An Analysis of the Spanish Universities' Entrepreneurial Activities through Secondary Data (Websites and Reports)

Over the past few years, there has been a growing number of studies indicating that entrepreneurial activities performed at universities, such as cooperative research and the creation of spin-offs or patents and licenses, have a positive impact on the socioeconomic development of a country and responding to the challenges at the regional and national levels (Fernández-Nogueira et al., 2018). Hence, this study aims to assess whether Spanish universities are committed to the mission of encouraging entrepreneurial activities that contribute to the socioeconomic development of a region in particular. To that end, on the one hand, the regional evolution with respect to the entrepreneurial activities conducted by Spanish universities is evaluated through secondary data (websites and reports), and on the other hand, it determines which regions had more or less active entrepreneurial universities. Particularly, the study analyzed the entrepreneurial activities of 76 universities in 17 regions in Spain (Europe). To conduct the said analysis, the use of a tool is proposed to assess the entrepreneurial nature of universities from a given region, and it comprised a set of observable quantitative indicators that aid in data collection through supporting documentation. Additionally, information was collected and analyzed by triangulating sources and researchers. The key study findings conclude that a positive evolution could be observed in terms of entrepreneurial results in most of the regions. Regarding the strengths of the Spanish higher education system, it is worth highlighting the number of Offices for the Transfer of Research Results in terms of scientific journals, PhD thesis, and license revenue. As for the system’s weaknesses, less than half of the Spanish regions offer entrepreneurial degrees, with a decrease in the amount of research and development revenue. Furthermore, by being aware of the regional differences, the number of patents and spin-offs has also decreased. Therefore, all actors/stakeholders involved in the higher education institutions should strive toward incorporating entrepreneurial activities for the progress of their respective regions

Longitudinal analysis of blood DNA methylation identifies mechanisms of response to tumor necrosis factor inhibitor therapy in rheumatoid arthritis

[Abstract] Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, immune-mediated inflammatory disease of the joints that has been associated with variation in the peripheral blood methylome. In this study, we aim to identify epigenetic variation that is associated with the response to tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) therapy. Methods: Peripheral blood genome-wide DNA methylation profiles were analyzed in a discovery cohort of 62 RA patients at baseline and at week 12 of TNFi therapy. DNA methylation of individual CpG sites and enrichment of biological pathways were evaluated for their association with drug response. Using a novel cell deconvolution approach, altered DNA methylation associated with TNFi response was also tested in the six main immune cell types in blood. Validation of the results was performed in an independent longitudinal cohort of 60 RA patients. Findings: Treatment with TNFi was associated with significant longitudinal peripheral blood methylation changes in biological pathways related to RA (FDR<0.05). 139 biological functions were modified by therapy, with methylation levels changing systematically towards a signature similar to that of healthy controls. Differences in the methylation profile of T cell activation and differentiation, GTPase-mediated signaling, and actin filament organization pathways were associated with the clinical response to therapy. Cell type deconvolution analysis identified CpG sites in CD4+T, NK, neutrophils and monocytes that were significantly associated with the response to TNFi. Interpretation: Our results show that treatment with TNFi restores homeostatic blood methylation in RA. The clinical response to TNFi is associated to methylation variation in specific biological pathways, and it involves cells from both the innate and adaptive immune systems

Interactions between rheumatoid arthritis antibodies are associated with the response to anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy

Background Blocking of the Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) activity is a successful therapeutic approach for 50–60% of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. However, there are yet no biomarkers to stratify patients for anti-TNF therapy. Rheumatoid factor (RF) and anti-cyclic-citrullinated antibodies (anti-CCP) have been evaluated as biomarkers of response but the results have shown limited consistency. Anti-carbamylated protein (anti-CarP) and anti-peptidylarginine deiminase type 4 (anti-PAD4) antibodies have been much less studied. Despite being linked to common immune processes, the interaction between these markers has not been evaluated yet. Our aim was to analyze the interaction between these four antibodies in relation to the response to anti-TNF therapy. Methods For this objective, a prospective cohort of n = 80 RA patients starting anti-TNF therapy was recruited. Serum determinations at baseline were performed for RF, anti-CCP, anti-CarP and anti-PAD4 antibodies using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). The clinical response to anti-TNF therapy was determined at week 12 using the change in DAS28 score. Association was performed using multivariate linear regression adjusting for baseline DAS28, sex and age. Results The interaction between pairs of antibodies was tested by the addition of an interaction term. We found two highly significant antibody interactions associated with treatment response: anti-CarP with anti-PAD4 (p = 0.0062), and anti-CCP with RF (p = 0.00068). The latter antibody interaction was replicated in an independent retrospective cohort of RA patients (n = 199, p = 0.04). Conclusions The results of this study suggest that antibody interaction effects are important factors in the response to anti-TNF therapy in RA.This project was supported by UCB Pharma. The funders had no role in the study design, data analysis, data interpretation or writing the manuscript.Peer reviewe