researchers from the UPF BCN MedTech research unit, the IMIM-Hospital del Mar and the Hospital del Mar have studied the relationship between clinical treatment options for osteoarthritis of the knee and the functionality, speed and forces involved in each patient's stride. The results reveal that two patients with the same symptoms may need different treatment depending on their age and body mass index.

The research team of the Mixed Unit Universitat de Valéncia-IIS La Fe of Experimental Hepatology and Hepatic Transplantation has published a paper in the Journal of Proteome Research, a peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Chemical Society.

A research team put devices of 50 nanometre-thick —one thousandth of a hair's part— inside living cells in order to find their division process and alter it, and even destroy cells. The new study, which sheds light on the exploration pathways in the field of nanomedicine, includes the participation of the researchers Lluïsa Pérez-Garcia and Ezhil Amirthalingam, from the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences and the Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology of the University of Barcelona ( IN2UB ).

The laboratory mouse is an experimental model widely used in preclinical biomedical research. Researchers can determine the efficiency of drugs and their possible adverse effects in these animals, and they can mimic human diseases in order to find the mechanisms of their emergence and identify treatments to fight them.

A study published in the journal Nature Cancer has discovered an approach that radically increases the success of immunotherapy in one of the most aggressive types of tumours, triple-negative breast cancer. This subtype, although accounting for only 15% of cases, is one of the most rapidly progressing and affects younger patients.

Studies have found a very small and uncertain reduction in symptoms of depression after taking omega-3 fatty acid supplements. Also, the studies have not found enough quality evidence regarding their side effects Els suplements i complements dietètics d'àcids grassos omega 3, com els d'oli de peix i de fetge de bacallà, s'estan estudiant com a tractament alternatiu per als símptomes de la depressió, una malaltia molt debilitant i difícil de tractar.

Researchers from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) and other entities have designed a new biochip, a device that simplifies the process of manufacturing in vitro skin in the laboratory and other complex multi-layer tissues. Human skin modelled using this device could be used in medicine and cosmetic testing, which would reduce the cost of these preclinical trials.

Hospital Gregorio Marañón and Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) have presented a navigation system that will improve planning, precision, and personalisation in surgical correction of craniosynostosis (a congenital defect causing cranial malformations). Developed by doctors and engineers from both institutions, it combines surgical navigation, three-dimensional photography, and augmented reality so that surgeons can estimate and correct the position of bone fragments during surgery.

A study published in the journal Pharmacological Research describes the existence of a complex built by dopamine and noradrenergic receptors that could be a therapeutic target of potential interest to tackle the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and impulsivity. The paper, a preclinical study, has been carried out by the Research Group on Molecular Neuropharmacology, under the supervision of the lecturer Vicent Casadó, from the Faculty of Biology and the Institute of Biomedicine of the University of Barcelona ( IBUB ).

A study published in the journal Cell Reports describes a new pathway related to the activity of receptors that are associated with several metabolic or cardiovascular diseases such as diabetes, obesity and hypertension. According to the conclusions, many antidiabetic effects of the activators of the PPAR?/- receptors -potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of type 2 diabetes- are regulated by cytokine GDF15, a protein expressed under conditions of physiological stress.

Photopharmacology is an emerging area of science based on the development of photosensitive drugs, that is, drugs that activate with light. A team from IDIBELL and the University of Barcelona has worked on two treatments based on this innovative technology: a morphine derivative that does not create addiction and a new treatment against psoriasis.

Scientists from the Proteomics and Protein Chemistry Research Group and the Neuropharmacology-Neurophar Laboratory have developed a peptide which is an ideal candidate for reducing the cognitive side effects of pain treatment with cannabis derivatives. An international team, led by researchers from UPF David Andreu and Rafael Maldonado , has developed a peptides family that allows delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main component of Cannabis sativa , to fight pain in mice without side effects.

Administering zinc supplements to covid-19 patients with low levels of this element may be a strategy to reduce mortality and recovery time. At the same time, it could help to prevent risk groups, like the elderly, from suffering the worst effects of the disease. These are the findings of a study by physicians and researchers from the Hospital del Mar, Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute and UPF.

Recerca A research team from IDIBAPS-Hospital Clínic and the University of Barcelona has led an international study to develop an epigenetic clock that can trace how much the cancer cells have multiplied in the past. Thanks to this clock, they can predict the future growth of the tumour and clinical evolution of patients, so they could define treatment strategies according to the biological risk of the tumour.