Immunology (IN1)
Basic/translational research
Center for Research in Nanomaterials and Biomedicine (CINBIO). University of Vigo
·Vigo ·

The IN-1 Immunology research group is multidisciplinary (Medicine, Biology, Biochemistry, Pharmacy) and is an expert in basic and applied Immunology, considered a competitive reference by the Xunta de Galicia. It began in 1996 with the incorporation of Dra. África González-Fernández at the University of Vigo, creating the first and only area of Immunology in Galician universities.

Since then they have been developing projects and collaborating with various researchers at national and international level in several lines: generation of monoclonal antibodies and immunotherapy, pancreatic cancer, nanomedicine and toxicity of nanomaterials, nanovaccines, as well as theoretical immunology. In pancreatic cancer they have led projects to find an effective therapy through various routes: vaccine against KRAs, use of epigenetic inhibitor drugs in combination with chemotherapy and inhibition of activation pathways such as the YAP and FOS pathways, to reduce tumor stroma. He has developed 3D models (spheroids and organoids) of cell lines and biopsies of cancer patients, in collaboration with the biobank of the Álvaro Cunqueiro Hospital in Vigo.

Dr. Africa González Fernández. Professor of Immunology (University of Vigo) and member of the RAFG. She is a Doctor in Medicine and Surgery (Univ. Alcalá de Henares, Madrid), Specialist in Immunology (via MIR, Clínica Puerta de Hierro (Madrid). She was Director of the Biomedical Research Center (CINBIO) (2009 -2019) and President of the Spanish Society of Immunology (2016-2020). He coordinates area 2 of the Instituto de Investigación sanitaria Galicia sur (IIS-GS), accredited by the ISC-III. She is co-promoter of the spin-off company NanoImmunoTech. She has received awards for her scientific and professional career and is the author of several informative books such as IMMUNO POWER: Know and strengthen your defenses.

Main publications in pancreatic cancer:

  1. Martínez-Pérez, A., Diego-González, L., Vilanova, M., Correia, A., Simón-Vázquez, R., & González-Fernández, Á. (2023). Immunization with nanovaccines containing mutated K-Ras peptides and imiquimod aggravates heterotopic pancreatic cancer induced in mice. Frontiers in immunology, 14, 1153724. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2023.1153724
  2. Maietta, I., Martínez-Pérez, A., Álvarez, R., De Lera, Á. R., González-Fernández, Á., & Simón-Vázquez, R. (2022). Synergistic Antitumoral Effect of Epigenetic Inhibitors and Gemcitabine in Pancreatic Cancer Cells. Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland), 15(7), 824. https://doi.org/10.3390/ph15070824. https://doi.org/10.3390/ph15070824
  3. Diego-González, L., Fernández-Carrera, A., Igea, A., Martínez-Pérez, A., Real Oliveira, M. E. C. D., Gomes, A. C., Guerra, C., Barbacid, M., González-Fernández, Á., & Simón-Vázquez, R. (2022). Combined Inhibition of FOSL-1 and YAP Using siRNA-Lipoplexes Reduces the Growth of Pancreatic Tumor. Cancers, 14(13), 3102. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers14133102. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers14133102
Africa Gonzalez Fernandez

Principal Investigator

Group members

  • África González Fernández
  • Rosana Simón
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