About
The Innate Immunity Group, established in 2009, is focused on the study of innate immunity in health and disease. The team is located at IGTP and is part of the CIBERehd Consortium Group CB06/04/0033 and the AGAUR Research Quality Group 2021-SGR-01186.
The group conducts research on three important aspects of human pathology: liver disease, cancer and bacterial infection.
The aim of its researchers is to define the role of innate immunity proteins as prognostic or diagnostic biomarkers of disease. They are also engaged in the study of macrophages as central drivers of innate immunity and as targets for therapeutic intervention. In this context, their interests are currently mostly centered on the role of macrophage protein CD5L in the control of immune homeostasis, inflammatory disease and cancer.
Keywords: Liver, cancer, infection, macrophage, CD5L, immunotherapy.
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Group leader
- Maria Rosa Sarrias, PhD
Maria Rosa Sarrias, PhD
Maria-Rosa Sarrias has a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Her academic track includes a 5-year stay at the University of Pennsylvania, USA, followed by a post-doctoral position at the Immunology Department of Hospital Clínic of Barcelona. In 2009, she secured a Miguel Servet Fellowship, enabling her to establish the Innate Immunity Group at IGTP, where she currently serves as a Consolidated Researcher.
Sarrias has dedicated her career to understanding innate immunity. Her journey into this fascinating field began by exploring the body's innate ability to defend itself against pathogens and prevent sepsis through the complement system and scavenger receptors. As a group leader, she has focused on macrophages, because these are central cells of innate immunity; their abundancy, plasticity and multiplicity of actions make them a very attractive cell type for study and therapeutically target. Consequently, her group is at present dedicated to studying the role of macrophages in various inflammatory-driven diseases. Their work in recent years, particularly in the fields of infection and cancer, has contributed to defining new biomarkers and is leading to the development of a novel therapeutic strategy for clinical intervention in cancer.
Contact: mrsarrias(ELIMINAR)@igtp.cat
ORCID: 0000-0001-6929-8069
Team
Researcher
Helena Masnou, PhD, MD(ELIMINAR)
Postdoctoral fellow
Leila Noori, PhD(ELIMINAR)
PhD students
Tony Paul(ELIMINAR)
Qiaoling Ye(ELIMINAR)
Research lines
Role of innate immunity in liver disease
The group is exploring the potential of several innate immunity proteins as biomarkers for the improvement of patient management and for the better understanding of the complex mechanisms underlying liver disease.
Novel cancer immunotherapy strategy targeting macrophages
Macrophages are the most abundant immune cells in tumors, and since they are immunosuppressive in most solid cancers, they are a promising cell target in immuno-oncology. The team is developing new immunotherapies based on monoclonal antibodies directed against tumor macrophages.
Role of macrophage protein CD5L in infection
The innate immune response is the first line of defense against invading pathogens. The group is devoted to understand the complex interplay between host defense and pathogen evasion. Its studies include the role of CD5L in modulating macrophage responses to bacterial products, from inflammatory molecules (eg LPS) to whole organisms, such as Escherichia coli or Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This research line opens the door to the discovery of new therapeutic targets.
Active projects
RImAb, a novel immunotherapy strategy for targeting macrophages in solid cancers
PI: Maria-Rosa Sarrias
Funding agency: Caixa Impulse Consolidate
Agency code: CI22-10181
Duration: 15/12/2022 – 15/12/2024
Grup de recerca translacional en patologia hepàtica i immunitat innata
PI: Maria-Rosa Sarrias
Funding agency: Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR)
Agency code: SGR 2021-SGR-01186
Duration: 01/01/2022-31/05/2025
Computational modelling of 3D multicellular cultures for the development of antitumoral immunotherapies
PIs: Clara Prats, Maria-Rosa Sarrias
Funding agency: Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR)
Agency code: FISDU 00242
Duration: 01/02/2024 - 01/02/2027
Computational modelling of 3D multicellular cultures for the development of antitumoral immunotherapies
PIs: Clara Prats, Maria-Rosa Sarrias
Funding agency: Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR)
Agency code: FISDU 00242
Duration: 01/02/2024 - 01/02/2027
Converting molecular profiles of myeloid cells into biomarkers for inflammation and cancer (Mye-InfoBank)
PI: Prof. Sven Brandau
Funding agency: COST (European Cooperation in Science & Technology)
Agency code: CA20117
Duration: 06/10/2021 - 05/10/2025
More information
SMA-TB: A novel Stratified Medicine Algorithm to predict treatment responses to host-directed therapy in TB Patients
PI: Cristina Vilaplana
Funding agency: Horizon 2020 - European Union
Agency code: 847762
Duration: 01/01/2020 - 31/12/2024
More information
Decoding macrophage complexity in hepatocellular carcinoma
PI: Tony Paul
Funding agency: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)
Agency code: FI20/00115
Duration: 01/01/2021 - 31/12/2024
Novel immunotherapy strategy for targeting macrophages in solid cancers
PI: Maria-Rosa Sarrias
Funding agency: Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR)
Agency code: 2023 INNOV 00001
Duration: 01/05/2024 - 31/10/2025
Novel immunotherapy strategy for targeting macrophages in solid cancers
PI: Maria-Rosa Sarrias
Funding agency: Departament de Salut, Generalitat de Catalunya
Agency code: SLT033/23/000109
Duration: 01/12/2023 - 30/11/2024
Past projects
RImAb, a novel macrophage checkpoint inhibitor for cancer immunotherapy
Funding agency: Caixa Impulse Validate
Agency code: CI20-00152
Duration: Nov 2020 - May 2022
Decodificando la complejidad del macrófago en cirrosis y cáncer hepatocelular para generar nuevas estrategias terapéuticas y de estratificación
Funding agency: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)
Agency code: FISPI19/00523
Duration: Jan 2020 - Dec 2023
Novel immunotherapy for cancer targeting macrophages. Contrato Juan de la Cierva Formación
PI: Lídia Sánchez
Funding agency: Agencia Estatal de Investigación
Agency code: FJC2019-041213-I.MINECO
Duration: May 2021 - May 2023
Fisiopatología de la cirrosis y sus complicaciones
Funding agency: CIBERehd
Agency code: CB/06/04/033
Scientific publications
Highlighted publications
Sanjurjo L, Aran G, Téllez É, Amézaga N, Armengol C, López D, Prats C, Sarrias MR. CD5L Promotes M2 Macrophage Polarization through Autophagy-Mediated Upregulation of ID3. Front Immunol. 2018 Mar 12;9:480. DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.00480.
