Noticias

• Vice Chair Ollo opened a conference organized by Navarrabiomed and the Directorate General for External Action to strengthen public health taking advantage of the European framework

The Condestable Palace of Pamplona / Iruña hosted this afternoon the meeting “Public health: researching and progressing with Europe - Scientific progress that saves lives”, whose objective was to convey to citizens the European Union's commitment to public health and biomedical research as a guarantee of innovative, sustainable and high-quality medical care. 

The conference, organized by the Navarrabiomed biomedical research centre and funded by the General Directorate of External Action of the Government of Navarra, through the 2023 call for Grants for the dissemination of European Union policies and strategies, has been an opportunity to remind us all that research and scientific progress saves lives.

During the institutional opening, the second vice-chair and Regional Minister of Memory and Coexistence, External Action and Basque Language and Literature, Ana Ollo Hualde, highlighted that “this conference represents a meeting point between three key lines for the development of Navarra: public health, research and the European framework”. 

A journey through the milestones of medical science over time

From an informative approach, the doctor, writer, scientific populariser and professor of the History of Medicine, Pedro Gargantilla Madera, then made a tour through the history of medicine reviewing the milestones of medical science over time and its decisive importance in the advancement of humanity.

Analysing the scientific advances that save lives, he explained that throughout the twentieth century there were “more scientific advances than in all previous centuries together." In the twentieth century the first antibiotics and insulin emerged, “a treatment that completely revolutionized the field of endocrinology.” Another relevant milestone was the marked by electrocardiogram that made it possible to reach a correct and accurate diagnosis in cardiovascular diseases.

On the other hand, he focused on the role of Europe throughout the history of medicine. "It was precisely in our continent where the transition from Mythos to Logos took place, back in the fifth century BC, in the first universities, with the appearance of autopsies that revolutionized medical knowledge and, in the twentieth century, the discovery of X-rays and penicillin. Until the Second World War, our continent championed medical knowledge," he explained.  

 
Public health: researching and improving with Europe 

Antonio López Andrés, Director General of Health of the Government of Navarra, has highlighted the research needs of the Health Department itself, based on its prioritization and health strategies. According to López: "This research should not be just a research "per se" but should keep an eye on the health needs and challenges presented by the population.” In this regard, the Director General mentioned the different actions to promote health research, such as the greater weight in professional careers or an adaptation of the care burden so that professionals can achieve this goal, especially in the field of primary care.

Conference attendees were able to learn more about the European commitment to health research from Laura Sesma Aguirre, leader of the Health Area in European Projects of Zabala Innovation. She stressed that people are living longer but “it's not just about giving life more years, but also giving those years more life. It is essential to work at all stages of life, so that healthy lifestyle habits can be acquired to prevent the onset of diseases. And to achieve this change, the European Union is aware of the need to involve all stakeholders of the health ecosystem from the start, including citizens. She insists that “we must be aware of the importance of these advances of which we are part and which will also affect us, in order to contribute ideas and solutions and also include these advances consciously and actively to really achieve change.”

For her part, Berta Ibáñez Beroiz, researcher at Navarrabiomed and head of the Methodology - Evaluation of Health Services Unit, insisted that research contributes to improving the health and well-being of the population, caring for their needs with a quality and efficient service. In this regard, she stressed that Europe enables a space to establish strategic collaborations that allow “to develop an increasingly competitive research and oriented to the problems that arise at the bedside of patients.” Berta Ibáñez added that “we are working to provide citizens with access to new therapies and more advanced diagnostic techniques. Research also means welcoming new methodologies, more open to society and evaluating health services to improve public policies. Research contributes to making the public health system more versatile, more rigorous and more competent.”

The exhibition "From the cell to the patient" at the Condestable Palace

Starting today and until December 10th, 2023, the exhibition "From the cell to the patient. 10 Years moving forward together", can be visited in the entrance hall of the Palace. To enjoy all the contents, download the free Navarrabiomed app (available for Android and for iOS).

