Innovación y cambio en la Formación Profesional del País Vasco El modelo ETHAZI

Los cambios económicos, productivos y tecnológicos que se están produciendo de forma acelerada desde comienzos del siglo XXI, obligan a repensar las finalidades y las formas de enseñanza-aprendizaje en todos los ámbitos educativos, pero particularmente en el de la Formación Profesional. En la Comunidad Autónoma del País Vasco, desde Tknika -Centro para la Investigación y la Innovación de la Formación Profesional- se ha ido gestando, de forma progresiva, un modelo formativo (Ciclos de Alto Rendimiento - ETHAZI), que tiene como eje central el Desarrollo de Competencias -Técnicas y Transversales- mediante el Aprendizaje Colaborativo Basado en Retos. Este modelo, se soporta principalmente en cuatro ejes: a) Equipos Docentes de Ciclo autogestionados; b) Programación con base en retos (intermodulares); c) Flexibilidad organizacional; d) Evaluación por Competencias orientada hacia la evolución de las personas y sus aprendizajes. El trabajo de repensar y rehacer los procesos de enseñanza-aprendizaje-evaluación conlleva la implicación activa del profesorado y de los equipos directivos -debidamente apoyados desde Tknika y con la colaboración del cuerpo de inspectores-, así como la revisión y adaptación de los espacios y los horarios. Se trata con todo ello de avanzar de Ciclos de Alto Rendimiento a Centros de Alto Rendimiento. En este artículo se expone de forma sucinta el proceso seguido, así como una aproximación a la situación actual de impacto en los Centros del modelo ETHAZI

Targeting aberrant DNA methylation in mesenchymal stromal cells as a treatment for myeloma bone disease

© The Author(s) 2021.Multiple myeloma (MM) progression and myeloma-associated bone disease (MBD) are highly dependent on bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs). MM-MSCs exhibit abnormal transcriptomes, suggesting the involvement of epigenetic mechanisms governing their tumor-promoting functions and prolonged osteoblast suppression. Here, we identify widespread DNA methylation alterations of bone marrow-isolated MSCs from distinct MM stages, particularly in Homeobox genes involved in osteogenic differentiation that associate with their aberrant expression. Moreover, these DNA methylation changes are recapitulated in vitro by exposing MSCs from healthy individuals to MM cells. Pharmacological targeting of DNMTs and G9a with dual inhibitor CM-272 reverts the expression of hypermethylated osteogenic regulators and promotes osteoblast differentiation of myeloma MSCs. Most importantly, CM-272 treatment prevents tumor-associated bone loss and reduces tumor burden in a murine myeloma model. Our results demonstrate that epigenetic aberrancies mediate the impairment of bone formation in MM, and its targeting by CM-272 is able to reverse MBD.We thank CERCA Program/Generalitat de Catalunya and the Josep Carreras Foundation for institutional support. E.B. was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (grant numbers SAF2014-55942-R and SAF2017-88086-R), co-funded by FEDER funds/European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)—a way to build Europe, and a Senior Research Award from the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF). C.O.-d.-S. was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, under grant RTI2018-094494-B-C22 (MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE). M.G. received financial support from the Spanish FIS-ISCIII (PI15/02156 and PI19/01384) and FEDER. A.G.G is funded by a postdoctoral contract of the Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer (AECC). F.P. was funded by grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), PI17/00701 and PI19/01352, TRASCAN (EPICA and Immunocell), Fundació La Marató de TV3, the Accelerator award CRUK/AIRC/AECC joint funder-partnership, CIBERONC (CB16/12/00489) and co-financed with FEDER funds and Fundación Ramón Areces (PREMAMM)

Discovery of first-in-class reversible dual small molecule inhibitors against G9a and DNMTs in hematological malignancies

The indisputable role of epigenetics in cancer and the fact that epigenetic alterations can be reversed have favoured development of epigenetic drugs. In this study, we design and synthesize potent novel, selective and reversible chemical probes that simultaneously inhibit the G9a and DNMTs methyltransferase activity. In vitro treatment of haematological neoplasia (acute myeloid leukaemia-AML, acute lymphoblastic leukaemia-ALL and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma-DLBCL) with the lead compound CM-272, inhibits cell proliferation and promotes apoptosis, inducing interferon-stimulated genes and immunogenic cell death. CM-272 significantly prolongs survival of AML, ALL and DLBCL xenogeneic models. Our results represent the discovery of first-in-class dual inhibitors of G9a/DNMTs and establish this chemical series as a promising therapeutic tool for unmet needs in haematological tumours.We particularly acknowledge the Biobank of the University of Navarra for its collaboration. We thank Dr Edorta Martínez de Marigorta and Dr Francisco Palacios from Departamento de Química Orgánica I, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad del Pais Vasco for 13C NMR determination and Angel Irigoyen Barrio and Dr Ana Romo Hualde, from University of Navarra, for HRMS determination. Dr. Irene de Miguel Turrullols from Small Molecule Discovery Platform, CIMA, University of Navarra is acknowledged for NMR data interpretation. This work was funded by grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) PI10/01691, PI13/01469, PI14/01867, PI10/2983, TRASCAN (EPICA), CIBERONC, cofinanciacion FEDER, RTICC RD12/0036/0068, Fundació La Marató de TV3 (20132130-31-32) and ‘Fundación Fuentes Dutor’. B.P. is supported by a Sara Borrell fellowship CD13/00340 and X.A. is a Marie Curie researcher under contract ‘LincMHeM-330598’.S

