Currently, EXPRELA aims to carry out the scaling and commercial valorization of a biotechnological process developed in previous projects for the efficient and enzymatic generation (mainly using endo-xylanases) from wheat straw of xylooligosaccharides (XOS) of different molecular weights. and functional and technological properties for their final incorporation as food ingredients. On the other hand, another funded project intends to transfer this process to a new material with xylans, marine macroalgae, an underutilized resource, but with biotechnological potential. In addition, the in vitro prebiotic effect in mammalian cells is studied (mainly evaluating the anti-adipogenic and anti-inflammatory capacity) and how the human intestinal microbiota of obese individuals is modified by XOS derived from wheat straw and macroalgae. The aim is to elucidate the effect of the XOS generated on the intestinal microbiota-obesity axis.
Research line 1: Regulation of gene expression and cancer.
Research line 2: Metagenomics. Protein expression and modification systems with industrial, health and nutritional applications.
The main challenge in the treatment of ovarian cancer is focused on achieving an initial diagnosis before the disease reaches a stage with a worse prognosis. The HMGB proteins, related to oxidative stress, are also implicated in various types of cancer, including ovarian cancer, where HMGB1/2 expression is increased, and they are also proteins capable of binding to RNA, stabilizing it. EXPRELA investigates the lncRNA-HMGB interactions that can be detected in early stages of the disease, as well as deepens the knowledge of the sequences involved in the interaction between both types of molecules, searching for possible therapeutic targets. Peptide neoantigens derived from high-expression lncRNAs in ovarian cancer that may interact with tumor-infiltrated B-lymphocyte receptors are also being sought.