Scientific news

Día Internacional de la Mujer y la niña en la Ciencia (11 de febrero de 2024)

El Grupo de Óptica Fotónica y Biofotónica tuvo la ocasión de participar, como cada año, en las actividades celebradas en torno al 11 de febrero, Día Internacional de la Mujer y la Niña en la Ciencia. Este año la jornada tuvo lugar en la Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Informáticos (ETSIINF) de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) bajo el título «Innovando en femenino: Mujeres en Montegancedo» y contó con la participación de más de 150 alumnos. El evento incluyó una mesa redonda con representantes de cuatro centros de investigación, seguida de talleres sobre temas como cambio climático, inteligencia artificial, ciencia espacial y tecnología biomédica, con el objetivo de fomentar vocaciones científicas en mujeres. En esta ocasión, el GOFB, tuvo la oportunidad de intervenir junto con otros laboratorios del Centro de Tecnología Biomédica en un taller centrado en acercar las investigaciones llevadas a cabo dentro del centro.

Podemos encontrar noticias relacionadas así como un video que recoge los momentos más importantes de la jornada: en los siguientes enlaces:

https://software.imdea.org/es/news/2024/02-23-mujer-nina-ciencia/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cx8Vqr11viU&ab_channel=IMDEASoftwareInstitute

 

Frebruary 29, 2024

 

Divulgación de las recientes investigaciones del GOFB sobre el diagnóstico en suero de la enfermedad de Alzheimer

Durante el mes de octubre, diferentes  medios han publicado noticias divulgativas en relación a nuestras recientes investigaciones relativas a la detección de la proteína tau en suero como biomarcador de la enfermedad de Alzheimer. (A New Optical Interferometric Biosensing System Enhanced with Nanoparticles for Alzheimer’s Disease in Serum)
 
A continuación se facilitan enlaces a algunas de ellas:
 

Es importante que los resultados científicos sean divulgados a la sociedad para que ésta valore la investigación.

October 31, 2023

 

European Conference of Biomedical Optics (Munich)

Sergio Quintero from the GOFB research group attended the 2023 edition of the congress European Conferences of Biomedical Optics organized by Optica and SPIE held in Munich from the 25th to the 29th of June.
In this congress, which formed part also of the World of Photonics Congress, we were able to share some of the work we are developing in collaboration with the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory from Portugal.
 
 

 

 
 
 
 

July 18, 2023

 

Workshop Aveiro 2023

The GOFB participated in the workshop on Novel Diagnostic Tools for Alzheimer’s Disease held in Aveiro, Portugal, at the University Campus of Santiago, Agra do Crasto, with the common goal of advancing the field of research, diagnosis and therapy of Alzheimer’s disease, sharing with esteemed experts, renowned scientists and health professionals the state of scientific knowledge and present and future alternatives related to this disease.

FULL PROGRAM

June 30, 2023

 

Dra. Rocío López Espinosa ganadora de la V edición del Premio Francisco del Pozo a la mejor tesis del Centro de Tecnología Biomédica

Una vez más una de las investigadoras cuya tesis ha sido desarrollada dentro del grupo GOFB ha recibido el premio Francisco del Pozo del CTB a la mejor tesis defendida en el año 2022. La tesis de la Dra. López Espinosa titulada “Development of an in-vitro diagnostic system for food allergies” y cuyos directores son el Dr. Miguel Holgado Bolaños y la Dra. Mª Fe Laguna Heras, ha estado centrada en dar solución a los sistemas de diagnósticos actuales para la detección de alérgenos alimentarios desarrollando un biosensor capaz de detectar 21 alérgenos con una pequeña muestra de sangre.

Desde el Grupo de Óptica, Fotónica y Biofotónica, nos enorgullece que nuestras tesis sean reconocidas por el resto de la comunidad científica y animamos a todo el mundo que quiera comenzar su carrera investigadora nos considere como una opción para ello.

¡Enhorabuena Rocío!

June 29, 2023

 

Participation of GOFB in the South Summit

Very interesting hearing of Miguel Holgado (Group Leader of GOFB – Center for Biomedical Technology of Universidad Politécnica de Madrid) talking about his experience in technology transfer, the comparison with other models in USA and Europe, and the importance, enthusiasm and difficulties to develop Deep Tech initiatives. It was a great opportunity to share experiences at south summit with other relevant players.

Link to linkedin news

 

 

 

June 9, 2023

 

Research collaboration

Our researcher Sergio Quintero just started a collaboration with Medical Devices Research group at International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory in Portugal. This collaboration came as a 2 years research stay supported by a Margarita Salas postdoctoral grant from the European union NextGenerationEU and the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. The stay will focus in the combination of microfluidics and Raman spectrometry known-how of Medical Devices group with the sensing technology developed in the GOFB.

 

May 30, 2023

 

Conferencia divulgativa: «Medicina personalizada contra el cáncer»

Este es el título de la charla que impartió nuestra investigadora postdoctoral Ana López Hernández el 31 de mayo de 2023 a las 19:30 en el bar La Bernardina, en Torrelodones, como ponente en los monólogos científicos multidisciplinares “Café de la Ciencia” organizados por el ayuntamiento del municipio. Ana nos habló sobre la importancia e impacto de los últimos avances en medicina personalizada para la lucha contra el cáncer.

 

 

 

 

 

May, 2023

 

Research collaboration

Our researcher Pedro Herreros has just started a three-month research stay at the University of Hull York Medical School in UK, specifically at the Centre for Biomedicine. This stay will be an experience to join efforts in the development of new organ on chips and a step to strengthen international relations of the GOFB group (Group of Optics, Photonics and Biophotonics) at Center of Biomedical Technology of the UPM (also called Group of Organ and tissue on a chip and In Vitro Detection systems at Research Institute of the Hospital Clínico San Carlos in Madrid).

