Rubèn López Vales

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Spain

  • CAIXARESEARCH
    AWARDEE

    Rubèn López Vales
    Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Spain
    Activation of the resolution programs of inflammation as a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
    Project leader

  • CONSORTIUM

    • Mònica Povedano
      Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL), Spain

    • Homero Rubbo Amonini
      Universidad Republica Uruguay, Uruguay

  • HIGHLIGHTS OF
    THE PROJECT

    Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is among the most serious health problems facing modern society due to the enormous impact in patients, their relatives, and government revenues. Unfortunately, there are currently no effective therapies for ALS and only riluzole extends survival in 2-3 months. Growing evidence indicates that inflammation contributes to ALS progression. Despite there are currently very potent anti-inflammatory drugs in clinical use, these drugs show no efficacy in ALS and in many conditions characterized with persistent inflammation. There is therefore a need to develop novel anti-inflammatory approaches that could minimize inflammation in ALS.

    In the present project, we found that:

    • Lipid mediators known as specialized pro-resolving lipid mediators (SPM) that are responsible to resolve inflammation in host tissues are not synthesized in the central nervous system of ALS mice.

    • SPMs are undetected in plasma samples of ALS patients, indicating that the resolution programs of inflammation are defective in individuals suffering from this degenerative disease.

    • We have also showed that administration of one SPM coined MaR1 slows the clinical course of the disease in the gold-standard mouse model of ALS.

    • We have also identified two lipids that their plasmatic levels correlate with ALS disease duration in humans.

    Our data therefore provides solid evidence indicating that the use of resolving agonists, such as MaR1, could open a novel avenue for the treatment of ALS and other neurological conditions in which inflammation contributes to neurodegeneration.

  • PROFILE

    Rubèn López Vales is Full Professor and ICREA Academia researcher of the Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona in Spain. He is also affiliated to CIBERNED and RICORS research networks. The overarching goal of his research is to study the contribution of neuroinflammation to neurodegeneration. He has contributed to more than 50 articles, 4 book chapters and to 6 patents.

  • FULL CV

    https://es.linkedin.com/in/rubèn-lópez-vales-57b644a3

  • RESEARCH
    INTERESTS

    • To understand the molecular mechanisms that mediate the detrimental aspects of macrophage activation in the central nervous system.

    • To assess the therapeutic effects of molecules that actively regulate the resolution programs of the inflammatory response in central nervous system disorders.

    • To identify factors that could create an immune response that is conducive to both neuroprotection and regeneration after spinal cord injury.

  • REFERENCES
    OR LINKS

    • Sanchez-Fernandez, A. et al. Administration of Maresin-1 ameliorates the physiopathology of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Journal of neuroinflammation 19, 27, doi:10.1186/s12974-022-02386-1 (2022).

    • Mastrogiovanni, M. et al. HPLC-MS/MS Oxylipin Analysis of Plasma from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Patients. Biomedicines 10, doi:10.3390/biomedicines10030674 (2022).

    • David, S. & Lopez-Vales, R. Bioactive Lipid Mediators in the Initiation and Resolution of Inflammation after Spinal Cord Injury. Neuroscience 466, 273-297, doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2021.04.026 (2021).

    • Lopez-Vales, R. & David, S. Bioactive Lipids in Inflammation After Central Nervous System Injury. Adv Exp Med Biol 1127, 181-194, doi:10.1007/978-3-030-11488-6_12 (2019).

    • Francos-Quijorna, I. et al. Maresin 1 Promotes Inflammatory Resolution, Neuroprotection, and Functional Neurological Recovery After Spinal Cord Injury. The Journal of neuroscience: the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience 37, 11731-11743, doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1395-17.2017 (2017).

  • CONTACT INFO

    Unitat de Fisiologia Mèdica
    Facultat de Medicina
    Av Can Domenech, s/n, Campus UAB
    08193 Bellaterra, Cerdanyola del Vallès (Barcelona)
    Spain

    https://twitter.com/gnpr_uab