Circulating tumor cells for comprehensive and multiregional non-invasive genetic characterization of multiple myeloma

Multiple myeloma (MM) patients undergo repetitive bone marrow (BM) aspirates for genetic characterization. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are detectable in peripheral blood (PB) of virtually all MM cases and are prognostic, but their applicability for noninvasive screening has been poorly investigated. Here, we used next-generation flow (NGF) cytometry to isolate matched CTCs and BM tumor cells from 53 patients and compared their genetic profile. In eight cases, tumor cells from extramedullary (EM) plasmacytomas were also sorted and whole-exome sequencing was performed in the three spatially distributed tumor samples. CTCs were detectable by NGF in the PB of all patients with MM. Based on the cancer cell fraction of clonal and subclonal mutations, we found that ~22% of CTCs egressed from a BM (or EM) site distant from the matched BM aspirate. Concordance between BM tumor cells and CTCs was high for chromosome arm-level copy number alterations (≥95%) though not for translocations (39%). All high-risk genetic abnormalities except one t(4;14) were detected in CTCs whenever present in BM tumor cells. Noteworthy, ≥82% mutations present in BM and EM clones were detectable in CTCs. Altogether, these results support CTCs for noninvasive risk-stratification of MM patients based on their numbers and genetic profile.This study was supported by the Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red—Área de Oncología—del Instituto de Salud Carlos III (CIBERONC; CB16/12/00236, CB16/12/00369, CB16/12/00489, and CB16/12/00400); by Cancer Research UK [C355/A26819] and FC AECC and AIRC under the Accelerator Award Program; by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, FCAECC and co-financed by FEDER (ERANET-TRANSCAN-2 iMMunocell AC17/00101); the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and co-financed by FSE (Torres Quevedo fellowship, PTQ-16-08623); the Black Swan Research Initiative of the International Myeloma Foundation; European Research Council (ERC) under the European Commission’s H2020 Framework Programme (MYELOMANEXT, 680200); the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) Award No. 7-916-3-237; the AACR-Millennium Fellowship in Multiple Myeloma Research (15-40-38-PAIV); the Leukemia Research Foundation; and the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) under the 2019 Research Fellowship Award

Treatment with tocilizumab or corticosteroids for COVID-19 patients with hyperinflammatory state: a multicentre cohort study (SAM-COVID-19)

Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the association between tocilizumab or corticosteroids and the risk of intubation or death in patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) with a hyperinflammatory state according to clinical and laboratory parameters. Methods: A cohort study was performed in 60 Spanish hospitals including 778 patients with COVID-19 and clinical and laboratory data indicative of a hyperinflammatory state. Treatment was mainly with tocilizumab, an intermediate-high dose of corticosteroids (IHDC), a pulse dose of corticosteroids (PDC), combination therapy, or no treatment. Primary outcome was intubation or death; follow-up was 21 days. Propensity score-adjusted estimations using Cox regression (logistic regression if needed) were calculated. Propensity scores were used as confounders, matching variables and for the inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTWs). Results: In all, 88, 117, 78 and 151 patients treated with tocilizumab, IHDC, PDC, and combination therapy, respectively, were compared with 344 untreated patients. The primary endpoint occurred in 10 (11.4%), 27 (23.1%), 12 (15.4%), 40 (25.6%) and 69 (21.1%), respectively. The IPTW-based hazard ratios (odds ratio for combination therapy) for the primary endpoint were 0.32 (95%CI 0.22-0.47; p < 0.001) for tocilizumab, 0.82 (0.71-1.30; p 0.82) for IHDC, 0.61 (0.43-0.86; p 0.006) for PDC, and 1.17 (0.86-1.58; p 0.30) for combination therapy. Other applications of the propensity score provided similar results, but were not significant for PDC. Tocilizumab was also associated with lower hazard of death alone in IPTW analysis (0.07; 0.02-0.17; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Tocilizumab might be useful in COVID-19 patients with a hyperinflammatory state and should be prioritized for randomized trials in this situatio

