Inflammatory and Neoplastic Dermatological Diseases
Research group
Group Leader
Ramon Maria Pujol Vallverdú
The Research Group on Inflammatory and Neoplastic Dermatological Diseases is composed of dermatologists, biologists and immunologists, connecting the bedside with the bench, which is a clear example of translational research. The group includes two different lines of investigation:
• The study of inflammatory dermatological diseases, mainly psoriasis, urticaria and bullous diseases. A) In psoriasis, we have developed a new in-vitro model which allows us to study the pathogenic mechanisms involved in early stages of the disease in different psoriasis phenotypes, consisting of the coculture of circulating CLA+ T cells (with cutaneous tropism), together with autologous epidermic cells from psoriatic patients, activated with Streptococcus pyogenes (SP) extract, a well-known psoriasis trigger. In addition, we focus on the characterization of T cell response in psoriasis. B) In urticaria, the ongoing projects are related to the definition of clinical phenotypes of the diseases along with transcriptome analysis of severe chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) and cold urticaria, and the detection of potential biomarkers of clinical evolution and response to treatment. C) In autoimmune bullous diseases, the studies focus on the role of the innate immune system in the pathogenetic mechanisms of acquired epidermolysis bullosa.
• Research into the pathogenetic mechanisms of progression and immunological response to nonmelanoma skin cancer. Our group also studies the link between inflammation and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Our preliminary results show that metastatic SCC displays enhanced Polycomb levels (an epigenetic repressor family) and that Polycomb represses cytokine/chemokine expression in SCC cells. Our working hypothesis is that Polycomb repression of cytokine/chemokine expression in SCC blocks differentiation and function of the myeloid inflammatory component and favors a protumoral immune response.
Members
Anna Maria Giménez Arnau (Researcher)
María Inmaculada Hernández Muñoz (Researcher)
Gemma Martín Esquerra (Researcher)
Sònia Segura Tigell (Researcher)
Agustí Toll Abelló (Researcher)
Marta Ferran Farrés (PhD Student)
Evelyn Andrades López (Technician)
Luis Gustavo Deza Vargas (Technician)
Silvia Sánchez Serrano (Technician)
Main Publications
• Blauvelt A, de Bruin-Weller M, Gooderham M, Cather JC, Weisman J, Pariser D, Simpson EL, Papp KA, Hong HC, Rubel D, Foley P, Prens E, Griffiths CEM, Etoh T, Pinto PH, Pujol RM, Szepietowski JC, Ettler K, Kemény L, Zhu X, Akinlade B, Hultsch T, Mastey V, Gadkari A, Eckert L, Amin N, Graham NMH, Pirozzi G, Stahl N, Yancopoulos GD, Shumel B. Long-term management of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis with dupilumab and concomitant topical corticosteroids (LIBERTY AD CHRONOS): a 1-year, randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial. Lancet 2017; 389(10086): 2287-2303. IF 47.831. D1.
• Pascual G, Avgustinova A, Mejetta S, Martín M, Castellanos A, Attolini CS, Berenguer A, Prats N, Toll A, Hueto JA, Bescós C, di Croce L, Aznar S. Targeting metastasis-initiating cells through the fatty acid receptor CD36. Nature 2017; 541(7635): 41-45. IF 40.137. D1.
• Giménez-Arnau AM, Curto-Barredo L, Nonell L, Puigdecanet E, Yélamos J, Gimeno R, Rüberg S, Santamaria-Babi L, Pujol RM. Transcriptome analysis of severely active chronic spontaneous urticaria shows an overall immunological skin involvement. Allergy 2017; 72(11): 1778-1790. IF 7.361. D1.
• Mangold AR, Thompson AK, Davis MD, Saulite I, Cozzio A, Guenova E, Hodak E, Amitay-Laish I, Pujol RM, Pittelkow MR, Gniadecki R. Early clinical manifestations of Sézary syndrome: A multicenter retrospective cohort study. J Am Acad Dermatol 2017: 77(4): 719-727. IF 7.002. D1.
• Gómez-Martín I, Moreno S, Andrades E, Hernández-Muñoz I, Gallardo F, Barranco C, Pujol RM, Segura S. Histopathologic and Immunohistochemical Correlates of Confocal Descriptors in Pigmented Facial Macules on Photodamaged Skin. JAMA Dermatol 2017; 153(8): 771-780. IF 5.817. D1.