This project has received funding from the Department of University, Innovation and Digital Transformation of the Government of Navarra in the call for Grants for the Promotion of Scientific Culture, the dissemination of R&D&I carried out in Navarra and the promotion of STEM COSMOS 2022 and 2023 vocations.
 

A study led by Navarrabiomed proposes a therapeutic alternative to treat melanoma.

• The drug ranolazine, used to treat chronic angina pectoris, could improve response to anti-melanoma therapies.
• This is a multicenter investigation carried out by Navarrabiomed biomedical research center, the Institute for Neurosciences CSIC-UMH, and IRB Barcelona.

The prestigious journal Nature Metabolism has published the results of a study in mice that determined that ranolazine, a drug that is currently administered to patients to treat heart conditions, delays the appearance of resistance to melanoma treatments, by blocking fatty acids metabolism. This research has been led by Navarrabiomed, together with the Institute for Neurosciences (CSIC-UMH) and IRB Barcelona. Melanoma is the most aggressive type of skin cancer and, although it only accounts for 10% of skin cancer cases, it is responsible for 90% of deaths associated with skin tumours. Thanks to the development of targeted therapies and immunotherapies, the clinical management of patients affected with this type of cancer has improved, however, these therapies still have limitations because 50% of patients do not respond adequately and even develop resistance.

The evidence suggests that this resistance could be linked to metabolic reprogramming in cancer cells that is associated to changes in the way in which cells process and use nutrients. This research demonstrates that fatty acid metabolism plays an important role in the development of resistance to melanoma treatments.

Researchers have confirmed that increased fatty acid oxidation occurs during long-term treatment with BRAF inhibitors, one of the key genes in tumour progression, contributing to therapy resistance.

Ranolazine increases the efficacy of targeted therapy against melanoma because it can target fatty acid oxidation. In addition, the application of this drug promotes that melanoma cells become more visible to the immune system,improving the response to immunotherapies and increasing the ability of lymphocytes to control tumour growth.

A multicenter investigation

The Navarrabiomed Cancer Signaling Unit, directed by Imanol Arozarena Martinicorena, has coordinated the course of the research and has been in charge of carrying out the experiments related to resistance to targeted therapies and the study of how ranolazine affects the immunogenicity of melanoma cells.

Researchers at the laboratory led by Berta Sánchez-Laorden, belonging to the Cell Plasticity in Development and Disease group at the Institute for Neurosciences, have developed immunotherapy experiments in mice and have carried out the study of immune cells in the tumour microenvironment.

In addition, the IRB Barcelona Stem Cells and Cancer research group, led by Salvador Aznar-Benitah, has carried out individual cell RNA sequencing analyses, which have made it possible to find out in detail the effect of the drug on the state metabolism of tumour cells.

Funding

This study, which has been made possible thanks to funding granted by the Ministry of Science and Innovation, the Carlos III Health Institute, the Government of Navarra, the Spanish Multidisciplinary Melanoma Group (GEM), and the Melanoma Research Alliance, is a clear example of how basic research can contribute a lot to the repositioning of drugs, which makes it possible to significantly shorten the deadlines for providing answers to patients suffering from diseases as prevalent as cancer.

• Today, World Brain Day, the benefits of this strategic R&D project funded by Economic Development and carried out by a consortium led by Navarrabiomed have been announced.

The Navarrabiomed biomedical research centre has recently hosted the final meeting of the INNOLFACT strategic project. During the event, chaired by the General Director of Industry, Energy and Strategic Projects S4 Uxue Itoiz, the results of the study were announced. The meeting was attended by representatives of the various institutions that make up the consortium, a multidisciplinary working group that includes a representation of the Navarra health ecosystem, both from the private and public sides.

