Unravelling cell migration: defining movement from the cell surface

Cell motility is essential for life and development. Unfortunately, cell migration is also linked to several pathological processes, such as cancer metastasis. Cells’ ability to migrate relies on many actors. Cells change their migratory strategy based on their phenotype and the properties of the surrounding microenvironment. Cell migration is, therefore, an extremely complex phenomenon. Researchers have investigated cell motility for more than a century. Recent discoveries have uncovered some of the mysteries associated with the mechanisms involved in cell migration, such as intracellular signaling and cell mechanics. These findings involve different players, including transmembrane receptors, adhesive complexes, cytoskeletal components , the nucleus, and the extracellular matrix. This review aims to give a global overview of our current understanding of cell migration

Image-based biomarkers for engineering neuroblastoma patient-specific computational models

Childhood cancer is a devastating disease that requires continued research and improved treatment options to increase survival rates and quality of life for those affected. The response to cancer treatment can vary significantly among patients, highlighting the need for a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms involved in tumour growth and recovery to improve diagnostic and treatment strategies. Patient-specific models have emerged as a promising alternative to tackle the challenges in tumour mechanics through individualised simulation. In this study, we present a methodology to develop subject-specific tumour models, which incorporate the initial distribution of cell density, tumour vasculature, and tumour geometry obtained from clinical MRI imaging data. Tumour mechanics is simulated through the Finite Element method, coupling the dynamics of tumour growth and remodelling and the mechano-transport of oxygen and chemotherapy. These models enable a new application of tumour mechanics, namely predicting changes in tumour size and shape resulting from chemotherapeutic interventions for individual patients. Although the specific context of application in this work is neuroblastoma, the proposed methodologies can be extended to other solid tumours. Given the difficulty for treating paediatric solid tumours like neuroblastoma, this work includes two patients with different prognosis, who received chemotherapy treatment. The results obtained from the simulation are compared with the actual tumour size and shape from patients. Overall, the simulations provided clinically useful information to evaluate the effectiveness of the chemotherapy treatment in each case. These results suggest that the biomechanical model could be a valuable tool for personalised medicine in solid tumours

Herramienta de apoyo para cáncer pediátrico

Se presenta una herramienta de apoyo clínico para cáncer pediátrico. Las imágenes de resonancia magnética son analizadas para obtener la vascularización y la celularidad del tumor. A partir de los sets de imágenes se reconstruye la geometría tridimensional. La evolución del tumor se calcula a través de un modelo mecánico

NFC Approach: Towards a Simple Interaction

Nowadays, there are devices with great computing capabilities and these in different places around us. This technology opens us new possibilities and allows us the simple and easy interaction between user and computer. We propose in this work an approach to make it easier to handle information in the ducational context; we have adapted Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which provides a simple input to the system to come from the own context like of the environment. For this, it is necessary only the user bring his/her mobile phone, equipped with a radiofrequency reader, and near it to tag obtaining services like localization, access, presence and, the most important for us, the visualization of information.Nowadays, there are devices with great computing capabilities and these in different places around us. This technology opens us new possibilities and allows us the simple and easy interaction between user and computer. We propose in this work an approach to make it easier to handle information in the ducational context; we have adapted Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which provides a simple input to the system to come from the own context like of the environment. For this, it is necessary only the user bring his/her mobile phone, equipped with a radiofrequency reader, and near it to tag obtaining services like localization, access, presence and, the most important for us, the visualization of information

Computational modelling of the mechanical behaviour of protein-based hydrogels.

Protein-based hydrogels have been extensively studied in the field of biomaterials given their ability to mimic living tissues and their special resemblance to the extracellular matrix. Despite this, the methods used for the control of mechanical properties of hydrogels are very limited, focusing mainly on their elasticity, with an often unrealistic characterization of mechanical properties such as extensibility, stiffness and viscoelasticity. Being able to control these properties is essential for the development of new biomaterials, since it has been demonstrated that mechanical properties affect cell behaviour and biological processes. To better understand the mechanical behaviour of these biopolymers, a computational model is here developed to characterize the mechanical behaviour of two different protein-based hydrogels. Strain-stress tests and stress-relaxation tests are evaluated computationally and compared to the results obtained experimentally in a previous work. To achieve this goal the Finite Element Method is used, combining hyperelastic and viscoelastic models. Different hyperelastic constitutive models (Mooney-Rivlin, Neo-Hookean, first and third order Ogden, and Yeoh) are proposed to estimate the mechanical properties of the protein-based hydrogels by least-square fitting of the in-vitro uniaxial test results. Among these models, the first order Ogden model with a viscoelastic model defined in Prony parameters better reproduces the strain-stress response and the change of stiffness with strain observed in the in-vitro tests.APB was supported by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/ and by European Union NextGeneration EU/PRT through the project PLEC2021-007709 (ProCanAid) the Aragon Institute for Engineering Research (I3A). SHR gratefully acknowledges the support of the Government of Aragon (Grant no 2019-23). The work of JMGA was supported by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Advance grant agreement ICoMICS No 101018587) and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Spain Grant No PID2021-122409OBC21/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/ FEDER, UE. JAC acknowledges funding from the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MCIN), Spain through grant BIO2017-83640-P (AEI/FEDER, UE). CNIC is supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), MCIN, Spain and the Pro CNIC Foundation, and is a Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence, Spain (grant CEX2020-001041-S funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011 033). CHL was the recipient of an FPI predoctoral fellowship, Spain (BES-2015-073191).S

