Biocompatible Probes Based on Rare-Earth Doped Strontium Aluminates with Long-Lasting Phosphorescent Properties for In Vitro Optical IMAGING

In recent decades, the demand for biomedical imaging tools has grown very rapidly as a key feature for biomedical research and diagnostic applications. Particularly, fluorescence imaging has gained increased attention as a non-invasive, inexpensive technique that allows real-time imaging. However, tissue auto-fluorescence under external illumination, together with a weak tissue penetration of low wavelength excitation light, largely restricts the application of the technique. Accordingly, new types of fluorescent labels are currently being investigated and, in this search, phosphorescent nanoparticles promise great potential, as they combine the interesting size-dependent properties of nanoscale materials with a long-lasting phosphorescence-type emission that allows optical imaging well after excitation (so avoiding autofluorescence). In this work, core-shell structures consisting of SrAlO:Eu,Dy luminescent cores encapsulated within a biocompatible silica shell were prepared, showing a green persistent phosphorescence with an afterglow time of more than 1000 s. A high-energy ball milling procedure was used to reduce the size of the starting phosphors to a size suitable for cellular uptake, while the silica coating was produced by a reverse micelle methodology that eventually allows the excitation and emission light to pass efficiently through the shell. Confocal fluorescence microscopy using HeLa cancer cells confirmed the potential of the all-ceramic composites produced as feasible labels for in vitro optical imaging

Competencies of good university teachers. Students’s opinion

[ES] En este trabajo se presenta la perspectiva que tienen los estudiantes, sobre las competencias del buen docente universitario, a partir de un cuestionario diseñado en base a las competencias docentes definidas y validadas en el marco del proyecto REDU2012”. Han respondido al cuestionario 10302 estudiantes de grado y 1700 de máster de 15 universidades, a través de un formulario en línea optimizado para dispositivos móviles.La importancia otorgada a las 16 características definidas en el cuestionario ha sido alta: todas ellas se encuentran entre el notable alto y el sobresaliente. Que el profesor explique de forma clara los contenidos de la asignatura es la mejor valorada, seguida del fomento de la motivación. Estas dos cuestiones son igualmente las más valoradas si atendemos a las ramas de conocimiento, curso y sexo del estudiantado. Las habilidades menos valoradas para ser un buen docente son la de fomentar la participación y el trabajo colaborativo y la coordinación con el profesorado[EN] This paper presents the students’ point of view about the competencies of a good  university  teacher,  obtained  from a  questionnaire  based  on  the  teaching competencies stated and validated according to the REDU2012 Project. 10302 undergraduate  students  and  1700  master students  from  15  universities  answered through  an  online  formulary  suitable  also for mobile devices. The importance that has been given to  the  16  characteristics  defined  in  the questionnaire  is  remarkably  high:  all  of them  are  qualified  either  as  good  or  as excellent. That the teacher explains clearly the subject’s content is the best-scored characteristic,  followed  by  the  motivation encouragement.  Both  characteristics  are highly  rated  by  students,  with  no  regard of  their  original  areas  of  knowledge,  their year  or  their  sex.  