The consortium is led from the Clinical Neuroproteomics Unit of Navarrabiomed, under the direction of its principal investigator Enrique Santamaría Martínez. In all, 75 professionals belonging to the Geriatrics Unit from Navarrabiomed and the University Hospital of Navarra (HUN), Cima University of Navarra, University of Navarra Clinic, ADItech and the company Ojer Pharma. 

The Department of Economic and Business Development, through the General Directorate of Industry, Energy and Strategic Projects S4, has financed the strategic R&D project INNOLFACT, which studies the direct relationship of the sense of smell with the immune system and neurodegenerative diseases. Thanks to this research, it will be possible to advance in an olfactory precision medicine capable of early diagnosis and developing immunomodulatory nasal therapies for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's.

The project has received a total funding of 1,593,000 euros from the Department of Economic and Business Development of the Government of Navarra, through the call for Grants for strategic R&D projects 2020-2022. In addition, it should be noted that the consortium has submitted a continuation of the project to the call for Grants for strategic R&D projects 2023-2026 and has been selected as one of the projects that will receive funding.

Developing olfactory precision medicine 

In an aging society, the scientific community believes that disruptive approaches are needed to generate innovative tools to detect and diagnose neurodegenerative diseases early. Previous studies carried out in Navarra demonstrate the direct association of the sense of smell with the immune system and its impact on cognitive and motor functions. The INNOLFACT project delves into this field of research to characterize in depth the olfactory-immune system-brain axis and, likewise, to decipher the immunological molecular mechanisms related to smell involved in the development of neurodegenerative diseases.

Specifically, the two most prevalent neurodegenerative diseases have been addressed, which are Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. Comprehensive biochemical, olfactory, immunological, cognitive and imaging studies have been carried out in more than 300 patients, in order to verify the relationship between smell, the immune system and cognition of the participants. 

This connection has also been investigated through the use of an immunostimulating odorant such as menthol, analysing its impact on the immune system and cognitive ability in animal models. It has been observed that short and repeated exposures to the menthol aroma regulate the immune response in mice and significantly improves their cognitive ability, demonstrating how it is possible to modulate brain activity through the olfactory pathway.

On the other hand, the Navarrabiomed research units of Clinical Neuroproteomics and Geriatrics have launched, in collaboration with the University Hospital of Navarra, a study to examine the effects of controlled and supervised olfactory training on olfactory function, in older people, and to better understand the relationship between smell, the immune system and brain function in aging. When subjecting older people to olfactory training, it has been proven that repeated exposure to odorants leads to increased olfactory sensitivity. It is a non-invasive technique without significant side effects that has proven effective in some patients with olfactory dysfunction.

The INNOLFACT project has generated a database with information associated with more than 250 variables that will be analysed in a second phase of development with artificial intelligence and machine learning technology, with the aim of generating predictive algorithms of clinical impact.

Research with a gender perspective

It is known that diseases associated with aging, such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, occur differently in men and women, among other reasons, due to differences in genetic risk factors, the immune system and the progression of the pathology itself. The INNOLFACT consortium has demonstrated how olfactory metabolism differs between men and women with Alzheimer's or Parkinson's, identifying, using olfactory proteomics techniques, hundreds of proteins with differential behaviour between sexes. This information is essential, in order to establish a precision olfactory medicine without gender bias, with personalized diagnoses and treatments beneficial for the whole of society.

Irene Lasheras Otero, a predoctoral researcher at the Cancer Signaling Research Unit of Navarrabiomed-IdiSNA, will present her doctoral thesis at the Public University of Navarra on Wednesday, June 28th, at 11:00 a.m. in the Navarrabiomed auditorium. The thesis, entitled “Metabolic Regulation of Anoikis and Implications in Melanoma Metastasis” has been conducted at Navarrabiomed under the supervision of Dr. Imanol Arozarena Martinicorena, Principal Investigator of the Cancer Signaling Research Unit at Navarrabiomed. Irene’s research aims to identify relevant mechanisms in the survival of circulating melanoma tumor cells.

