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Andres Antón Pagarolas

Sóc biòleg, especialista en Microbiologia i Parasitologia. Actualment sóc el cap de la Unitat de Virus Respiratoris del Servei de Microbiologia d'aquest gran hospital. La meva inquietud els darrers anys ha sigut l'estudi dels virus respiratoris, especialment els virus de la grip i el virus respiratori sincicial.

Institutions of which they are part

Main researcher
Microbiology
Vall Hebron Institut de Recerca
Head of Unit
Microbiology
Cross-departmental services

Andres Antón Pagarolas

Institutions of which they are part

Main researcher
Microbiology
Vall Hebron Institut de Recerca
Head of Unit
Microbiology
Cross-departmental services

Sóc biòleg, especialista en Microbiologia i Parasitologia. Actualment sóc el cap de la Unitat de Virus Respiratoris del Servei de Microbiologia d'aquest gran hospital. La meva inquietud els darrers anys ha sigut l'estudi dels virus respiratoris, especialment els virus de la grip i el virus respiratori sincicial.

Vaig estudiar Biologia a la Universitat de Barcelona (1995-2000). Des del 1999 i fins al 2008 vaig estar treballant en Laboratorios Echevarne SA. En 2006 vaig iniciar els meus estudis de doctorat al Servei de Microbiologia de l'Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, on em vaig incorporar a la plantilla del Centre Nacional de Grip de Barcelona en 2008. Fins al 2012, vaig treballar principalment en la vigilància dels virus de la grip, que va ser l’objecte principal estudi de la meva tesi doctoral. Des de desembre del 2012 sóc el responsable de la Unitat de Virus Respiratoris del Servei de Microbiologia d'aquest gran hospital. En aquesta Unitat, el meu equip i jo, continuem amb l'estudi i caracterització dels virus de la grip, especialment dels causants de malaltia greu. Per això participem amb les nostres dades en la vigilància sentinella de casos greus per virus de la grip coordinada per l'Agència de Salut Pública de la Generalitat de Catalunya. En 2013 vam iniciar els estudis de caracterització genètica del virus respiratori sincicial (VRS), i des de llavors, a més d'estar estudiant els factors virals i de l'hoste associats a major gravetat en la malaltia per VRS en menors de 2 anys a través d'un projecte competitiu, hem també promogut la creació d'una xarxa de vigilància hospitalària del VRS a l'Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona. A més, des del 2012 altres virus respiratoris han sigut objecte d'estudi, com adenovirus, rinovirus, virus parainfluença, coronavirus, metapneumovirus i enterovirus. Per la nostra experiència, hem participat molt activament en diferents brots d'origen viral, com en el recent brot de rombencefalitis associat a infecció per enterovirus A71 a Catalunya.

Research lines

Diseases due to viral infections of the respiratory tract

The main objectives of the Respiratory Virus Unit are the microbiological diagnosis of viral respiratory infection, participation in virological surveillance of respiratory viruses, and teaching. In addition to incorporating the state-of-the-art technology for the detection and automation of laboratory processes, we participate in the development and evaluation of new microbiological diagnostic methods in collaboration with the industry. But, beyond being able to detect already known respiratory viruses, and others not so well known, that cause acute respiratory disease in the human population, one of our vocations is virological surveillance. For this, it is necessary to be able to characterize the respiratory viruses detected, either in the community or in the hospitalized population, using genotypic and phenotypic methods, which allow us to better identify them, to know those characteristics that make them of special interest either because their antigenic characteristics have changed, because they have acquired resistance to different antivirals, because they have changed their tropism for other hosts or tissues, or because they are associated with greater severity, among others. In addition, working with new generation sequencing techniques and bioinformatics tools has allowed us to study in depth the viral populations in the host. This work would not be possible if we did not work in a multidisciplinary way with clinical specialists, epidemiologists, mathematicians and public health specialists. But beyond the laboratory results, the products developed and our participation in national and international surveillance networks, we work to disseminate the knowledge acquired, thus contributing to greater awareness of viral respiratory infection and of the viral agents that cause it.


IP: Andres Antón Pagarolas

Projects

RELECOV 2.0: Consolidation of WGS and RT-PCR activities for SARS-CoV-2 in Spain towards sustainable use and integration of enhanced infrastructure and processes in the RELECOV network

IP: Andres Antón Pagarolas
Collaborators: -
Funding agency: EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Funding: 88022.48
Reference: RELECOV 2.0/ EU4H-2022-DGA-MS-IBA-1 / 2022 / ANTON
Duration: 01/07/2023 - 30/06/2025

Grup de Recerca en Microbiologia de Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron

IP: Juan Jose Gonzalez Lopez
Collaborators: María Nieves Larrosa Escartin, Maria Belén Viñado Perez, Gema Codina Grau, Virginia Rodríguez Garrido, Andres Antón Pagarolas, Juliana Esperalba Esquerra, Ariadna Rando Segura, Alba Mir Cros, Yannick Hoyos Mallecot, Joan Joseph Munné, Tomàs Pumarola Suñé, Mayli Lung Suarez, Mª Teresa Tórtola Fernández, Albert Moreno Mingorance, Maria Piñana Moro, Aroa Silgado Gimenez, Elena Sulleiro Igual, Lidia Goterris Bonet, Josep Roca Grande, Alejandra Gonzalez Sánchez, Narcís Saubí Roca, Jesus Trejo Zahinos
Funding agency: Agència Gestió Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca
Funding: 0.01
Reference: 2021 SGR 01129
Duration: 01/01/2022 - 30/06/2025

Sistema integral para la vigilancia clínica, epidemiológica y microbiológica (SiVEV/BCN) de la enfermedad asociada a enterovirus en Barcelona ciudad.

IP: Andres Antón Pagarolas
Collaborators: Juliana Esperalba Esquerra, Jorgina Vila Soler, Yolima Cossio Gil, Rocío Rodrigo García, Tomàs Pumarola Suñé, Maria Espiau Guarner, Núria Worner Tomasa, Maria Piñana Moro, Ariadna Carsi Durall, Anna Creus Costa, Alejandra Gonzalez Sánchez, Cristina Andrés Vergés, Narcís Saubí Roca
Funding agency: Instituto de Salud Carlos III
Funding: 214170
Reference: PI22/00023
Duration: 01/01/2023 - 31/12/2025

CIBER Malalties Infeccioses

IP: Juan Jose Gonzalez Lopez
Collaborators: María Nieves Larrosa Escartin, Oscar Len Abad, Mª Carmen Ferrer Barberà, Andres Antón Pagarolas, Javier Gomis Rodriguez, Nuria Fernández Hidalgo, Joan Gavaldà Santapau, Juliana Esperalba Esquerra, Ma Dolores Rodríguez Pardo, Tomàs Pumarola Suñé, Isabel Ruiz Camps, Mayli Lung Suarez
Funding agency: Instituto de Salud Carlos III
Funding: 100500
Reference: CB21/13/00054
Duration: 01/01/2022 - 31/12/2022

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