The  lowest  rated  skills in order to be a good teacher are the encouragement   of   participation   and   of collaborative  work  and  thAbadía Valle, AR.; Bueno García, C.; Ubieto-Artur, MI.; Márquez Cebrián, MD.; Sabaté Díaz, S.; Jorba Noguera, H.; Pagès Costa, T. (2015). Competencias del buen docente universitario. Opinión de los estudiantes. REDU. Revista de Docencia Universitaria. 13(2):363-390. https://doi.org/10.4995/redu.2015.5453OJS363390132Comisión Europea. Grupo de alto nivel para la modernización de la enseñanza superior. (2013). Recomendaciones para la mejora de la calidad de la enseñanza y el aprendizaje. Recuperado de http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-13-554_es.htmGrupo Interuniversitario de Formación Docente, GIFD (2011). Identificación, desarrollo y evaluación de competencias docentes en la aplicación de planes de formación dirigidos a profesorado universitario (EA2010-0099). Programa Estudios y análisis destinado a la mejora de la calidad de la enseñanza superior y de la actividad del profesorado universitario, Ministerio de Educación. Recuperado de http://bit.ly/1P39sJEHigh Level Group on the Modernisation of Higher Education. (2013). Report to the European Commission on improving the quality of teaching and learning in Europe's higher education institutions. doi: 10.2766/42468Mas, O. y Tejada, J. (2013). Funciones y competencias en la docencia universitaria. Barcelona: Síntesis.Pagès, T. (coord.). (2014). Memoria final. Propuesta de un marco de referencia competencial del profesorado universitario y adecuación de los planes de formación basados en competencias docentes. Octubre 2014. Recuperado de http://goo.gl/SdHywVREDU - Revista de Docencia Universitaria (2012). Número Monográfico dedicado a Competencias docentes en la educación superior, mayo-agosto 2012 (2). Recuperado de http://red-u.net/redu/index.php/REDU/issue/view/67/showTocTejada, J. (2009). Competencias docentes. Profesorado. Revista de Currículum y Formación del Profesorado, 13Torra Bitlloch, I.; Esteban Moreno, R.M. (2012). Presentación. REDU - Revista de Docencia Universitaria, Número monográfico dedicado a Competencias docentes en la Educación Superior, 10(2), 17-20. Recuperado de http://red-u.net/redu/index.php/REDU/article/view/427Torra Bitlloch, I., Corral Manuel de Villena, Ignacio de, Pérez Cabrera, M. J., Pagès Costas, T., Valderrama Valles, E., Márquez Cebrián, M., Sabaté Díaz, S., Solà Ysuar, P., Hernàndez Escolano, C., Sangrà Morer, A., Guàrdia Ortiz, L. Estebanell Minguella, M., Patiño Maso, J., González Soto, AP., Fandos Garrido, M., Ruiz Morillas, N., Iglesias Rodríguez, MC., Tena Tarruella, A. (2012). Identificación de competencias docentes que orienten el desarrollo de planes de formación dirigidos a profesorado universitario. REDU - Revista de Docencia Universitaria, Número monográfico dedicado a Competencias docentes en la Educación Superior, 10(2), 21-56. Recuperado de http://red-u.net/redu/index.php/REDU/article/view/397Triadó, X., Estebanell, M., Màrquez, M. D., y del Corral, I. (2014). Identificación del perfil competencial docente en educación superior. Evidencias para la elaboración de programas de formación continua del profesorado universitario. Revista Española de Pedagogía, 257, 51-72.Valcárcel, M. (Coord.)(2005). La preparación del profesorado universitario para la convergencia europea en educación Superior (EA2003-0040). Informe Investigación. Programa de Estudios y Análisis del Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación. Recuperado de http://campus.usal.es/web-usal/Novedades/noticias/bolonia/informe_final.pdfZabalza, M. A. (2003). Competencias docentes del profesorado universitario. Calidad y desarrollo profesional. Madrid: Narcea