• Ruiz-Genao D, Pérez-Zafrilla B, López-Estebaranz JL, Belinchón-Romero I, Carrascosa JM, Ferran M, Vanaclocha F, Herrera-Ceballos E, García-Doval I, Biobadaderm Study Group. Possible paradoxical occurrence of inflammatory arthritis in patients with psoriasis treated with biologics: findings in the Biobadaderm cohort. Br J Dermatol 2017; 176(3): 797-799. IF 4.706. D1.
• Deza G, García-Bravo B, Silvestre JF, Pastor-Nieto MA, González-Pérez R, Heras-Mendaza F, Mercader P, Fernández-Redondo V, Niklasson B, Giménez-Arnau AM, GEIDAC. Contact sensitization to limonene and linalool hydroperoxides in Spain: a GEIDAC prospective study. Contact Dermatitis 2017; 76(2): 74-80. IF 4.335. D1.
• Alonso-Lecue P, de Pedro I, Coulon V, Molinuevo R, Lorz C, Segrelles C, Ceballos L, López-Aventín D, García-Valtuille A, Bernal JM, Mazorra F, Pujol RM, Paramio J, Ramón Sanz, Freije A, Toll A, Gandarillas A. Inefficient differentiation response to cell cycle stress leads to genomic instability and malignant progression of squamous carcinoma cells. Cell Death Dis 2017; 8(6): e2901. IF 5.965. Q1.
• Deza G, Bertolín-Colilla M, Pujol RM, Curto-Barredo L, Soto D, García M, Hernández P, Gimeno R, Giménez-Arnau AM. Basophil FcεRI Expression in Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria: A Potential Immunological Predictor of Response to Omalizumab Therapy. Acta Derm-Venereol 2017; 97(6): 698-704. IF 3.653. Q1.
• García-Colmenero L, Curto-Barredo L, Gómez-Martín I, Gallardo F, Pujol RM. Telangiectatic Mycosis Fungoides: A New Clinicopathological Presentation Mimicking Acquired Naevoid Telangiectasia. Acta Derm-Venereol 2017; 97(5): 651-652. IF 3.653. Q1.
Ongoing Research Projects
• Caracterización de la respuesta immune frente a Streptococcus pyogenes a través de los linfocitos T CLA+ en la psoriasis guttata y en la psoriasis en placas
- Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria. ISCIII (PI16/00532)
- From 2017 to 2019
- Principal investigator: Pujol Vallverdú, Ramon Maria
• Regulación epigenética de la función inflamatoria del componente epitelial en la progresión metastática del carcinoma escamoso cutáneo (CEC)
- Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria. ISCIII (PI15/00236)
- From 2016 to 2018
- Principal investigator: Toll Abelló, Agustí
Group’s Recognitions
• Officially recognised as a consolidated research group by the Generalitat de Catalunya: Grup de Recerca en Malalties Dematalògiques Inflamatòries i Neoplàsiques (2017-2019)
- Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (SGR 840)
- Principal investigator: Pujol Vallverdú, Ramon Maria
Clinical Trials Signed in 2017
• Estudio aleatorizado, multicéntrico para evaluar el efecto de Secukinumab 300 mg por vía s.c. administrado durante 52 semanas en pacientes con psoriasis en placas moderada a grave de nueva aparición como intervención temprana en comparación con el tratamiento estándar con UVB de banda estrecha (estudio STEPIn)
- Register: CAIN457A2322
- Principal investigator: Pujol Vallverdú, Ramon Maria
• Estudio de fase 3, multicéntrico, aleatorizado y doble ciego para evaluar la eficacia comparativa de CNTO 1959 (Guselkumab) y Secukinumab para el tratamiento de la psoriasis en placa de moderada a grave
- Register: CNTO1959PSO3009
- Principal investigator: Pujol Vallverdú, Ramon Maria
• Estudio Europeo, Prospectivo y Observacional en Pacientes Aptos para Tratamiento Inmunosupresor Sistémico para la Dermatitis Atópica (DA)
- Register: OBS14620 / SAN-DER-2016-01
- Principal investigator: Giménez Arnau, Anna Maria
• Ensayo fase III, aleatorizado, doble ciego, controlado con placebo, para evaluar la eficacia y seguridad de tralokinumab en monoterapia en pacientes con dermatitis atópica moderada a grave que sean candidatos para un tratamiento sistémico
- Register: LP0162-1325
- Principal investigator: Pujol Vallverdú, Ramon Maria
• Estudio clínico abierto para evaluar la eficacia y la seguridad a largo plazo de dimetilfumarato en adultos con psoriasis crónica en placas moderadagrave en la práctica clínica (Estudio DIMESKIN 1)
- Register: M-41008-41
- Principal investigator: Pujol Vallverdú, Ramon Maria
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08003 Barcelona
(+34) 93 316 04 00
info@imim.es