Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder linked to age that is becoming more frequent due to the rise in population's life expectancy. Currently available therapies do not stop or slow down the progression of the disease. Therefore, there is an urgent need to find new therapeutic strategies for PD and to identify biomarkers to predict disease risk for earlier and more effective therapeutic interventions. During 2021 we have established new blood biomarkers able to predict the development of PD in individuals at risk, developed new therapeutic tools to prevent neurodegeneration by keeping neurons clean and healthy by boosting their own cleaning and recycling systemsand initiated the Vall d'Hebron Initiative for Parkinson (VHIP) to collect a wide range of biological samples and clinical data from PD patients and subjects at PD risk in our community to identify new biomarkers for PD risk, diagnosis and prognosis and to validate new therapeutic interventions.

Group Leader
Miquel Vila Bover

Principal Investigator (PI)
Jordi Bové Badell, Marta Martinez-Vicente, Ariadna Laguna Tuset, Jorge Hernandez Vara, Oriol de Fàbregues-Boixar

Researchers
Marta González Sepúlveda, Thais Cuadros Arasa, Helena Xicoy Cortada

PhD Students
Núria Peñuelas Peñarroya, Joan Compte Barrón, Camille Guillard Sirieix, Alba Nicolau Vera, Marina Lorente Picón, Marta Montpeyó, Eddie Pradas, Maria Camprodon, Daniela Michelle Samaniego Toro, Laura Castillo Ribelles

Lab Technicians
Anabelle Parent, Joana Cladera Sastre, Jordi Riera

23

PUBLICATIONS

159

IMPACT FACTOR

6.91

AVERAGE IMPACT FACTOR

SELECTED ARTICLES

Laguna A, Xicoy H, Tolosa E, Serradell M, Vilas D, Gaig C, Fernandez M, Yanes O, Santamaria J, Amigó N, Iranzo A, Vila M.
Serum metabolic biomarkers for synucleinopathy conversion in isolated REM sleep behavior disorder.
NPJ Parkinson’s disease (2021) 7(1):40
DOI: 10.1038/s41531-021-00184-9
IF: 8.651

Franco-Iborra S, Montpeyó M, Plaza-Zabala A, Sebastian D, Vila M, Martinez-Vicente M.
Mutant HTT (huntingtin) impairs mitophagy in a cellular model of Huntington disease.
Autophagy (2021) 17(3):672-689
DOI: 10.1080/15548627.2020.1728096
IF: 16.016

García-Pardo J, Novio F, Nador F, Cavaliere I, Suarez-Garcia S, Lope-Piedrafita S, Candiota AP, Romero J, Rodriguez B, Bove J, Vila M, Lorenzo-Rivera J, Ruiz-Molina D.
Bioinspired Theranostic Coordination Polymer Nanoparticles for Intranasal Dopamine Replacement in Parkinson’s Disease.
ACS Nano (2021) 15(5):8592-8609
DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.1c00453
IF: 15.881

Biondetti E, Santin MD, Valabrègue R, Mangone G, Gaurav R, Pyatigorskaya N, Hutchison M, Yahia-Cherif L, Villain N, Habert MO, Arnulf I, Leu-Semenescu S, Dodet P, Vila M, Corvol JC, Vidailhet M, Lehéricy S.
The spatiotemporal changes in dopamine, neuromelanin and iron characterizing Parkinson’s disease.
Brain (2021) 144(10):3114-3125
DOI: 10.1093/brain/awab191
IF: 13.501

Rabaneda-Lombarte N, Serratosa J, Bové J, Vila M, Saura J, Solà C.
The CD200R1 microglial inhibitory receptor as a therapeutic target in the MPTP model of Parkinson’s disease.
Journal of Neuroinflammation (2021) 18(1):88
DOI: 10.1186/s12974-021-02132-z
IF: 8.322

Activity and connectivity drive neuronal vulnerability and disease progression in Parkinson’s disease
Principal Investigator: Miquel Vila
Agency: Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP)
Funding: 10,975,371.00 USD (Vila group: 1,485,066.00 USD)
Period: 2021-2024

Molecular mechanisms of neuromelanin-linked neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s disease and brain aging
Principal Investigator: Miquel Vila
Agency: Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN)
Funding: 332,750.00 €
Period: 2021-2024

Targeting neuromelanin-linked neuronal dysfunction and degeneration in ageing and Parkinson’s disease using a combined imaging and brain stimulation approach
Principal Investigator: Miquel Vila
Agency: EU Joint Programme Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND)
Funding: 729,980.00 € (Vila group: 249,986.00€)
Period: 2021-2023

Sex-based modulation of neuromelanin-linked Parkinson’s disease pathology
Principal Investigator: Miquel Vila
Agency: Michael J. Fox Foundation (USA)
Funding: 199,974.54 USD
Period: 2021-2022

The Vall d’Hebron Iniciative for Parkinson associated to GBA (VHIP-GBA): from biospecimen collection to translational studies and therapies
Principal Investigator: Marta Martinez-Vicente & Jorge Hernandez-Vara
Agency: Instituto de Salud Carlos III
Funding: 245,932.5 €
Period: 2021-2023