Meritxell Genesca Ferrer I am a senior investigator at the infectious diseases department where I lead projects focused on defining protective immune responses against pathogens in order to develop new therapies. I have mainly worked on cervicovaginal mucosa immunity, a tissue with a high impact on public health as the portal of entry for sexually transmitted infections such as HIV. The knowledge acquired during my scientific career has served to expand my research towards the understanding of immune protection against pathogens in other tissues, such as against SARS-CoV-2 in the lung. Institutions of which they are part Main researcher Infectious Diseases Vall Hebron Institut de Recerca LinkedIn Twitter Orcid Email Meritxell Genesca Ferrer LinkedIn Twitter Orcid Email Institutions of which they are part Main researcher Infectious Diseases Vall Hebron Institut de Recerca I am a senior investigator at the infectious diseases department where I lead projects focused on defining protective immune responses against pathogens in order to develop new therapies. I have mainly worked on cervicovaginal mucosa immunity, a tissue with a high impact on public health as the portal of entry for sexually transmitted infections such as HIV. The knowledge acquired during my scientific career has served to expand my research towards the understanding of immune protection against pathogens in other tissues, such as against SARS-CoV-2 in the lung.
Dr. Meritxell Genescà is an expert on cervical mucosal immunology and infectious diseases. She obtained the Extraordinary Award from the Autonomous University of Barcelona as a Doctor in Veterinary Medicine (2000). After obtaining her PhD in physiology (2001-2004, IIBB-CSIC), she was contracted by the University of California first as a postdoctoral researcher and then as an Associate Researcher Immunologist. For the next six years, she worked on the top animal model for HIV sexual transmission studies and specialized in mucosal immunology. In 2011, she joined the Institut d’Investigació Germans Trias i Pujol in Badalona, through a Ramón y Cajal contract, before moving to her current institution in 2017. Dr. Genescà is interested on defining the nature of protective immune responses against pathogens that use the cervicovaginal mucosa as their portal of entry, such as HIV. Her group collaborates with several basic and clinical research groups in order to conduct translational comparative medicine in the following areas: 1) HIV reservoir characterization in the cervical tissue and new strategies for its elimination; 2) Sexually Transmitted Infections and increased risk of co-infection; 3) Adjuvants and biomarkers of mucosal immunity; 4) Tissue explant models to study host-pathogen interaction and immunity (including SARS-CoV-2). She is a member of the international Society for Mucosal Immunology (SMI), the Spanish group for AIDS study (GESIDA) and the Spanish HIV/AIDS Network (RIS). Moreover, she has participated in many dissemination activities, such as career orientation and continuous education for seniors, among others. Her track record includes over 35 articles in major international scientific journals (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6413-3812) with an h-index of 20, numerous presentations in international meetings and several fellowships and awards. She is also actively involved in teaching and student training.
Projects Novel CD1d ligands to reactivate dormant HIV and shift inflammation towards effector immunity IP: Meritxell Genesca Ferrer Collaborators: - Funding agency: GILEAD SCIENCES SLU Funding: 49973 Reference: GLD18-00008/TXELL_GENESCA Duration: 01/03/2019 - 11/03/2023 Targeting Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells to prevent HIV/STI acquisition IP: Meritxell Genesca Ferrer Collaborators: Maria Cristina Centeno Mediavilla, Nuria Laia Rodriguez Mias, Yannick Hoyos Mallecot, Josep Castellví Vives, Laura Mañalich Barrachina, María José Buzón Gómez, Maider Arando Lasagabaster, Bibiana Planas Ribas, Cristina Mancebo Perez Funding agency: Fundació La Marató de TV3 Funding: 199685 Reference: 20181410 Duration: 10/05/2019 - 31/12/2022 Caracterización de los reservorios VIH latentes de la mucosa genital femenina y estrategias para eliminarlos IP: María José Buzón Gómez Collaborators: Meritxell Genesca Ferrer, Laia Perez Lasarte Funding agency: Generalitat de Catalunya - Departament de Salut Funding: 103807.4 Reference: SLT002/16/00353 Duration: 04/04/2017 - 31/12/2019 Caracterización de los reservorios VIH latentes del tejido cervical y nuevas estrategias para eliminarlos IP: Meritxell Genesca Ferrer Collaborators: Vicenç Falcó Ferrer, Maria Cristina Centeno Mediavilla Funding agency: Instituto de Salud Carlos III Funding: 111320 Reference: PI17/01470 Duration: 01/01/2018 - 31/12/2021 Pagination First page « Previous page ‹ Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Current page 4 Page 5 Next page › Last page »
