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
Laia Curto Barredo (Researcher)
Luis Gustavo Deza Vargas (Researcher)
Marta Ferran Farrés (Researcher)
Ana María Giménez Arnau (Researcher)
María Inmaculada Hernández Muñoz (Researcher)
Gemma Martín Ezquerra (Researcher)
Sonia Segura Tigell (Researcher)
Evelyn Andrades López (Technician)
Clara Ribas Llauradó (Technician)
Silvia Sánchez Serrano (Technician)
Main Publications
• Deza G, Bertolín-Colilla M, Sánchez-Serrano S, Soto D, Pujol RM, Gimeno R, Giménez-Arnau AM. Basophil FcεRI expression is linked to time to omalizumab response in chronic spontaneous urticaria. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2018; 141(6): 2313-2316.e1. IF 13.258. D1.
• Deza G, Ricketti PA, Giménez-Arnau AM, Casale TB. Emerging Biomarkers and Therapeutic Pipelines for Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2018; 6: 1108-1117. IF 13.258. D1.
• Gallardo F, Bertran J, López-Arribillaga E, González J, Menéndez S, Sánchez I, Colomo L, Iglesias M, Garrido M, Santamaría-Babí LF, Torres F, Pujol RM, Bigas A, Espinosa L. Novel phosphorylated TAK1 species with functional impact on NF-κB and β-catenin signaling in human Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Leukemia 2018; 32(10): 2211-2223. IF 10.023. D1.
• Ferrer M, Giménez-Arnau AM, Saldana D, Janssens N, Balp MM, Khalil S, Risson V. Predicting Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria Symptom Return after Omalizumab Treatment Discontinuation: Exploratory Analysis. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2018; 6(4): 1191-1197.e5. IF 6.966. Q1.
• Descalzo MA, Carretero G, Ferrándiz C, Rivera R, Daudén E, Gómez-García FJ, de la Cueva P, Herrera-Ceballos E, Belinchón I, López-Estebaranz JL, et al. Change over time in the rates of adverse events in patients receiving systemic therapy for psoriasis: a cohort study. J Am Acad Dermatol 2018; 78(4): 798-800. IF 6.898. D1.
• López-Lerma I, Peñate Y, Gallardo F, Martí RM, Mitxelena J, Bielsa I, Velasco-Tamariz V, Yanguas-Bayona JI, Sánchez-Sambucety P, García-Patos V, Ortiz-Romero PL, Pujol RM, Estrach T. Subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma: Clinical features, therapeutic approach, and outcome in a case series of 16 patients. J Am Acad Dermatol 2018; 79(5): 892-898. IF 6.898. D1.
• Ruiz-Romeu E, Ferran M, de Jesús-Gil C, García P, Sagristà M, Casanova JM, Fernández JM, Chiriac A, Hóllo P, Celada A, Pujol RM, Santamaria-Babí LF. Microbe-dependent induction of IL-9 by CLA+ T cells in psoriasis and relationship with IL-17A. J Invest Dermatol 2018; 138(3): 580-587. IF 6.448. D1.
• Curto-Barredo L, Spertino J, Figueras-Nart I, Expósito-Serrano V, Guilabert A, Melé-Ninot G, Cubiró X, Bonfill-Ortí M, Garcías-Ladaria J, Villar M, García-Navarro X, Bielsa-Marsol I, Vilavella M, Aparicio G, Baliu-Piqué C, Álvarez A, Lamas-Domenech N, Duran-Jordà X, Serra-Baldrich E, Giménez-Arnau AM. Omalizumab updosing allows disease activity control in refractory patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria. Br J Dermatol 2018; 179(1): 210-212. IF 6.129. D1.
• Sussman G, Abuzakouk M, Bérard F, Canonica W, Oude-Elberink H, Giménez-Arnau AM, Grattan C, Hollis K, Hunter S, Knulst A, Lacour JP, Lynde C, Marsland A, McBride D, Maurer M, Nakonechna A, Ortiz-de Frutos J, Reynolds M, Sweeney C, Tian H, Weller K, Wolin D, Balp MM. Angioedema in Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria Is Underdiagnosed and Has a Substantial Impact: Analyses From ASSURE-CSU. Allergy 2018; 73(8): 1724-1734. IF 6.048. Q1.