Research Development and Results

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer with a special capacity to produce metastases, which cause 90% of cancer-related deaths. Metastases originate from tumor cells that leave the primary tumor, enter the bloodstream, and spread throughout the body.
Circulating tumor cells are the key link between a primary tumor and distant metastases. Generally, in the bloodstream, the loss of adhesion of circulating tumor cells leads to cell death (anoikis), therefore these cells must develop resistance to anoikis in order to later colonize organs such as the lungs, liver, or brain.

During her doctoral thesis, Irene has focused on analyzing these resistance mechanisms via RNA sequencing analysis. The results obtained demonstrate that both suspended melanoma cells and circulating melanoma tumor cells reconfigure lipid metabolism by inducing fatty acid (FA) transport and genes related to FA beta-oxidation. In melanoma patients, the high expression of FA transporters and FA beta-oxidation enzymes significantly correlates with lower overall survival and progression-free survival.

Furthermore, the findings reveal that carnitine transferases, specifically octanoyl transferase and acetyl transferase, are some of the most highly expressed regulators in circulating melanoma tumor cells. These proteins control the transport of medium-chain FAs produced in the peroxisome to the mitochondria to fuel mitochondrial beta-oxidation. Inhibition of octanoyl transferase or acetyl transferase, and short-term treatment with thioridazine or ranolazine (inhibitors of peroxisomal and mitochondrial FA beta-oxidation, respectively), suppressed melanoma metastasis formation in mice.

Moreover, to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the metabolic mechanisms that regulate anoikis resistance, a study was conducted using CRISPR-Cas9, which identified the mitochondrial electron-transport chain and cholesterol metabolism as potential mediators of anoikis resistance in melanoma.

Funding and Dissemination of Results
This research has been funded by the Carlos III Health Institute and the Navarrabiomed 2019 predoctoral grant program. Additionally, in 2022, Irene conducted a six-month stay in Dr. James Olzmann’s laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley, thanks to a travel fellowship from the European Association for Cancer Research (EACR).

The work conducted has resulted in a scientific publication, in February 2023, in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, entitled “The Regulators of Peroxisomal Acyl-Carnitine Shuttle CROT and CRAT Promote Metastasis in Melanoma.”

Furthermore, the results have been disseminated at various scientific conferences, including the UCSF-UCB Liver Metabolism Symposium in Berkeley, California, in 2020, and the Seed and Soil: Mechanism of Metastasis conference organized by the EACR in Berlin.
 

• Fractalkine was identified as a key biomarker associated to clinical response to immune checkpoint blockade therapy which could improve its efficacy in one of the four most frequent types of cancer

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Navarrabiomed carried out a study in which the status of the immune system was evaluated in lung cancer patients before and during immunotherapy. The study showed that the quantities and diversity of immune cells (myeloid cells) in blood from patients who responded to immunotherapies was comparable to that of healthy individuals. Moreover, the researchers found that elevated concentrations of fractalkine were found in these patients. Fractalkine is a protein required for maintaining an active, functional immune system. These findings could lead to the development of new treatments and more efficacious immunotherapies by using this protein in conjunction with current therapies. 

The results were published in the journal EMBO Reports. The project was coordinated by Dr. Ana Bocanegra and Dr. Grazyna Kochan, researchers at the Onco-Immunology Unit of Navarrabiomed headed by Dr. David Escors. The study was carried out in close collaboration with the department of Medical Oncology at Hospital Universitario de Navarra (HUN) led by Dr. Ruth Vera, and it was funded by grants from the Spanish Association Against Cancer, Carlos III Health Institute-ERDF and the Government of Navarra’s Ministry of Economic and Business Development. 
 

Research development 

The study identified fractalkine as a biomarker of response by associating elevated concentrations of the protein with a better response to immune checkpoint blockade therapies. This protein was also presented as a new therapeutic agent capable of increasing the efficacy of PD-1 immune checkpoint blockade therapies in animal models of lung cancer that were previously resistant to this therapy. 