Production process of sugarcane vitroplants of guaranteed genetic purity and health in the laboratory stage at the EEAOC

El Proyecto Vitroplantas de caña de azúcar de la Estación Experimental Agroindustrial Obispo Colombres (EEAOC) se inició en 2001, con el objetivo principal de proporcionar a los productores caña semilla de alta calidad fitosanitaria y pureza genética garantizada. Desde el inicio se incorporaron mejoras en el proceso, como técnicas moleculares para el diagnóstico de enfermedades y evaluación de la pureza genética. Hasta el 2004, la evaluación sanitaria de las vitroplantas para dos enfermedades sistémicas se llevaba a cabo mediante técnicas serológicas. A partir del 2005 se incorporó el diagnóstico molecular basado en PCR para las enfermedades sistémicas más importantes de la región. En 2014, el análisis de identidad genética de vitroplantas realizado desde 2007 por AFLP fue reemplazado por TRAP, que es menos costoso y revela un polimorfismo similar. Recientemente, se implementó un Sistema de Gestión de Calidad que permitió administrar y aumentar la eficiencia en cada paso del proceso de micropropagación. En el período 2001-2019 se micropropagaron 13 variedades comerciales y clones promisorios de caña de azúcar, alcanzando un total de 1.210.519 Vitroplantas. Actualmente, alrededor del 70% de la superficie plantada en Tucumán se cultiva con caña semilla de alta calidad producida por el Proyecto Vitroplantas, lo que se tradujo en una menor incidencia de enfermedades y un aumento gradual de los rendimientos en los campos comerciales de caña de azúcar. Desde el inicio, el Proyecto Vitroplantas ha buscado constantemente mejorar el proceso a fin de obtener un producto capaz de satisfacer la demanda de los productores de caña de azúcarThe Vitroplantas Project of sugarcane of Estación Experimental Agroindustrial Obispo Colombres (EEAOC) was started in 2001. Its main goal is to provide sugarcane producers with seed cane of high phytosanitary quality and guaranteed genetic purity. Since its beginning, improvements in the process such as molecular techniques for disease diagnosis and assessment of genetic purity, have been incorporated. Until 2004 the vitroplant sanitary evaluation for two systemic diseases was carried out by serological techniques. However, since 2005, molecular diagnoses based on PCR for the most regionally important systemic diseases of sugarcane were incorporated. In 2014, the genetic identity analysis of vitroplants undertaken since 2007 with AFLP was replaced by TRAP since it was cheaper and revealed similar polymorphisms. Recently, a Quality Management System, which allows effective administration and increases the efficiency at each step of the micropropagation process, was implemented. Over the 2001-2019 period, 13 commercial and promising sugarcane clones were micropropagated, reaching a total of 1,210,519 Vitroplants. Currently, around 70% of the area under cultivation in Tucumán is occupied by high quality sugarcane seeds produced by the Vitroplantas Project, resulting in lower disease incidence and a gradual increase in yields in commercial fields. This Project has constantly looked at improving the process to obtain a product able to satisfy sugarcane producers’ demands.Fil: Díaz, María Elena. Provincia de Tucumán. Ministerio de Desarrollo Productivo. Estación Experimental Agroindustrial "Obispo Colombres" (P); ArgentinaFil: Perera, María Francisca. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto de Tecnología Agroindustrial del Noroeste Argentino. Provincia de Tucumán. Ministerio de Desarrollo Productivo. Estación Experimental Agroindustrial "Obispo Colombres" (p). Instituto de Tecnología Agroindustrial del Noroeste Argentino; ArgentinaFil: Paz, Nora del Valle. Provincia de Tucumán. Ministerio de Desarrollo Productivo. Estación Experimental Agroindustrial "Obispo Colombres" (P); ArgentinaFil: Insaurralde Rocco, María Paula. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto de Tecnología Agroindustrial del Noroeste Argentino. Provincia de Tucumán. Ministerio de Desarrollo Productivo. Estación Experimental Agroindustrial "Obispo Colombres" (p). Instituto de Tecnología Agroindustrial del Noroeste Argentino; ArgentinaFil: Ovejero, Silvia Natalia. Provincia de Tucumán. Ministerio de Desarrollo Productivo. Estación Experimental Agroindustrial "Obispo Colombres" (P); ArgentinaFil: Cerviño Dowling, Ana María. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto de Tecnología Agroindustrial del Noroeste Argentino. Provincia de Tucumán. Ministerio de Desarrollo Productivo. Estación Experimental Agroindustrial "Obispo Colombres" (p). Instituto de Tecnología Agroindustrial del Noroeste Argentino; ArgentinaFil: Castagnaro, Atilio Pedro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto de Tecnología Agroindustrial del Noroeste Argentino. Provincia de Tucumán. Ministerio de Desarrollo Productivo. Estación Experimental Agroindustrial "Obispo Colombres" (p). Instituto de Tecnología Agroindustrial del Noroeste Argentino; ArgentinaFil: Noguera, Aldo Sergio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto de Tecnología Agroindustrial del Noroeste Argentino. Provincia de Tucumán. Ministerio de Desarrollo Productivo. Estación Experimental Agroindustrial "Obispo Colombres" (p). Instituto de Tecnología Agroindustrial del Noroeste Argentino; Argentin

Expression of HMGCS2 in intestinal epithelial cells is downregulated in inflammatory bowel disease associated with endoplasmic reticulum stress.