Expression of MALT1 oncogene in hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells recapitulates the pathogenesis of human lymphoma in mice

Chromosomal translocations involving the MALT1 gene are hallmarks of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma. To date, targeting these translocations to mouse B cells has failed to reproduce human disease. Here, we induced MALT1 expression in mouse Sca1(+)Lin(-) hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells, which showed NF-κB activation and early lymphoid priming, being selectively skewed toward B-cell differentiation. These cells accumulated in extranodal tissues and gave rise to clonal tumors recapitulating the principal clinical, biological, and molecular genetic features of MALT lymphoma. Deletion of p53 gene accelerated tumor onset and induced transformation of MALT lymphoma to activated B-cell diffuse large-cell lymphoma (ABC-DLBCL). Treatment of MALT1-induced lymphomas with a specific inhibitor of MALT1 proteolytic activity decreased cell viability, indicating that endogenous Malt1 signaling was required for tumor cell survival. Our study shows that human-like lymphomas can be modeled in mice by targeting MALT1 expression to hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells, demonstrating the oncogenic role of MALT1 in lymphomagenesis. Furthermore, this work establishes a molecular link between MALT lymphoma and ABC-DLBCL, and provides mouse models to test MALT1 inhibitors. Finally, our results suggest that hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells may be involved in the pathogenesis of human mature B-cell lymphomas

Revista iberoamericana de educación

Título, resumen y palabras clave en español, portugués e inglésMonográfico con el título: "Investigación y desarrollo de las competencias profesionales"Resumen basado en el de la publicaciónLos cambios económicos, productivos y tecnológicos que se están produciendo de forma acelerada desde comienzos del siglo XXI, obligan a repensar las finalidades y las formas de enseñanza-aprendizaje en todos los ámbitos educativos, pero particularmente en el de la Formación Profesional. En la comunidad autónoma del País Vasco, desde Tknika -Centro para la Investigación y la Innovación de la Formación Profesional- se ha ido gestando, de forma progresiva, un modelo formativo (Ciclos de Alto Rendimiento - ETHAZI), que tiene como eje central el desarrollo de competencias -técnicas y transversales- mediante el aprendizaje colaborativo basado en retos. Se trata de avanzar de Ciclos de Alto Rendimiento a Centros de Alto Rendimiento. Se expone de forma sucinta el proceso seguido, así como una aproximación a la situación actual de impacto en los centros del modelo ETHAZI.ES

Transcriptional profiling of circulating tumor cells in multiple myeloma: a new model to understand disease dissemination

The reason why a few myeloma cells egress from the bone marrow (BM) into peripheral blood (PB) remains unknown. Here, we investigated molecular hallmarks of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) to identify the events leading to myeloma trafficking into the bloodstream. After using next-generation flow to isolate matched CTCs and BM tumor cells from 32 patients, we found high correlation in gene expression at single-cell and bulk levels (r ≥ 0.94, P = 10−16), with only 55 genes differentially expressed between CTCs and BM tumor cells. CTCs overexpressed genes involved in inflammation, hypoxia, or epithelial–mesenchymal transition, whereas genes related with proliferation were downregulated in CTCs. The cancer stem cell marker CD44 was overexpressed in CTCs, and its knockdown significantly reduced migration of MM cells towards SDF1-α and their adhesion to fibronectin. Approximately half (29/55) of genes differentially expressed in CTCs were prognostic in patients with newly-diagnosed myeloma (n = 553; CoMMpass). In a multivariate analysis including the R-ISS, overexpression of CENPF and LGALS1 was significantly associated with inferior survival. Altogether, these results help understanding the presence of CTCs in PB and suggest that hypoxic BM niches together with a pro-inflammatory microenvironment induce an arrest in proliferation, forcing tumor cells to circulate in PB and seek other BM niches to continue growing.This study was supported by the Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red —Área de Oncología— del Instituto de Salud Carlos III (CIBERONC; CB16/12/00369, CB16/12/00489, and CB16/12/00400), Cancer Research UK, FCAECC and AIRC under the Accelerator Award Programme, Instituto de Salud Carlos III and Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer by ERA-NET TRANSCAN-2 Programme (AC17/00101), the Black Swan Research Initiative of the International Myeloma Foundation, the European Research Council (ERC) 2015 Starting Grant (MYELOMANEXT, 680200), the Czech Science Foundation through Project No. 19-25354Y, the European Regional Development Fund—Project ENOCH (No. CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_019/0000868), and the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic (15-29667A).Peer reviewe