• Zuberbier T, Aberer W, Asero R, Abdul Latiff AH, Baker D, Ballmer-Weber B, Bernstein JA, Bindslev-Jensen C, Brzoza Z, Buense Bedrikow R, et al. The EAACI/GA²LEN/EDF/WAO Guideline for the Definition, Classification, Diagnosis and Management of Urticaria. The 2017 Revision and Update. Allergy 2018; 73(7): 1393-1414. IF 6.048. Q1.
Ongoing Research Projects
• Inmunofenotipificación y caracterización genética de la urticaria crónica por contacto al frío o "urticaria a frigore"
- Financing institution: Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria. ISCIII (PI17/00198)
- Period: from 2018 to 2020
- Principal investigator: Giménez Arnau, Ana María
• 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
- Financing institution: Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria. ISCIII (PI16/00532)
- Period: 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)
- Financing institution: Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria. ISCIII (PI15/00236)
- Period: from 2016 to 2019
- 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 dermatològiques inflamatòries i neoplàsiques (2017-2020)
- Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (SGR 840)
- Principal investigator: Pujol Vallverdú, Ramon Maria
Clinical Trials Signed in 2018
• Pautas de tratamiento y resultados en condiciones reales en Italia y España de la terapia sistémica para el linfoma cutáneo de linfocitos T (LCLT) recidivante/resistente al tratamiento: estudio retrospectivo de historiales clínicos
- Register: TAK-QUI-2017-01
- Principal investigator: Pujol Vallverdú, Ramon Maria
• A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study Comparing the Efficacy and Safety of LY3074828 to Secukinumab and Placebo in Patients with Moderate-to-Severe Plaque Psoriasis
- Register: I6T-MC-AMAJ
- Principal investigator: Pujol Vallverdú, Ramon Maria
• A multi-center, randomized, double-blind, active and placebo-controlled study to investigate the efficacy and safety of ligelizumab (QGE031) in the treatment of Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria (CSU) in adolescents and adults inadequately controlled with H1-antihistamines
- Register: CQGE031C2302
- Principal investigator: Giménez Arnau, Anna Maria
• Estudio observacional prospectivo para evaluar los beneficios para el paciente asociados al tratamiento de la psoriasis en placas con apremilast tras otros tratamientos sistémicos en condiciones de práctica clínica habitual en España (estudio “APPROPRIATE”)
- Register: CEL-APR-2017-01
- Principal investigator: Pujol Vallverdú, Ramon Maria
• Estudio observacional, no intervencionista, transversal y retrospectivo, multicéntrico para evaluar la calidad de vida en condiciones de práctica clínica real en pacientes con psoriasis moderada-grave tratados con metotrexato en España
- Register: CAIN457AES11//NOV-MET-2018-01
- Principal investigator: Ferran Farrés, Marta
• Estudio de fase III, multicéntrico, aleatorizado, doble ciego, controlado con placebo y un comparador activo para evaluar la eficacia y seguridad de BMS-986165 en pacientes con psoriasis en placas de moderada a grave
- Register: IM011046
- Principal investigator: Ferran Farrés, Marta
• Phase II trial of atezolizumab (Anti-PD-L1) in the treatment of stage IIB-IV mycosis fungoides/sezary syndrome patients relapsed/refractory after a previous systemic treatment (PARCT)
- Register: 1652-CLTF (VHP1227 (VHP2018005)
- Principal investigator: Pujol Vallverdú, Ramon Maria
• Ensayo de extensión a largo plazo, multicéntrico, abierto y de un solo brazo, para evaluar la seguridad y eficacia de tralokinumab en pacientes con dermatitis atópica que participaron previamente en ensayos clínicos con tralokinumab
- Register: LP0162-1337
- Principal investigator: Pujol Vallverdú, Ramon Maria
Other
Awards
• Luis Gustavo Deza Vargas. Caracterización imunofenotípica y genética de la urticaria a frigore. Societat Catalana de Dermatologia (SCD-ACMSC). Date: 18/05/2018.
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info@imim.es