Bárcena C, Aran G, Perea L, Sanjurjo L, Téllez É, Oncins A, Masnou H, Serra I, García-Gallo M, Kremer L, Sala M, Armengol C, Sancho-Bru P, Sarrias MR. CD5L is a pleiotropic player in liver fibrosis controlling damage, fibrosis and immune cell content. EBioMedicine. 2019 May;43:513-524. DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2019.04.052.
Sánchez-Rodríguez MB, Téllez É, Casulleras M, Borràs FE, Arroyo V, Clària J, Sarrias MR. Reduced Plasma Extracellular Vesicle CD5L Content in Patients With Acute-On-Chronic Liver Failure: Interplay With Specialized Pro-Resolving Lipid Mediators. Front Immunol. 2022 Mar 7;13:842996. DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.842996.
Sanjurjo L, Castelblanco E, Julve J, Villalmanzo N, Téllez É, Ramirez-Morros A, Alonso N, Mauricio D, Sarrias MR. Contribution of Elevated Glucose and Oxidized LDL to Macrophage Inflammation: A Role for PRAS40/Akt-Dependent Shedding of Soluble CD14. Antioxidants (Basel). 2023 May 11;12(5):1083. DOI: 10.3390/antiox12051083.
Sanchez-Moral L, Paul T, Martori C, Font-Díaz J, Sanjurjo L, Aran G, Téllez É, Blanco J, Carrillo J, Ito M, Tuttolomondo M, Ditzel HJ, Fumagalli C, Tapia G, Sidorova J, Masnou H, Fernández-Sanmartín MA, Lozano JJ, Vilaplana C, Rodriguez-Cortés A, Armengol C, Valledor AF, Kremer L, Sarrias MR. Macrophage CD5L is a target for cancer immunotherapy. EBioMedicine. 2023 May;91:104555. DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2023.104555.
Additional information
Collaborative networks
Dr Sarrias is a member of the CIBERehd group CB06/ 04/0033. CIBEREHD is a consortium which aims to promote and cooperate in scientific research, development of knowledge and transferring this to society, in the area of liver and digestive diseases. The main purpose of the CIBER is the promotion and protection of health by fostering research in both the basic field and in the approach to clinical and translational aspects in the field of Liver and Digestive Diseases.
Dr Sarrias is also a member of MyeInfobank, COST Action CA20117, a network of molecular biologists, bioinformaticians, immunobiologists, biobank coordinators and clinicians, created with the aim of repurposing large data sets obtained by molecular profiling, retrieve and curate myeloid cell-specific information, to transform complex molecular information into standardised and applicable biomarkers, which have the potential to improve clinical decision making in a number of diseases associated with chronic inflammation with important socio-economically burden.
Doctoral theses
Title: Macrophages and their association in cancer
Author: Tony Paul
Supervisor: Maria-Rosa Sarrias
University: University of Barcelona, Biomedicine Program
Date of defense: December 2024
Title: Nou algoritme per estratificar el risc d'infecció bacteriana en el pacient amb cirrosi descompensa
Author: Marta Fortuny
Supervisors: Helena Masnou, Maria-Rosa Sarrias
University: University Autònoma de Barcelona, Dept. of Medicine
Date of defense: September 2024
Active patents
Method and kit for the diagnosis and/or prognosis of inflammatory conditions EP18382808
Sarrias MR, Aran G, Téllez E, Vilaplana C, Borrás FE
IGTP Publication Number: WO/2020/099613
Publication Date: 22/05/2020
International Application No.PCT/EP2019/081427
Anti-CD5L antibody and uses thereof EP17382725
Sarrias MR, Sanjurjo L, Aran G
IGTP Publication Number: WO/2019/086480
Publication Date: 09/05/2019
International Application No. PCT/EP2018/079751
News
New immunotherapy targeting tumour macrophages to tackle lung cancer
Researchers from the Innate Immunity group at the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP) have developed a new immunotherapy based on a monoclonal antibody directed against tumour macrophages. The results obtained lay the foundations for a new treatment for patients with lung cancer, with the potential to be applied to other solid tumours. The study has been published in the journal eBioMedicine.
A project that develops a new immunotherapy based on a monoclonal antibody to treat cancer is one of the three initiatives chosen by CaixaResearch Consolidate
A project that develops a monoclonal antibody for cancer treatment, led by the Innate Immunity Research Group at the IGTP, is one of the three selected in the CaixaResearch Consolidate call of “la Caixa” Foundation to cutting-edge innovative biomedical projects.
Contact
Maria Rosa Sarrias
(+34) 93 554 3060 extn 6320