The authors reported that therapies that are more efficacious could be developed from these results in the medium/long term by using fractalkine to stimulate immunoreactivity and thus improve the response to immunotherapy. 

“These results confirm the need for a functional immune system prior to the administration of immunotherapies and, most importantly, they open up a line of research in which the anti-tumor action of fractalkine can be enhanced. In the long term, fractalkine treatment in combination with immunotherapies could be assessed in clinical trials,” said Navarrabiomed researcher Grazyna Kochan. 
 

Collaborative study

The research team from Navarrabiomed and HUN collaborated with multidisciplinary groups from Navarra, La Rioja and Madrid coordinated by professionals with a proven track record in cancer research and clinical care, including: Dr. Rubén Pío, Dr. Luis Montuenga and Dr. Juan José Lasarte from Cima Universidad de Navarra, Dr. Alejandra Roncero from Hospital Universitario San Pedro (Logroño, La Rioja), Dr. Carolina Gotera from Hospital Universitario Fundación Jiménez Díaz (Madrid), Dr. Alfonso Ventura from Centro de Salud Salazar-Ezcároz (Navarra) and Dr. José Pichel from Centro de Investigación Biomédica de La Rioja (CIBIR, Logroño). Patients and their family members at the HUN and residents in Centro de Salud Salazar-Ezcároz (Navarra) also participated in the study.

Caption > From left to right: Luis Montuenga (Cima), David Escors and Grazyna Kochan (Navarrabiomed), Ruth Vera (HUN) y Rubén Pío (Cima). Absent in the photo: Ana Bocanegra (Navarrabiomed).

• Tomorrow marks World ALS Day, a disease that currently affects about 50 people in Navarra.

The University Hospital of Navarra (HUN) and the biomedical research center Navarrabiomed have identified two proteins, namely sTREM2 and pTDP43, as potential blood biomarkers that will improve the diagnosis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). The results, stemming from the collaboration between both centers since 2013 to investigate this disease, have recently been published in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity.

ALS is a degenerative disease of the motor neurons, which control voluntary muscle movement, and primarily affects adults. This Wednesday commemorates the World Day for this condition, which currently affects about 50 people in Navarra.

The study, which was made possible by funding from the “la Caixa” Foundation, the Luzón Foundation, and the Navarra ALS Association (ANELA), involved professionals from the Motor Neuron Diseases Research Group at HUN, led by Dr. Ivonne Jericó Pascual, and the NeuroEpigenetics Unit at Navarrabiomed, led by Dr. Maite Mendioroz Iriarte.

The research has been carried out with the voluntary participation of patients and healthy individuals recruited by the Multidisciplinary Motor Neuron Unit at HUN. Post-mortem neurological tissue samples from the Navarrabiomed Biobank, from individuals who granted consent during their lifetime to support research, have also been incorporated.
 

Research Details  

Neuroinflammation, or inflammation of the nervous system, is implicated in the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and ALS. In this context, the HUN and Navarrabiomed team has identified TREM2 as one of the key genes involved in this process. Specifically, they have identified a significant increase in TREM2 expression in the spinal cord. They have also observed an increase in the soluble fraction of this protein (sTREM2) in the cerebrospinal fluid and blood of ALS patients.

Since TREM2 is a nonspecific marker for neuroinflammation, and not specifically for ALS, the team has also analyzed the levels of the protein pTDP43, one of the main neuronal markers directly associated with ALS.

Dr. Jericó emphasizes the relevance of the research: “The relationship between pTDP43 and sTREM2 allows us to identify the molecular fingerprints of ALS in each patient, which is promising for advancing towards new therapeutic targets. In fact, clinical trials with patients are already underway in other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, to modify the action of TREM2.”

Photo: Researchers Maite Mendioroz and Ivonne Jericó at Navarrabiomed.
 

• The grant aims to promote talent retention and enhance translational public research carried out by Navarrabiomed and HUN.

