The funds collected in the 2017 edition of "La Marató de TV3" and Catalunya Ràdio will fund 36 projects of biomedical research of excellence in infectious diseases. Four of these projects are led by researchers from the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute's Infectious Diseases Research Group (VHIR). The four groups obtained together euros719,833 funding. A fifth funded project is coordinated with the participation of researchers from the VHIR, the Institute of Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC) and the Center for Biomedical Research in the Network of Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN) and has received a donation of euros227,684. Of the euros9.7 million raised in the 2017 "La Marató de TV3", almost euros750,000 were allocated to the VHIR to finance research projects for a period of 3 years. Yesterday, was held the ceremony of delivery of grants to the Academy of Medical and Health Sciences of Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. The presentation was chaired by the honorable Ms. Elsa Artadi, Councilor of the Presidency of the Generalitat of Catalonia, and also had the presence of Ms. Laura Pelay, Secretary General of the Department of Health, of Ms. Núria Llorach, vice president of the Catalan Audiovisual Media Corporation and the Board of Trustees of the La Marató de TV3 Foundation, of the Dra. Dolors Sintes, Vice President of the Academy of Medical and Health Sciences of Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, from Mr. Lluís Bernabé, director of the La Marató de TV3 Foundation, and Dr. Albert Barberà, General Director of Research and Innovation of the Department of Health and coordinator of the Scientific Advisory Committee. Dr. Joan Gavaldà Santapau, coordinator of the Antibiotic Resistance Laboratory of the VHIR infectious diseases research group, presented the project "ThermoShot. A new non-existent technology to prevent and treat Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and associated diseases to biofilms of medical devices', which have been granted euros199,000 of funding.ThermoShot is a new technology to treat and prevent infections caused by antimicrobial-resistant microorganisms (AMR) and those related to medical devices produced by biofilms. The main objective of the project is to create two new ThermoShot devices: BioGel ThermoShot (for orthopedic infections) and Stent ThermoShot (for infections produced by the biofilms of the endotracheal tubes). Both devices are loaded with thermosensitive nanoantibiotics (ThermoShot), nanoparticles (NP) of silver (AgNP) or gold (AuNP), that allow the binding of amikacin (in the case of AgNP) on its surface acting at the same time as aptamers and as a hyperthermia agent directed by thermotherapy.ThermoShot devices are new technologies, developed by clinicians and for clinicians, working together with experts in nanomedicine and industrial engineering. These innovative technologies, non-existent right now, can reduce many cost for public health systems related with infections acquired in hospital environments.The research of the Dra. Maria José Buzón Gómez, head of the Translational Research in HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) of the group of Infectious Diseases of Vall d'Hebron, pursues the elimination of the latent reservoir of HIV. She obtained euros199,998 from La Marató 2017, to carry out the project 'Development of new functional nanoparticles directed to the lymph node for the elimination of the HIV reservoir'. The presence of anatomical and cellular reservoirs of HIV has been recognized as one of the greatest obstacles to achieve the elimination of the virus. In this sense, germinal centers located in follicles B of the lymph nodes, have been recently identified as persistence sites of the virus in patients treated with antiretroviral therapy (ART) efficiently. Several agents that reverse latency (LRAs, Latency Reversal Agents), that is, compounds that reactivate the asleep virus, have been tested in different clinical trials with limited efficacy. The most accepted hypothesis to explain this failure is the insufficiency of agents to reactivate the entire latent virus, as well as the inability of the immune system to eliminate reactivated cells.In this project, researchers hypothesized that the specific release of LRAs to one of the main viral reservoirs, follicles B of the lymph nodes, could significantly increase the elimination of the virus. the Dra. Maria José Buzón Gómez propose the complete, in vivo and in vitro, characterization of new functional nanoconjugates loaded with TLR7 agonists, which are also designed to be retained preferably in follicles B. Researchers will examine the biodistribution, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of these conjugates in a mouse model. They want also test the ex vivo efficacy of LRAs to reactivate HIV of primary cells from positive HIV patients. Complemented with tests in new latent tissue model developed during the execution of the project. Achieving the objective of this proposal would mean the beginning of the development of a new and innovative system of selective drug release to use in humans. The system would be able to release drug in the HIV reservoir in lymphatic nodules.Dr. Meritxell Genescà Ferrer, the leader researcher in the VHIR infectious diseases research group, has been obtained a grant of euros199,685 for the project entitled 'New prevention strategies against the acquisition of ITS / HIV through the elimination of myeloid-derived suppressive cells.'The main objective of this project is to determine if there is an increase in functional myeloid suppressor cells (MDSC) in response to pathogens responsible for sexually transmitted diseases (STD). The project wants to investigate if the activity of MDSC facilitates the acquisition of other STD/HIV, by limiting the local immune response of the tissue. For that, researchers will study the MDSC phenotype and function in blood and cervical samples of women with acute STD (vaginitis, chlamydia and HIV). They will use the cervical explant model to confirm the relationship between infection and immunosuppression via MDSC. Finally, using the same model, new therapies will be evaluated to limit this immunosuppression depending on MDSC in response to STD pathogens. The results of this project will be highly innovative in the fields of immunology and microbiology, improving the preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic interventions of STDs and conditions that affect maternal and neonatal health.The 'Pilot project for the screening of Chagas disease in community pharmacies' led by Dr. Inés Oliveira Souto, researcher of the VHIR Infectious Diseases Research Group, has received a grant of euros121,150.The main objective of this project is to facilitate the access of patients with Chagas disease to rapid detection tests through community pharmacies, but also increase the number of Chagas patients who receive attention in units of tropical medicine, evaluate the positive predictive value of a rapid diagnostic test and identification of access barriers to the system. The project will be developed in four consecutive phases: preparation, pilot phase, project phase and extension. After that, there will be a promotion and dissemination of the plan that will include all the actors involved in the process and will focus on those actions that have the greatest impact on the achievement of the project. The evaluation of the Project will be based on indicators of participation, process, impact and organization.On the other hand, Dr. Maria Teresa Martín Gómez, principal investigator of the VHIR Microbiology Research Group, participates along with researchers from IQAC-CSIC and CIBER-BBN in the coordinated project 'Use of signaling molecules of the Quorum Sensing as tools for the diagnosis of infections bacterial'. The grant awarded to this project is euros227,684 of which euros28,375 will be devoted to the research carried out at the VHIR.The ultimate goal of this project is to develop fast and accurate diagnostic methods for the detection of two important pathogenic microorganisms (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus) through immunochemical studies of their quorum detection system (Qorum Sensing, QS). These microorganisms regulate the process of pathogenesis through a sophisticated system called QS, which allows bacterial populations to regulate their gene expression. Through the chemical exchange of information, this mechanism allows unicellular organisms to activate important processes such as the formation of biofilms or the expression of virulence factors. In this way, the validation of QS molecules as biomarkers of infection will be important to the diagnosis and to monitor the stage of the pathology. This will be evaluated by investigating their expression profile in clinical samples obtained from patients suffering from lower respiratory tract infections (this will include samples of patients with pathologies associated with healthcare and patients with bronchiectasis).The results obtained will have an extraordinary impact on the biomedical field, since the current methods used in most microbiological laboratories are still based mainly on plate cultures and usually require enrichment steps to achieve the necessary detectability. This causes an unreachable time lag in obtaining the results, aggravating the infection and the possible subsequent consequences. In addition, the technology developed can produce important economic benefits derived from the application of these methodologies in clinical settings. It will allow an early diagnosis of the pathogen in acute infections, differentiate the asymptomatic colonization of the chronic infection, and the detection of exacerbations in chronic colonization infections.