Projects

Flow cytometry is a tool that measures cellular particles in a fluid stream with the aim of gathering information of clinical importance. It has found many uses in biomedicine, such as the analysis of immune cells to diagnose and monitor diseases. The current procedures applied for the measurement of lymphocytes —a type of immune cells— are descriptive. Consequently, these procedures do not evaluate the set of immune functions mediated by these cells, which are essential for the resolution of pathological processes.

This project has developed and patented a methodology called “Boosted Flow Cytometry” tool that captures a more diverse range of pathogen-specific T-cell responses. This has been applied to HIV, Mycobacterium Tuberculosis and SARS-CoV-2 infection, and responses have been detected that are overlooked with current procedures and that play a fundamental role in the management of these diseases.

The objective is to achieve clinical validation and establish a commercially viable diagnostic tool to better identify infections, predict disease course and monitor response to treatment and/or vaccination strategies.

Codi: 101046118

Code: 202113-31

The initial HIV infection phase determines the natural history of the disease. It is also the most infectious stage when most immune damage occurs. The main objective of the GAMA project is to analyse and compare biomarker dynamics in first-year HIV infection and in chronic infection. The usefulness of these biomarkers to identify recent HIV infection will be evaluated, and also the possible association with progression to AIDS.

The development of a test to measure HIV incidence will facilitate both faster assessment within current prevention programmes and the design and implementation of measures for assessing new prevention interventions.