Today, Navarrabiomed held the award ceremony for the “Stop the Brain Drain” grant, provided by Roche Farma España, which was awarded to postdoctoral researcher Eva Jover García. The objective of this scholarship is to support the work carried out by the Miguel Servet Foundation and the Department of Health in promoting public biomedical research in Navarra, while fostering the retention of scientific talent. Thanks to this grant, the researcher will continue her studies on valvular disease within the Translational Cardiology Unit, which comprises professionals from Navarrabiomed and the Clinical Cardiology Area of the University Hospital of Navarra.

The award ceremony was presided over by the Regional Minister of Health, Santos Induráin Orduna, along with Rita Casas Carroggio, the Regional Director of Roche Farma España in Navarra. They were also accompanied by María Bezunartea Álvarez, the Managing Director of Navarrabiomed - Miguel Servet Foundation.

After five years of postdoctoral research at the University of Bristol (United Kingdom), in 2020 Eva Jover joined the Translational Cardiology Group at Navarrabiomed, led by Dr. Natalia López-Andrés, upon being awarded a competitive Sara Borrell postdoctoral contract from the Carlos III Health Institute, which recently ended. She will now benefit from the “Stop the Brain Drain” grant, which initially lasts for one year and can be extended for an additional year, providing an annual gross funding of €60,000.

“This contract, which is funded through the “Stop the Brain Drain” grant from Roche Farma, offers me the opportunity to continue my research in Spain and strengthen my future prospects as a researcher at Navarrabiomed. In an R&D&i environment that is sometimes limited and uncertain, initiatives like this facilitate the establishment of a healthier research environment and promote technological and intellectual transfer,” noted Dr. Jover.

Investigating Valvular Disease 

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in industrialized countries. Valvular disease represents the third most common form of cardiovascular disease, and it is expected to increase due to population aging. There are currently no drugs available to treat it, and in severe cases, heart surgery is the only therapeutic solution, albeit with high socio-economic costs.
Thanks to research efforts like those carried out by Navarrabiomed, we now have a better understanding of the pathophysiological characteristics of valvular disease. National and international collaborations, multidisciplinary research teams, the selfless participation of patients, and a strong and stable research framework are essential for translating research into improvements in current diagnostic and therapeutic tools.

This grant will allow for further studies on aortic valve disease and the identification of new treatments. Factors such as sex, renal disease, or even oncological treatments significantly worsen the progression and prognosis of patients with valvular disease. A better understanding of how these factors contribute to the development and progression of aortic valve disease will both improve clinical management and patient survival and help identify new therapeutic targets. Ultimately, the goal is to offer personalized medicine in the field of cardiology.

The Regional Minister of Health, Santos Induráin, has emphasized the support that initiatives like “Stop the Brain Drain” provide for talent retention in the region, complementing the Department of Health’s significant investment in research promotion. “This strengthening of public biomedical research,” she stated, “will lead to a robust, stable, and high-quality healthcare system that works at the forefront of knowledge. In this regard, the coordinated work of HUN, Navarrabiomed, and UPNA, entities that coexist in the same biosanitary campus, is considered crucial by the Government of Navarra.”

Rita Casas from Roche Farma España highlighted the importance of Dr. Eva Jover’s work in valvular disease and her colleagues in the Translational Cardiology Unit during the event. “For Roche, it is a priority to promote and support scientific talent in the biomedical field; only by doing so can we truly advance in the development of new diagnostic tools and innovative therapies that allow us to address the main health problems faced by patients.”

Second edition of the grants

The “Stop the Brain Drain” program is part of a project by Roche Farma that began in 2017 with the aim of retaining the best researchers and promoting the development of their work in the local area, thus creating a network that, through scientific work, ultimately has a positive impact on patients and society. In the case of Navarra, this is the second time that Roche Farma has awarded one of these scholarships, as they previously funded the research of Carlos Hernández Sáez at Navarrabiomed in 2019. 
 

