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The first project is entitled Development of a platform based on Caenorhabditis elegans for the evaluation of new bioactive ingredients against obesity (Bio_elegans), and has been awarded to the Nutrigenomics group of the Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, with a team of researchers formed by Enrique Calvo, as principal investigator, Miquel Mulero, Francisca Isabel Bravo and Néstor Ibarz.
The main objective is to create a screening platform for bioactive compounds against obesity using the nematode C. elegans as a model. The implementation of this project will make possible to evaluate the compounds produced by the platform of peptide hydrolyzates that the Nutrigenomics group has and to offer anti-obesogenic activity analysis services to companies interested in the commercialization of bioactive ingredients. The availability of a platform capable of rapidly screening these potential ingredients as anti-obesity agents opens the door to the development of high-throughput methods to discover and characterize valuable natural compounds. C.elegans is presented as a flexible, fast, economical animal model with a high level of extrapolation to humans, making it an ideal candidate to develop this screening platform for bioactive compounds. The development and application of this platform is expected to represent a high-performance and innovative service, encouraging collaboration with companies in the agri-food sector. In addition, it is believed that the implementation of this technology will mean a significant technological enrichment for the URV and a new impetus to attract external funding.
The second awarded project is related to microplastics, and it counts with the participation of Joaquim Rovira and Nora Expósito as experts in this field. Joan Josep Carvajal Martí (Department of Physical and Inorganic Chemistry), principal researcher of the project, and his team have developed the prototype of a device, called μ-PlàsTIC, which determines in real time, in situ and continuously, the size, the shape, the number of particles and the chemical composition of microplastics present in drinking water, food and the environment. This analysis is essential to identify them and modify their industrial processes in order to reduce or eliminate their production.
It must be highlighted that they are not the first researchers of TecnATox awarded with an R2B. In 2023, Miquel Mulero received the R2B award for the project Integrated technical approach for the discovery of new bioactive compounds with beneficial properties for skin health. Previous awarded investigators include Marta Schuhmacher, who led the project Integration of innovative techniques to measure the amount of micro-nano plastics in environmental samples (2019), and José L. Domingo, principal investigator of Ribefood 2012. A computational tool for a healthy and pollutant-free diet (2012).
Last Friday, July 5, TecnATox celebrated the PhD Day. In this event, PhD students had the opportunity to present the advances of their research. Up to 11 oral communications and 13 posters were presented. The Best Oral Presentation Award and the Best Poster Award were given to Fabiola Consuelo García Reyes and Erika Amparo Torres Reyes, respectively.
This program will be deployed at three levels: the assessment of nutritional status and the identification of points for improvement; activities adapted to the cognitive state of the patients and a program of playful and educational activities personalized by the carers. In addition to the health benefits, the program aims to achieve greater empowerment of people with cognitive impairment and their carers, working on food and lifestyle aspects, often less represented in these collectives in which other aspects, such as cognitive stimulation, functional independence and emotional balance especially in caregivers, are taken into consideration.
The Xartec Salut network, led by CREB UPC, is made up of more than 80 research groups that belong to 23 different institutions. It aims to be a catalyst for R+D+I in the field of HealthTech by fostering the exchange of knowledge between research groups, institutions, hospitals and companies, promoting company creation and new career opportunities, and offering more efficient instruments for technology transfer.
The Global Neuropsychological Congress was held from July 3rd to 5th in Porto, Portugal. Some of the most important figures in neuropsychology, such as Barbara Wilson, Antonio Damasio, and Jon Evans, participated in this congress.
Dr. Margarita Torrente, Dr. Luis Heredia, and Ms. Nerea Carrión, researchers of the Neuropsychology and Emotions Area of the Laboratory of Toxicology and Environmental Health attended the conference as representatives of TecnATox. Nerea Carrión presented the poster entitled "Connections Beyond Cognition: A Comprehensive Study of Neuropsychiatric Symptoms, Emotional State, Life Stressors, and Lifestyle in the Elderly", where she highligthed some results from the DEM-BIOTA project.
This year, the event was focused on the presence of microplastics in food, an emerging risks for the whole population. Dr. Sierra's presentation was entitled Microplastics as emerging pollutants: Environmental behavior and health effects, while Dr. Rovira talked about the Analysis and characterization of microplastics in bivalves cultivated in Catalonia: Effect of the debugging process.
The workshop was held in the meeting room of the Salvany building (Public Health Agency of Catalonia) last June 19.
