About the VHIR
Here at the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) we promote biomedical research, innovation and teaching. Over 1,800 people are seeking to understand diseases today so the treatment can be improved tomorrow.
Research
We are working to understand diseases, to find out how they operate and to create better treatments for patients. Get to know about our groups and their lines of research.
People
People are the centre of the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR). This is why we are bound by the principles of freedom of research, gender equality and professional attitudes that HRS4R promotes.
Clinical trials
Our work is not just basic or translational; we are leaders in clinical research. Enter and find about the clinical trials we are conducting and why we are a world reference in this field.
Progress
Our aim is to make the research carried out at the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) a driving force for transformation. How? By identifying new channels and solutions for the promotion of people's health and well-being.
Core facilities
We offer specialist support for researchers, internal and external alike, ranging from specific services to preparing complete projects. All this, from a perspective of quality and speed of response.
News
We offer you a gateway for staying up to date on everything going on at the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), from the latest news to future solidarity activities and initiatives that we are organising.
The Microbiology research group of the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) focuses on the study of microbiological aspects —in basic, translational and clinical research— that could improve the outcome of patients with infectious diseases.
Our priority research areas are:
We actively collaborate with other microbiology laboratories, health services, national and international centres and organizations, as well as with the different research networks of the Carlos III Health Institute in Spain.
In addition, we carry out an important activity in the surveillance of the genotypic and phenotypic evolution of microorganisms present in the community in terms of their virulence, transmissibility, antigenic escape and antimicrobial resistance, in collaboration with public administrations, both at the national and international level.
The microbiology laboratory of the Vall d'Hebron hospital has a unit dedicated to the diagnosis of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). In this context, the VHIR microbiology group directs its priorities towards bacterial STIs (Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, Mycoplasma genitalium and Treponema pallidum).
Our area of knowledge and research covers the following aspects:
- Evaluation and quality control of new diagnostic techniques, specifically multiplexed molecular techniques and resistance tests for the diagnosis and screening of STIs.
- Evaluation and quality control of new techniques for the study of susceptibility to antimicrobials in Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
- Evaluation and quality control of new serological techniques for the control of syphilis.
- Chlamydia trachomatis typing, specifically the serotypes responsible for lymphogranuloma venereum.
- Development of typing techniques through sequencing for the different bacterial STIs, with the aim of:
1. Discriminate STI cases in our country with those described in other countries.
2. Discriminate grouped cases of STIs within our geographic area.
3. Detect clones of special epidemiological relevance.
IP: Yannick Hoyos Mallecot
The International Health Unit has several lines of research in the field of diagnosis of imported infections, both in our centre and in endemic countries. This unit has a laboratory at the HUVH and another at the Drassanes Unit with extensive experience in highly complex parasitological diagnosis, which allow access to multiple samples from travellers and immigrants. The unit has extensive experience in coordinating projects and training programs in laboratories in rural areas of low-income countries. The development of new technology applied to the diagnosis of the main parasitic infections is another of the axes of our unit. The results of the research studies have been translated into different national and international publications and into the writing of doctoral theses. Our centre is CSUR of Tropical Medicine and International Health.
Lines of investigation:
- Hemoflagellates: Development studies and evaluation of molecular biology techniques for the diagnosis and typing of Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania sp. A project financed by Roche is currently underway to validate serological techniques for the diagnosis of Chagas disease both in imported patients and in several Latin American countries.
- Malaria: Studies on the application of molecular techniques in the diagnosis of malaria in endemic countries. Detection of Plasmodium sp species by PCR, co-infections and alterations in the genes that encode the proteins that are used for rapid diagnostic techniques.
- Helminthiasis: Studies of the application of molecular techniques in the diagnosis of different helminthiasis, mainly schistosomiasis and strongyloidiasis, both in imported cases and in endemic areas.
- Innovation and technology applied to the diagnosis of tropical diseases:
1. Development of a mobile application for the microscopic diagnosis of malaria and schistosomiasis in low-income countries.
2. Collaboration in the development of rapid immunoassays and point-of-care (POC) devices for the quantitative diagnosis of malaria.
3. Interactive training programs for laboratory technicians.
4. Validation of samples collected on dry paper (DBS) for the diagnosis of imported infections.
IP: Elena Sulleiro Igual
Vaccines confer active immunoprotection, which is why they constitute one of the medical instruments that have contributed the most to the prevention of infectious diseases, estimating that around 2.5 million deaths are avoided annually thanks to them. The significant decrease in the incidence of diseases such as diphtheria, tetanus, poliomyelitis, invasive meningococcal disease or whooping cough, among others, or even the eradication of smallpox, is clear proof of their effectiveness. Despite this, in recent years a reemergence of certain infections that can be prevented by vaccination and that are caused by specific bacteria have been detected. Some examples of these bacteria are Neisseria meningitidis, which causes invasive meningococcal disease, or Bordetella pertussis, which produces whooping cough.