INTRODUCTION The Unfolded Protein Response, a mechanism triggered by the cell in response to Endoplasmic reticulum stress, is linked to inflammatory responses. Our aim was to identify novel Unfolded Protein Response-mechanisms that might be involved in triggering or perpetuating the inflammatory response carried out by the Intestinal Epithelial Cells in the context of Inflammatory Bowel Disease. METHODS We analyzed the transcriptional profile of human Intestinal Epithelial Cell lines treated with an Endoplasmic Reticulum stress inducer (thapsigargin) and/or proinflammatory stimuli. Several genes were further analyzed in colonic biopsies from Ulcerative Colitis patients and healthy controls. Lastly, we generated Caco-2 cells lacking HMGCS2 by CRISPR Cas-9 and analyzed the functional implications of its absence in Intestinal Epithelial Cells. RESULTS Exposure to a TLR ligand after thapsigargin treatment resulted in a powerful synergistic modulation of gene expression, which led us to identify new genes and pathways that could be involved in inflammatory responses linked to the Unfolded Protein Response. Key differentially expressed genes in the array also exhibited transcriptional alterations in colonic biopsies from active Ulcerative Colitis patients, including NKG2D ligands and the enzyme HMGCS2. Moreover, functional studies showed altered metabolic responses and epithelial barrier integrity in HMGCS2 deficient cell lines. CONCLUSION We have identified new genes and pathways that are regulated by the Unfolded Protein Response in the context of Inflammatory Bowel Disease including HMGCS2, a gene involved in the metabolism of Short Chain Fatty Acids that may have an important role in intestinal inflammation linked to Endoplasmic Reticulum stress and the resolution of the epithelial damage.This work was supported by grants from Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MCIN) from Spain [SAF2016-78711R and PID202-11794 to EM-N and FJC]; Comunidad de Madrid [B2017/BMD-3727 to EMN and FJC]; Comunidad de Madrid (REACT-UE, ANTICIPA-CM Ref. PR38/21-24) to E.M-N and HORIZON-HLTH-2022-STAYHLTH-02 under agreement No 101095679 to FJC the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program [ERC-2016- Consolidator Grant 725091 to DS]; MCIN/AEI/10.13039/ 501100011033 [PID2019-108157RB to DS]; la Caixa Foundation (ID 100010434) [LCF/BQ/PR20/11770008 to SW]; Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) [PI18/00348 to VE]; ISCIII [PI21/01641 to RT-R]; Spanish National Research and Development Plan, ISCIII and FEDER [PI17/02303 and PI20/01837 to SR-P]; Proyecto Desarrollo Tecnológico [DTS19/00111 to SR-P], AEI/MICIU EXPLORA Project [BIO2017-91272-EXP to SR-P]; Programa Estratégico Instituto de Biologıa y Gene ́ ́ tica Molecular (IBGM), Junta de Castilla y León (CCVC8485) [PID2019-104218RB-I00 to DB]; NIH [DK088199 to RB] and Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM 920631) [CT42/ 18-CT43/18 and EB15/21 to BM-A].S

Metodología experimental aplicada a la Inmunología Molecular

El objetivo general del proyecto es aplicar un modelo pedagógico en el que participen los alumnos de manera activa y apliquen el método científico en base a los conocimientos que han adquirido, resolviendo y realizando un caso práctico en el laboratorio. Integra una estrategia didáctica que va a fomentar la participación activa del alumnado provocando un aprendizaje significativo, ya que el alumno tiene que resolver mediante el razonamiento un caso práctico y luego integrarlo en el laboratorio con el uso de una técnica ampliamente utilizada en Inmunología, como es la citometría de flujo.Depto. de Arquitectura de Computadores y AutomáticaFac. de InformáticaFALSEInnovasubmitte

Educación y pensamiento contemporáneo: práctica, experiencia y educación.

El libro emplea las nociones de experiencia y práctica como instrumentos filosóficos para la investigación en educación y pedagogía. Aunque se trata de conceptos que han sido retomados y elaborados desde los trabajos de Foucault, el trabajo conjunto adelantado al interior de la Red Riepco ha permitido continuar con la exploración de la potencia metodológica de los conceptos mediante el diálogo con otras perspectivas, autores e investigaciones. De este modo, se proponen lecturas cruzadas y diálogos con planteamientos como los de Gilles Deleuze, Judith Butler, Peter Sloterdijk, Giorgio Agamben, Jorge Larrosa, Boaventura de Sousa Santos, Roland Barthes, Michel de Certeau y el mismo Emil Cioran. Todo ello bajo la comprensión que investigar, pensar y hacer filosofía, se configuran como ejercicios para modelar y crear problemas, interrogantes y, por tanto, formas de mirar.The book uses notions of experience and practice as philosophical tools for researching in education and pedagogy. Although these concepts have been taken up and elaborated from Foucault’s work, the joint work carried out with RIEPCO has allowed the exploration of the methodological power of these concepts in order to dialogue with other perspectives, authors and research. In this way, cross readings and dialogues with approaches such as those of Gilles Deleuze, Judith Butler, Peter Sloterdijk, Giorgio Agamben, Jorge Larrosa, Boaventura de Sousa Santos, Roland Barthes, Michel de Certeau and Emil Cioran himself are proposed. All this under the understanding that researching, thinking and doing philosophy are configured as exercises to model and create problems and, therefore, ways of looking

Educación y pensamiento contemporáneo: práctica, experiencia y educación.

