Events
O xoves 19 de setembro de 2024 o Dr. Samuel García Pérez (Grupo de Reumatología y Enfermedades Inmuno-mediadas, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Galicia Sur) ofrecerá o seminario “Role of semaphorins in rheumatic diseases".
Será ás 10:00h na Sala de Seminarios da Torre CACTI.
Abstract:
Rheumatic diseases are disorders characterized by joint inflammation. There are more than two hundred rheumatic diseases, the most studied so far are rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, spondyloarthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and systemic sclerosis. The semaphorin family is a large group of proteins initially described as axon guidance molecules involved in nervous system development. Studies have demonstrated that semaphorins play a role in processes involved in the pathogenesis of rheumatic diseases, such as the regulation of immunity, angiogenesis, bone remodeling, apoptosis, and cell migration and invasion. The aim of this talk is to summarize the findings of our group regarding the role of semaphorins in these diseases, and discuss their potential applications as therapeutic targets.
BIO:
I have a bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology from the University of Santiago de Compostela (1998-2003). I did my PhD (2003-2009) in the Experimental Rheumatology lab at the Hospital Clinico Hospitalario de Santiago de Compostela. In 2010 I started my postdoctoral stay at Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology of the Academic Medical Center Amsterdam (The Netherlands). In 2014, I moved to the University Medical Center Utrecht, and I incorporated to the Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology. In 2019 I got a Miguel Servet research contract and by January 2020 I started as a principal investigatorat the Galicia Sur Health Research Institute (IISGS), Vigo (Spain), in the Rheumatology & Immune mediated Diseases (IRIDIS) group, where I created and lead the Translational Rheumatology and Immunology unit.
This research unit focuses on the study of the molecular mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs), such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and systemic sclerosis. Our current research lines have two main aims:
1. The identification of new therapeutic targets for the treatment of RMDs patients.
2. The identification of biomarkers that predict the progression of the RMDs and the response to the current therapies.
I have published 44 articles and I am principal investigator of 10 research projects. In addition, I am editor of 3 scientific journals and reviewer of more than 15.