• Bernardo Abel Cedeño Veloz, a geriatrician at the University Hospital of Navarra (HUN) and a predoctoral researcher at Navarrabiomed, has received an award for his studies on biomarkers in hip fracture risk prediction 

Bernardo Abel Cedeño Veloz, a geriatrician at the University Hospital of Navarra (HUN) and a predoctoral researcher at the Geriatrics Unit of Navarrabiomed, has been recognized as the top young investigator at the International Congress on Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis, and Musculoskeletal Diseases, held recently in Barcelona. The work presented offers a multidisciplinary approach, involving professionals from geriatric medicine, nursing, physiotherapy, and pharmacy, for predicting the risk of hip fracture in older adults.

Osteoporosis is a disease that affects bone density and quality and can significantly increase the risk of fractures (up to 32%), thus leading to negative individual and socio-economic consequences. In Spain, it is estimated that there are 285,000 osteoporotic fractures per year (2019 data), with 70% of these occurring in women, and a 30% increase in cases is projected from 2019 to 2034 due to population aging.

Clinical methods for estimating fracture risk currently present limitations in terms of underestimating the risk, especially in the elderly adult population. As such, healthcare professionals need new technologies to improve the accuracy in fracture risk estimation.

The study presented by Bernardo Abel Cedeño, entitled WSerum biomarkers associated with hip fracture and fracture risk in older adults: A cross-sectional study,W demonstrates how certain proteins with an inflammatory profile differ significantly between patients with fractures and those without, establishing a correlation with the fracture risk of patients according to the FRAX scale (a reference scale for fracture risk assessment).
In this regard, thanks to proteomic analysis, differential proteins that could serve as potential biomarkers for risk estimation have been identified. These advancements in research will help improve the accuracy in estimating the probability of experiencing a hip fracture, in order to implement preventive fracture treatments for individuals at high risk.

Research in Geriatrics

The research presented has been coordinated by Nicolás Martínez Velilla, Head of the Geriatrics Service and responsible for the Geriatrics Unit at Navarrabiomed. Since 2012, he has been working on studying aspects related to aging, especially the complexity of multimorbidity, frailty, sarcopenia, and polypharmacy. Both in this award-winning research and others, the team has collaborated, with the Scientific and Technical Service of Proteomics and the Physical Exercise, Health, and Quality of Life (E-FIT) Unit at Navarrabiomed.

Caption: In the centre, Bernardo Abel Cedeño, together with geriatric professionals from the University Hospital of Navarra (HUN) and Navarrabiomed.
 

Yesenia García Alonso, a predoctoral researcher from the Unit of Exercise, Health, and Quality of Life (E-FIT) at Navarrabiomed-IdiSNA, will present her doctoral thesis at the Public University of Navarra on Thursday, June 1st, at 10:00 a.m., in Classroom 25 of the Faculty of Health Sciences at UPNA.

This thesis, entitled “Relationship between physical fitness, body composition indicators, and components of physical activity in Spanish schoolchildren” has been carried out at Navarrabiomed under the supervision of Dr. Mikel Izquierdo, principal investigator of the Unit of Exercise, Health, and Quality of Life (E-FIT), Dr. Alicia Mª Alonso, professor and researcher in Physical Activity Sciences and Sports at UPNA, and Dr. Antonio García-Hermoso, principal investigator of the Unit of Child and Youth Physical Activity at Navarrabiomed.

The research aims to understand the relationship between the physical fitness of schoolchildren in the early education stage and some healthy habits. The aim of the studies conducted is to promote healthy habits, reduce sedentary behavior, and encourage an increase in the quantity and quality of physical activity among children.

Development of the research and results

This doctoral thesis is based on a longitudinal research project conducted by the Unit of Exercise, Health, and Quality of Life (E-FIT) called the “Physical Activity Observatory in School-age Population” carried out by UPNA and Navarrabiomed. As a result of this project, four studies have been conducted and published in international scientific journals, which form the four chapters of this work.