 

April, 2023

 

New certification for meassuring Biological Contaiment Level 2 (Nuevo laboratorio de análisis biológico NCB2)

El grupo de Óptica, Fotónica y Biofotónica, liderado por Miguel Holgado, cuenta con una nueva zona de Nivel de Contención Biológica 2: Laboratorio de Análisis Biológico
De esta manera pueden continuar con su ensayo piloto de investigación, voluntario, experimental y no vinculante PARA DETECCIÓN PRECOZ, VIGILANCIA Y CONTROL DE COVID-19 mediante diagnóstico en saliva sin perjudicar los cultivos celulares que tienen lugar en el otro laboratorio NCB2 disponible en el Centro de Tecnología Biomédica.

Al tratarse de una investigación relacionada con un virus, las muestras recogidas deben almacenarse y manipularse en una zona de Seguridad biológica NCB2.

Por ello el equipo de Miguel Holgado se puso manos a la obra para habilitar un lugar específico que cumpliese todas las normas que exige la Comunidad de Madrid para un laboratorio de este tipo.

Nuevo laboratorio de análisis biológico NCB2 en el CTB

April,  2021

 

 

What are we doing to fight against breast cancer?

The month of October is worldwide known as the Pink month. During this month, the populations awareness about breast cancer disease is emphasized.
The objective is to bring this problem closer to the citizens, specially woman due to its higher prevalence in them. Access to the control, diagnosis, and treatment of this terrible disease must be encouraged.
Although the survival rate has increased in the last years, still thousands of women die each year from this disease.
At GOFB we are 100% committed to fight against this type of cancer. For that reason part of our efforts and resources are directed to the development of a technology that allows the detection of breast cancer biomarkers and anticancer drug evaluation, offering a more specific treatment for each patient, enhancing the concept of personalized medicine.
Specifically, our researcher Ana Lopez leads a collaborative Project granted by the European Commission within the Marie Curie program. The aim is to develop invitro models of breast cancer capable of reproducing tissues with a high degree of accuracy to invivo models. The ultimate goal will be to use these models to continuously monitor the evolution of the specific type of cancer that has been developed and to be able to predict the response of new anticancer drugs in patients, in a personalized way.
The technology consists of a simple platform that integrates the culture model as well as a detection system based on a label free biosensor for constant monitoring of the studied tissue.
The Project is in full swing right now and at GOFB we work hard every day to give the best of ourselves. We really strive to develop a technology that represents a true innovation in the treatments of this disease and to achieve a positive impact on people who suffer from it.

October, 2020

 

Our collaboration with other groups and hospitals leads a project for developing an improved COVID19

From March 2020 the Optics, Photonics, and Biophotonics Group from the Center for Biomedical Technology (CTB) and the Group of Vegetal Allergens from the Center of Biotechnology and Plants Genomics (CBGP-INIA), both from of the Technical University of Madrid (UPM), in collaboration with the Hospital Clínico San Carlos (IDISSC) and the Center of National
Biotechnology (CNB-CSIC) have been intensively working on the improvement of the SARS-CoV-2 diagnoses, by developing a novel diagnosis kit which is claimed to be more complete and cost-effective regarding its counterparts.

This great initiative was first proposed by the Optics, Photonics, and Biophotonics Group (GOFB) lead by Prof. Miguel Holgado. GOFB is specialized in the research of technological development, and innovation of chemical, biochemical, and in-vitro advanced diagnosis systems. Also, the Group is focused on the implementations of photonic transducers on a
chip, biokits, optical readout platforms, microfluidic bioreactors, and tissue and organ-on-a-chip.

For years, the Group of Prof. Holgado has been working on micro and nanofabrication techniques for optical sensors and biosensors development. This Group has fully developed its own readout method for biosensors interrogation (patented by UPM). Mass-scale fabrication of
these biosensors allows their low-cost manufacturing.

Their large expertise in the detection of serum antibodies against different pathogens (rotavirus, H1N1, and others) has led the Group to the development of new biosensors able to detect SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. For that reason, the GOFB established a strategic agreement with the CBGP (UPM-INIA) who produces the virus Spike 1 recombinant protein. This is the protein against which we humans develop specific antibodies, and it constitutes the base of the majority of vaccines. The genetic sequence was yielded by the CNB-CSIC. The Group of Vegetal Allergens from the CBGP, led by Prof. Araceli Díaz Perales, applied that sequence to produce the Spike 1 protein in Pichia Pastoris yeast. The wide experience of this Group in proteins cloning, production,
purification, and characterization techniques, allowed them to transfer these pieces of knowledge to overcome the great challenges showed up when working with viral origin proteins.

Purified Spike 1 protein maintains its tridimensional structure while it’s unable to produce the disease. GOFB can immobilize this protein on their biosensors. Thus, specific antibodies, from a serum sample from a patient, will be detected by this biosensor. It means that from a patient serum sample there can be detected the specific antibodies (IgG, IgM, or IgA), generated by the patient against the coronavirus. Even more other biomarkers relevant for the patient status determination can be also detected in the same assay, as for example C-reactive or ferritin. This last is accomplished in collaboration with the IDSSC. Currently, a clinical assay is being developed to assess the severity of the patients suffering COVID-19.

Hard work and a big load in paperwork have been the protagonist of these last months. Thanks to this the diagnosis kit is now in a very advanced phase, showing really promising results.

We will keep updating you with the latest news and the process progress in the upcoming articles.

September, 2020

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