El libro emplea las nociones de experiencia y práctica como instrumentos filosóficos para la investigación en educación y pedagogía. Aunque se trata de conceptos que han sido retomados y elaborados desde los trabajos de Foucault, el trabajo conjunto adelantado al interior de la Red Riepco ha permitido continuar con la exploración de la potencia metodológica de los conceptos mediante el diálogo con otras perspectivas, autores e investigaciones. De este modo, se proponen lecturas cruzadas y diálogos con planteamientos como los de Gilles Deleuze, Judith Butler, Peter Sloterdijk, Giorgio Agamben, Jorge Larrosa, Boaventura de Sousa Santos, Roland Barthes, Michel de Certeau y el mismo Emil Cioran. Todo ello bajo la comprensión que investigar, pensar y hacer filosofía, se configuran como ejercicios para modelar y crear problemas, interrogantes y, por tanto, formas de mirar.The book uses notions of experience and practice as philosophical tools for researching in education and pedagogy. Although these concepts have been taken up and elaborated from Foucault’s work, the joint work carried out with RIEPCO has allowed the exploration of the methodological power of these concepts in order to dialogue with other perspectives, authors and research. In this way, cross readings and dialogues with approaches such as those of Gilles Deleuze, Judith Butler, Peter Sloterdijk, Giorgio Agamben, Jorge Larrosa, Boaventura de Sousa Santos, Roland Barthes, Michel de Certeau and Emil Cioran himself are proposed. All this under the understanding that researching, thinking and doing philosophy are configured as exercises to model and create problems and, therefore, ways of looking

Identification of genetic variants associated with Huntington's disease progression: a genome-wide association study

Background Huntington's disease is caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the huntingtin gene, HTT. Age at onset has been used as a quantitative phenotype in genetic analysis looking for Huntington's disease modifiers, but is hard to define and not always available. Therefore, we aimed to generate a novel measure of disease progression and to identify genetic markers associated with this progression measure. Methods We generated a progression score on the basis of principal component analysis of prospectively acquired longitudinal changes in motor, cognitive, and imaging measures in the 218 indivduals in the TRACK-HD cohort of Huntington's disease gene mutation carriers (data collected 2008–11). We generated a parallel progression score using data from 1773 previously genotyped participants from the European Huntington's Disease Network REGISTRY study of Huntington's disease mutation carriers (data collected 2003–13). We did a genome-wide association analyses in terms of progression for 216 TRACK-HD participants and 1773 REGISTRY participants, then a meta-analysis of these results was undertaken. Findings Longitudinal motor, cognitive, and imaging scores were correlated with each other in TRACK-HD participants, justifying use of a single, cross-domain measure of disease progression in both studies. The TRACK-HD and REGISTRY progression measures were correlated with each other (r=0·674), and with age at onset (TRACK-HD, r=0·315; REGISTRY, r=0·234). The meta-analysis of progression in TRACK-HD and REGISTRY gave a genome-wide significant signal (p=1·12 × 10−10) on chromosome 5 spanning three genes: MSH3, DHFR, and MTRNR2L2. The genes in this locus were associated with progression in TRACK-HD (MSH3 p=2·94 × 10−8 DHFR p=8·37 × 10−7 MTRNR2L2 p=2·15 × 10−9) and to a lesser extent in REGISTRY (MSH3 p=9·36 × 10−4 DHFR p=8·45 × 10−4 MTRNR2L2 p=1·20 × 10−3). The lead single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in TRACK-HD (rs557874766) was genome-wide significant in the meta-analysis (p=1·58 × 10−8), and encodes an aminoacid change (Pro67Ala) in MSH3. In TRACK-HD, each copy of the minor allele at this SNP was associated with a 0·4 units per year (95% CI 0·16–0·66) reduction in the rate of change of the Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS) Total Motor Score, and a reduction of 0·12 units per year (95% CI 0·06–0·18) in the rate of change of UHDRS Total Functional Capacity score. These associations remained significant after adjusting for age of onset. Interpretation The multidomain progression measure in TRACK-HD was associated with a functional variant that was genome-wide significant in our meta-analysis. The association in only 216 participants implies that the progression measure is a sensitive reflection of disease burden, that the effect size at this locus is large, or both. Knockout of Msh3 reduces somatic expansion in Huntington's disease mouse models, suggesting this mechanism as an area for future therapeutic investigation