The first study examines the effects of COVID-19 confinement on physical activity, sedentary behavior, sleep, and emotional self-regulation. In the second study, the main objective was to compare levels of physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep duration in boys and girls before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, to determine the association between changes in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and total physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep time between parents and their children. The third study evaluated the association between components of physical fitness and muscle ultrasound parameters in prepubertal children. The last study aimed to establish percentile curves for ultrasound parameters of echo intensity, muscle thickness, and subcutaneous adipose tissue of the rectus femoris in children aged four to eleven with no underlying metabolic disease, in order to establish ranges of normality.

Among the results obtained, it is noteworthy that physical activity and sleep are related to self-regulation problems during confinement. Preschoolers who met the physical activity recommendations proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO) during the COVID-19 quarantine had lower internalization scores compared to those who did not meet the recommendations. In other words, they exhibited lower levels of shyness, fears, phobias, sadness, worry, etc. On the other hand, it can be concluded that health-related physical activity (moderate-to-vigorous physical activity) has not been affected by confinement: preschoolers engage in more moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, are more sedentary, and sleep fewer hours than before the COVID-19 pandemic. These behaviors seem to be associated with their mother’s behavior. It has also been found that components of physical fitness are related to higher muscle quality and lower intramuscular and subcutaneous fat. Finally, the ranges of echo intensity, cross-sectional area, muscle thickness, and subcutaneous adipose tissue thickness values for the rectus femoris in children aged 4 to 11 are normal for each age and gender.

Funding and Dissemination of Results

The work presented has been funded by the Department of Education of the Government of Navarra through the Call for Research Projects in Educational Centers 2019.

Additionally, it has led to several scientific publications: in 2021, in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, “Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, Sleep, and Self-Regulation in Spanish Preschoolers during the COVID-19 Lockdown”; in 2022, in the journal Pediatric Obesity, “Relationship between Parents’ and Children’s Objectively Assessed Movement Behaviors Prior to and During the COVID-19 Pandemic”; in 2022, in the International Journal of Obesity, “Associations between Physical Fitness Components with Muscle Ultrasound Parameters in Prepuberal Children”; and in 2023, in Frontiers in Nutrition, “Centile Reference Curves of the Ultrasound-Based Characteristics of the Rectus Femoris Muscle Composition in Children at 4-11 Years Old” (currently under review).

Furthermore, the results have been disseminated at the 7th EXERNET Symposium (Spanish Network of Research in Physical Exercise and Health) in 2021, held in Cuenca, where two posters were presented: “Association between Physical Fitness Components and Muscle Quality in Spanish Children” and “Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, and Sleep in Preschoolers Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Families.”

Caption:
Yesenia García Alonso, predoctoral researcher from the Unit of Exercise, Health, and Quality of Life (E-FIT) at Navarrabiomed-IdiSNA.
 

• The European Business and Innovation Centre of Navarra (CEIN) hosted the official presentation of the Navarra Health Cluster (NHC) at its headquarters.

On Monday, April 3rd, the Navarra Health Cluster (NHC) was presented at the CEIN. The event was also attended by the members of the board and associates, companies in the sector, the media and a wide institutional representation. 

NHC is a sectoral cluster, a pioneering initiative in the region, whose main objective is to improve the competitiveness and innovation of companies in the health sector, promoting diversification and collaboration between partners, institutions and stakeholders of the sector, facilitating internationalisation and enhancing the attraction and retention of specialised talent. 

It is also intended to generate ways of collaboration with the Public Administration of Navarra to improve the competitive environment and position the region as a benchmark in the bio-health field. In addition, there is a strong commitment to improving the scientific and technological culture in Navarra society and cohesion of the business and institutional fabric in the field of health.

Currently, the NHC is made up of 38 entities that cover the entire value chain of the health sector in Navarra, from universities and biomedical research centres to inpatient care centres, through the different business segments (biopharma industry, healthcare technology industry, service and distribution companies).