Research

About

This group is mostly dedicated to research on biomarkers and molecular mechanisms underlying the development and progression of malignant neoplasms. It aims to provide translational knowledge to advance the diagnosis, prognosis and prediction of a variety of human cancers.

For this purpose, the team combines both morphological (light and ultrastructural microscopy) and advanced molecular tools including next generation sequencing (NGS), high-throughput gene expression analysis, in situ hybridisation, immunohistochemistry and confocal mycroscopy; these, integrated with bioinformatics tools such as digital pathology, provide a multidisciplinary approach to cancer research.

The group of Cancer Molecular Pathology and Vulnerabilities (CAMOPAVUL) has been recognised as a Consolidated Research Group (2021SGR01490) with financial support by the Agency for Management of University and Research Grants (AGAUR) of the Government of Catalonia.

Keywords: Cancer, NGS, molecular pathology, traslational research, confocal microscopy.

Molecular and Translational Pathology

Group leader

  • Pedro Luis Fernández Ruiz
    Pedro Luis Fernández Ruiz

    Pedro Luis Fernández Ruiz

    Dr Fernández graduated in Medicine in 1985 and obtained his PhD by the University of Granada in 1990. He was a specialist in Anatomic Pathology at University Hospital of Granada from 1987 to 1990 and is currently head of the Department of Anatomical Pathology at Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital in Badalona. Fernández has a long experience as university professor and also teaches and has taught in several official university masters including Biomedicine, Translational Medicine, Breast pathology, Urology and Biobanking. Fernández has also been co-coordinator of the Spanish National Biobank Network and director of the Catalan Tumour Bank network and has wide experience in tumour banking, with special interest in molecular subjects related to breast and urological cancer.

    Fernández has led 14 research projects funded by public and private agencies related to breast and prostate cancer carcinogenesis as well as biobanking and is author of more than 150 peer-reviewed papers, mostly in international journals. He has directed 7 doctoral theses, the last one dealing with molecular evolution in breast cancer progression and prognosis. He also holds a patent related to a method for molecular detection of prostate cancer in biopsy samples. He has published 24 chapters in books and was in charge of the spanish traslation of the 7th edition of Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of disease.

    Contact: plfernandez.germanstrias(ELIMINAR)@gencat.cat
    ORCID: 0000-0002-8618-4597

Research lines

  • Breast and genitourinary neoplasms
  • Lymphoid and mesenchymal neoplasms
  • Respiratory tract, and head & neck neoplasms
  • Digestive and hepatobiliary tract neoplasms
  • Nervous and endocrine systems neoplasms, and neurodegenerative disorders
  • Skin neoplasms
  • Nefropathology and fetal pathology
  • Molecular pathology
  • Paleopathology
  • Confocal microscopy

Active projects

Validación de las alteraciones genómicas en el glioblastoma: búsqueda de puntos débiles para intervención terapéutica (VAL-GLIO-THERINT)

PI: Cristina Carrato
Funding agency: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)
Agency code: PI21/00816
Duration: 01/01/2022 - 31/12/2024

Past projects

Molecular characterization of genomics and phenotypical patterns related to resistance to neoadjuvant therapy in triple negative and Her2 positive breast carcinomas

PI: Pedro L. Fernández  
Funding agency: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)
Agency code: PI19/01371
Duration: 01/01/2020 - 31/12/2022

Comprehensive molecular and microspectroscopic profiling of breast carcinomas and their resistance to neoadjuvant treatment

PI: Pedro L. Fernández  
Funding agency: La Marató de TV3
Agency code: 567/2019
Duration: 01/01/2020 - 31/12/2022

Análisis epigenómico integral del linfoma plasmablástico: identificación de características epigenéticas para mejorar el diagnóstico y pronóstico de los pacientes   

PI: José Tomás Navarro 
Funding agency: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)
Agency code: PI19/01588
Duration: 01/01/2020 - 31/12/2022

Scientific publications

Highlighted publications

Ordi J, Alonso PL, de Zulueta J, Esteban J, Velasco M, Mas E, Campo E, Fernández PL. The severe gout of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. N Engl J Med. 2006 Aug 3;355(5):516-20. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMon060780.

Muñoz-Mármol AM, Sanz C, Tapia G, Marginet R, Ariza A, Mate JL. MYC status determination in aggressive B-cell lymphoma: the impact of FISH probe selection. Histopathology. 2013 Sep;63(3):418-24. DOI: 10.1111/his.12178.

Celià-Terrassa T, Meca-Cortés O, Mateo F, Martínez de Paz A, Rubio N, Arnal-Estapé A, Ell BJ, Bermudo R, Díaz A, Guerra-Rebollo M, Lozano JJ, Estarás C, Ulloa C, Álvarez-Simón D, Milà J, Vilella R, Paciucci R, Martínez-Balbás M, de Herreros AG, Gomis RR, Kang Y, Blanco J, Fernández PL, Thomson TM. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition can suppress major attributes of human epithelial tumor-initiating cells. J Clin Invest. 2012 May;122(5):1849-68. DOI: 10.1172/JCI59218.

Cantero-Pérez J, Grau-Expósito J, Serra-Peinado C, Rosero DA, Luque-Ballesteros L, Astorga-Gamaza A, Castellví J, Sanhueza T, Tapia G, Lloveras B, Fernández MA, Prado JG, Solé-Sedeno JM, Tarrats A, Lecumberri C, Mañalich-Barrachina L, Centeno-Mediavilla C, Falcó V, Buzon MJ, Genescà M. Resident memory T cells are a cellular reservoir for HIV in the cervical mucosa. Nat Commun. 2019 Oct 18;10(1):4739. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12732-2.

Pons L, Hernández L, Urbizu A, Osorio P, Rodríguez-Martínez P, Castella E, Muñoz A, Sanz C, Arnaldo L, Felip E, Quiroga V, Tapia G, Margelí M, Fernandez PL. Pre- and Post-Neoadjuvant Clinicopathological Parameters Can Help in the Prognosis and the Prediction of Response in HER2+ and Triple Negative Breast Cancer. Cancers (Basel). 2023 Jun 6;15(12):3068. DOI: 10.3390/cancers15123068.

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Additional information

Collaborative networks

Proyecto Imperas

Estudio del impacto en supervivencia y calidad de vida de la revisión centralizada del diagnóstico anatomopatológico en sarcomas de partes blandas.

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canSERV

Providing cutting edge cancer research services across Europe. A project within the European infrastructure for translational medicine EATRIS.

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News

IGTP wraps up successful round of La Marató visits to its laboratories

The four visits under the "Visita la recerca" (Visit the research) cycle of the Fundació La Marató de TV3 at the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP) have drawn to a successful close. More than 50 collaborators have had the opportunity to gain insight into various research projects funded through this charitable initiative.

- Campus Can Ruti

The IGTP presents CARE Translational Program in Cancer Research

CARE, the Translational Program in Cancer Research is the first transversal program promoted by the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), and it aims to become a bridge for researchers in the field of cancer who want to bring basic and clinical research together, so that the knowledge and the tools generated in the laboratory can benefit the patient.

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