The VHIR microbiology research group is working on the study of the microbiological factors that may be conditioning the reemergence of these infections, as well as the characteristics of the patients who suffer from them and that may contribute to their acquisition and development. To this end, we work on the genomic characterization of bacterial populations such as N. meningitidis or B. pertussis through state-of-the-art technologies that allow us to monitor the evolution and adaptation of circulating clones in our environment, with the aim of early identification of the appearance of high-risk clones for public health, the rapid detection of the existence of transmission clusters between people, the emergence of strains not covered by currently used vaccines, and the identification of strains resistant to first- and second-line antimicrobial treatments, with the aim of in order to be able to design optimal measures to prevent the acquisition of these diseases, reduce their dissemination and optimize antimicrobial treatments.
Competitive projects that are currently being developed in this line of work:
Secuenciación de nueva generación para el estudio de la dinámica poblacional, adaptación e identificación de nuevos antígenos vacunales de B. pertussis y B. holmesii
PI: Juan José González López
Collaborators: Albert Moreno Mingorance
Financing entity: Instituto de Salud Carlos III
Financing: 82400
Reference: FI19/00315
Duration: 01/01/2020 - 31/12/2023
Secuenciación de nueva generación para el estudio de la dinámica poblacional, adaptación e identificación de nuevos antígenos vacunales de B. pertussis y B. holmesii. Estudio PERT-ESP-VAC
Collaborators: María Teresa Martín Gómez, Gema Codina Grau, Carlos Rodrigo Gonzalo de Liria, Alba Mir Cros, Thais Cornejo Sánchez, Sonia Maria Uriona Tuma
Financing: 111320
Reference: PI18/00703
Duration: 01/01/2019 - 30/06/2023
Caracterización de Neisseria meningitidis tras la introducción de la vacuna frente al serogrupo B e identificación de factores predisponentes para la enfermedad meningocócica invasiva
Collaborators: Manuel Hernández González, José Ángel Rodrigo Pendás, Aina Aguiló Cucurull, Alba Mir Cros, Albert Moreno Mingorance, Thais Cornejo Sánchez, Andrea Martín Nalda
Financing: 123420
Reference: PI21/00132
Duration: 01/01/2022 - 31/12/2024
IP: Juan Jose Gonzalez Lopez
IP: María Nieves Larrosa Escartin, Juan Jose Gonzalez Lopez
IP: Eva Baldrich Rubio Collaborators: Romina Dieli Crimi, Cristina Andrés Vergés Funding agency: Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación-MICINN Funding: 141875 Reference: PID2023-148950OB-C22 Duration: 01/09/2024 - 31/12/2027
IP: Isabel Novoa Garcia Collaborators: Joaquim Vives Armengol, Anna Duarri Piqué, Eva Colas Ortega, Oriol Bestard Matamoros, Marta Rosal Fontana, Carmen Espejo Ruiz, Marielle Esteves Coelho, Juan Jose Gonzalez Lopez, Sheyla Pascual Martín, Alejandro Tomasello Weitz, Shirley Guzmán Avilés Funding agency: Instituto de Salud Carlos III Funding: 137460 Reference: PT23/00040 Duration: 01/01/2024 - 31/12/2026
IP: Susana Otero Romero Collaborators: Imane Boutitah Benyaich, Blanca Borras Bermejo, Anna Falcó Roget, Mar Tintore Subirana, Ana Zabalza de Torres, Jesus Trejo Zahinos, Enrique Rodríguez Zafra Funding agency: Instituto de Salud Carlos III Funding: 115000 Reference: PI23/01654 Duration: 01/01/2024 - 31/12/2026
IP: Elena Sulleiro Igual Collaborators: Pau Bosch Nicolau, Aroa Silgado Gimenez, Lidia Goterris Bonet Funding agency: Instituto de Salud Carlos III Funding: 108750 Reference: PI23/01942 Duration: 01/01/2024 - 31/12/2026
The study results show that the local presence of IL-1β promotes the development of myeloid cells with an immunosuppressive function.
The project has developed a low-cost system to diagnose malaria and schistosomiasis using artificial intelligence and a robotic microscope.
The collaboration will focus on several key areas of mutual interest in microbiology in particular antimicrobial resistance and stewardship.
