Línies de recerca

• Proliferation and apoptosis in pulmonary arterial hypertension: biomarkers and new therapies

  PH is a severe condition causing significant burden. Fortunately, recent advances in the understanding of the pathobiology of PH have prompted the development of new drugs that have provided significant benefit, both in terms of survival and patient’s well-being, particularly in PAH. Nevertheless, we are far from an optimal situation, given the fact that affected patients are relatively young and current survival in newly diagnosed cases has only raised to 65% at 3 years after diagnosis.

  There is still a long way to cover before we can get a cure of the disease. Therefore, there is an urgent need to find new therapeutic approaches and diagnostic tools to detect the disease earlier, accurately monitor its progression and treat it more efficiently. Similarly to cancer, PAH shows increase proliferation and resistance to apoptosis in vascular endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells and fibroblasts. Targeting this pathway, we may cure the disease. Thus, mechanisms leading to cell growth and their regulation will constitute a major topic in our research project.

• Interventions on lifestyle: exercise and other non-pharmacological actions to improve PH

  Targeting lifestyle in PH may improve the disease. To demonstrate it, an experimental model of PH, assessing the effects of exercise training on plasmatic biomarkers, circulating markers of endothelial function and tissue specimens may identify differences between responders and non-responders in circulating markers of endothelial function, plasma metabolomics and mitochondrial function. At a clinical level, rehabilitation program is performed in patients with PAH trying to identify responders and non-responders to exercise.

• Clinical research in pulmonary hypertension

  We have two core facilities available –patient registries and biological repositories–, which are already implemented and will contribute to facilitate the research activity by providing epidemiological and clinical information or biological samples. We built-up the PH Biobank with blood from patients with PAH or CTEPH, with associated clinical data from the REHAP registry. Additionally, as a reference centre we participate in randomized, placebo-controlled, multicentric, phase 2 clinical trial in patients with PAH and CTEPH.