Optimized Protocol for Characterization of Mouse Gut Innate Lymphoid Cells

© 2020 Valle-Noguera, Gómez-Sánchez, Girard-Madoux and Cruz-Adalia.Since their discovery, innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) have gradually been gaining greater relevance in the field of immunology due to their multiple functions in the innate immune response. They can mainly be found in mucosal and barrier organs like skin, gut, and lungs, and have been classified into five main types (NKs, ILC1s, ILC2s, ILC3s, and Lti cells) according to their function and development. They all play major roles in functions such as tissue homeostasis, early pathogen defense, regulation of inflammation, or tissue remodeling. ILCs are mostly tissue-resident cells tightly bound to the tissue structure, a fact that requires long and complex protocols that do not always provide sufficient yield for analysis. This suggests the need for optimized approaches aimed at ensuring that enriched and viable ILC samples are obtained, in order to furnish quality results. Herein a detailed protocol is established for obtaining a single-cell suspension highly enriched in lymphoid cells from mouse gut in order to identify the different subsets of ILCs by means of flow cytometry. The cell marker panel and flow cytometry gating strategies for identification and quantification of all the different ILC populations are provided for simultaneous analysis. Moreover, the protocol described includes a procedure for studying the different cytokines produced by ILC3s involved in maintaining the integrity of the gut barrier and defending against extracellular pathogens. As a result, herein an efficient method is presented for studying mouse ILCs within the lamina propria of the small intestine and colon; this can constitute a useful tool for future investigations in the field.The present research was supported by grant Nº RTI2018-093647-B-I00 to AC-A from Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación e Universidades (MCIU), Agenda Estatal de Investigación (AEI), and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER). AV-N is a recipient of an FPI fellowship (PRE2019-090341) from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities

Biocompatible Probes Based on Rare-Earth Doped Strontium Aluminates with Long-Lasting Phosphorescent Properties for In Vitro Optical IMAGING

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metals and Metal Oxides for Biomedical Applications: Current Challenges and Opportunities)In recent decades, the demand for biomedical imaging tools has grown very rapidly as a key feature for biomedical research and diagnostic applications. Particularly, fluorescence imaging has gained increased attention as a non-invasive, inexpensive technique that allows real-time imaging. However, tissue auto-fluorescence under external illumination, together with a weak tissue penetration of low wavelength excitation light, largely restricts the application of the technique. Accordingly, new types of fluorescent labels are currently being investigated and, in this search, phosphorescent nanoparticles promise great potential, as they combine the interesting size-dependent properties of nanoscale materials with a long-lasting phosphorescence-type emission that allows optical imaging well after excitation (so avoiding autofluorescence). In this work, core-shell structures consisting of SrAlO:Eu,Dy luminescent cores encapsulated within a biocompatible silica shell were prepared, showing a green persistent phosphorescence with an afterglow time of more than 1000 s. A high-energy ball milling procedure was used to reduce the size of the starting phosphors to a size suitable for cellular uptake, while the silica coating was produced by a reverse micelle methodology that eventually allows the excitation and emission light to pass efficiently through the shell. Confocal fluorescence microscopy using HeLa cancer cells confirmed the potential of the all-ceramic composites produced as feasible labels for in vitro optical imaging.This work was supported by the Agencia Estatal de Investigación through PID2019-104118RB-C21 project and the Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad, Agencia Estatal de Investigación, through MAT2016-80182-R project. Dr T. Jardiel acknowledges the European Science Foundation (ESF) and the Ramon y Cajal Program of MICINN for financial support. D.G. Calatayud also acknowledges the Fundación General CSIC (ComFuturo Program) for financial support. Dr. A Cruz-Adalia wishes to thank the Confocal Microscopy Core Facility of the Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB) for its technical support and acknowledges the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICINN), Agenda Estatal de Investigación, and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) for the Ramon y Cajal Program and financial support (RTI2018-093647-B-I00).Supplementary Materials: The following supporting information can be downloaded at: https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/ijms23063410/s