Multiscale modeling of bone tissue Mechanobiology

Mechanical environment has a crucial role in our organism at the different levels, ranging from cells to tissues and our own organs. This regulatory role is especially relevant for bones, given their importance as load-transmitting elements that allow the movement of our body as well as the protection of vital organs from load impacts. Therefore bone, as living tissue, is continuously adapting its properties, shape and repairing itself, being the mechanical loads one of the main regulatory stimuli that modulate this adaptive behavior. Here we review some key results of bone mechanobiology from computational models, describing the effect that changes associated to the mechanical environment induce in bone response, implant design and scaffold-driven bone regeneration

Blockade of the Interaction of Calcineurin with FOXO in Astrocytes Protects Against Amyloid-beta-Induced Neuronal Death

Astrocytes actively participate in neuro-inflammatory processes associated to Alzheimer's disease (AD), and other brain pathologies. We recently showed that an astrocyte-specific intracellular signaling pathway involving an interaction of the phosphatase calcineurin with the transcription factor FOXO3 is a major driver in AD-associated pathological inflammation, suggesting a potential new druggable target for this devastating disease. We have now developed decoy molecules to interfere with calcineurin/FOXO3 interactions, and tested them in astrocytes and neuronal co-cultures exposed to amyloid-beta (A beta) toxicity. We observed that interference of calcineurin/FOXO3 interactions exerts a protective action against A beta-induced neuronal death and favors the production of a set of growth factors that we hypothesize form part of a cytoprotective pathway to resolve inflammation. Furthermore, interference of the A beta-induced interaction of calcineurin with FOXO3 by decoy compounds significantly decreased amyloid-beta protein precursor (A beta PP) synthesis, reduced the A beta PP amyloidogenic pathway, resulting in lower A beta levels, and blocked the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF alpha and IL-6 in astrocytes. Collectively, these data indicate that interrupting pro-inflammatory calcineurin/FOXO3 interactions in astrocytes triggered by A beta accumulation in brain may constitute an effective new therapeutic approach in AD. Future studies with intranasal delivery, or brain barrier permeable decoy compounds, are warranted.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Políticas y esquemas de financiamiento: Visión de las políticas públicas para la promoción del manejo eficiente de recursos de biomasa sólida para bioenergía con fines térmicos

La experiencia internacional ha mostrado que, para el desarrollo de las fuentes renovables de energía, no es suficiente que exista el recurso y la demanda del servicio energético asociado a esta fuente de energía, para lograr el desarrollo de su aprovechamiento, la creación de un mercado. En el caso de la biomasa la ceración de este mercado es aún un problema más complejo por el alto número de actores que intervienen en la cadena de valor y la subjetividad negativa con que se aprecia su uso en sustitución de los combustibles derivados del petróleo. En este capítulo se analiza la experiencia en el establecimiento de políticas e instrumentos de política para el desarrollo de las fuentes renovables de energía y se establece que, en el caso del uso de la biomasa con fines energéticos para la producción de calor, el entramado de leyes, regulaciones y normas de diferentes tipos es muy débil y totalmente insuficiente en los países de la región.Fil: Curbelo Alonso, Alfredo. Cubaenergía; CubaFil: Sánchez Hervas, José María. Ciemat; EspañaFil: Garrido, Santiago Manuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencias Sociales. Instituto de Estudios Sociales de la Ciencia y la Tecnología; ArgentinaFil: Vidal, Humberto. Universidad de Magallanes; Chil

Are the Cells Stronger than we Think?

This work presents a novel methodology to calculate the traction forces exerted by the cell in a three-dimensional (3D) Traction Force Microscopy (TFM) set-up. This methodology starts from the images taken in the TFM essay. In addition, the finite strains hypothesis is assumed in order to capture the cell behaviour.Este trabajo presenta una nueva metodología para calcular las fuerzas de tracción ejercidas por la célula durante un experimento de microscopía de fuerza de tracción. El método presentado parte de las imágenes captadas durante el ensayo experimental. Además, se trabaja bajo la hipótesis de grandes deformaciones para poder modelar de manera más precisa el comportamiento celular