{"id":87983,"date":"2023-09-18T12:22:05","date_gmt":"2023-09-18T10:22:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pcb.ub.edu\/javier-ramon-azcon-has-been-granted-an-erc-proof-of-concept-grant\/"},"modified":"2023-09-19T11:54:49","modified_gmt":"2023-09-19T09:54:49","slug":"javier-ramon-azcon-has-been-granted-an-erc-proof-of-concept-grant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pcb.ub.edu\/en\/javier-ramon-azcon-has-been-granted-an-erc-proof-of-concept-grant\/","title":{"rendered":"Javier Ram\u00f3n Azc\u00f3n has been granted an ERC Proof of Concept Grant"},"content":{"rendered":"

Javier Ram\u00f3n Azc\u00f3n, ICREA research professor and the leader of the Biosensors for Bioengineering group at IBEC<\/a>, has been awarded an ERC Proof of Concept (PoC)<\/a>, a prestigious funding granted by the European Research Council to explore the commercial and societal potential of research projects conducted in European institutions. Ram\u00f3n\u2019s project, Uniink, is centered on the treatment of Type 1 diabetes using cell therapy and 3D bioprinting.<\/strong><\/p>\n

An alternative to the well-known insulin injections, which do not offer such a dynamic response to fluctuations in glucose levels, is cell therapy. Specifically, this involves transplanting pancreatic islets from deceased donors. These islets are clusters of cells in the pancreas that include, among others, insulin-producing \u03b2 cells. Despite being an effective treatment with numerous benefits, its widespread application faces challenges due to the difficulty in finding compatible donors and the necessity for immunosuppressing the recipient. The latter is required because the recipient\u2019s immune system recognizes the transplanted islets as foreign and attacks them.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Schematic representation of the biocompatible microspheres of the Uniink project (Image: IBEC).<\/p><\/div>\n

Uniink is presented as an evolution of this type of therapy. The project introduces an innovative 3D bioprinting method for manufacturing substantial quantities of biocompatible microspheres loaded with cells that can secrete insulin in response to external glucose signals. The incorporation of physical barriers, such as encapsulation, serves to shield the transplanted cells from the host\u2019s immune system. This approach holds the potential to facilitate graft recovery and restore the natural regulation of glucose levels.<\/p>\n

This innovative system was developed by Laura Clua Ferr\u00e9<\/strong> during her doctoral thesis within Ram\u00f3n\u2019s research group. In the new project, which carries on Clua\u2019s work, the IBEC team will evaluate Uniink\u2019s effectiveness using mouse models and will collaborate with Anna Novials<\/strong>\u2019 group at the August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS) to procure donor cells.<\/p>\n

At present, a patent has already been filed for the encapsulation system, and as Javier Ram\u00f3n<\/strong> explains: \u2018Throughout the project, we will explore the possibility of establishing a new company and collaborating with private partners, with the aim of advancing this technology toward clinical application. In essence, Uniink has the potential to substantially transform the treatment of type 1 diabetes, offering new hope to patients affected by this condition.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u00bb For further information: <\/strong>IBEC website <\/a>[<\/a>+<\/a><\/strong>]<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Javier Ram\u00f3n Azc\u00f3n, ICREA research professor and the leader of the Biosensors for Bioengineering group at IBEC, has been awarded an ERC Proof of Concept (PoC), a prestigious funding granted…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":88003,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-87983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-investment"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nJavier Ram\u00f3n Azc\u00f3n has been granted an ERC Proof of Concept Grant - Parc Cient\u00edfic de Barcelona<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pcb.ub.edu\/en\/javier-ramon-azcon-has-been-granted-an-erc-proof-of-concept-grant\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Javier Ram\u00f3n Azc\u00f3n has been granted an ERC Proof of Concept Grant - 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