This section includes some research groups, laboratories and services of the University of La Laguna and other institutions, especially the Canary Islands Health Service, associated with the institute, which collaborate in areas and programs in the development phase, or carry out specific activities related to biomedical innovation and transfer.
- The definition of this program is shaped by the characteristics of the Canary Islands due to their history and geographical location. The current genome of the Canarian population stems from North African aboriginal heritage, which, together with European influence from the 15th century onward, forms a genome unique in the world. Furthermore, many pathologies have a genetic component influenced by the island context, due to the founder effect and the lack of infrastructure that historically fostered inbreeding. The research groups participating in this program are focused on studying the molecular basis of cancer and rare metabolic diseases. In the case of cancer, the objectives of these groups are to advance prevention, diagnosis, the identification of biological causes, and the development of effective treatments, with the aim of transforming this serious health problem into a chronic condition rather than a fatal disorder. Furthermore, although rare diseases affect only a limited population (fewer than 2,000 individuals in Europe), the number of different diseases is very large (more than 5,000), meaning the total number of affected patients could reach over 30 million in the European Union. In the medium and long term, this program aims to develop personalized medicine and strengthen collaborations with industry.
List of groups (click to expand information)- Checkpoint in response to DNA damage and human diseases (Dr. Veronique Smits)
- Replicative stress and tumorigenesis (Dr. Raimundo Freire Betancor)
- Genomics and health (Dr. Mª del Mar del Pino Yanes)
- Genomic instability and cancer (Dr. Félix Machín Concepción)
- Molecular pathology of rare and metabolic diseases (Dr. Eduardo Salido Ruiz)
- Genetic variation and disease (Dr. Carlos Flores Infante)
- Developmental Biology (Dr. Pablo Martín Vasallo, Dr. Julio T. Ávila Marrero)
- BioLab – Early pharmacological profiling of small molecules (Dr. José M. Padrón Carrillo)
- Clinical, genetic and molecular epidemiology (EpiGeM) (Dr. Itahisa Marcelino Rodríguez, Dr. Víctor García Tagua)
- Personalization of cancer treatments (Dr. Fernando Gutiérrez Nicolás)
- Chromatin Metabolism (Dr. Jonay García Luis)
The SOMA service is affiliated with the Institute of Biomedical Technologies (ITB) and the University of La Laguna (ULL). It operates within the framework of the Agustín de Betancourt grant program, funded by the Tenerife Island Council, TF Innova, FDCAN, and MEDI. The service aims to provide researchers from the ITB, ULL, and any public or private organization with the opportunity to develop their own cellular and animal models, enabling them to advance their research more efficiently. SOMA also offers the option to cryopreserve these models to ensure their long-term preservation.
Proteomics and other high-throughput omics analyses are fundamental to life sciences research and have reached unprecedented levels of complexity. To simplify the interpretation of complex results, the Omics Data Analysis Service was created within the ITB Proteomics Service. Analyses are performed using open-source platforms (MaxQuant and Perseus), which integrate all the necessary tools for statistical analysis, exporting data to other free online tools (String, Panther), and even rendering data ready for publication.
Although its activity is primarily focused on aquaculture nutrition, this research group has long maintained close collaboration with other groups at ITB regarding the physiological aspects of nutrition and, in particular, the role of lipids in human biology and pathology. Its role in building this platform involves establishing collaborative relationships with other programs analyzing the role of nutrition in human health and disease, and supporting lipidomics studies.
The research carried out by this group is part of the activity of the Evaluation Service of the Canary Islands Health Service, especially with regard to the analysis of the safety and cost-benefit ratio of new health technologies, applications of telemedicine and shared decision-making, as well as their economic, organizational, ethical and social impact
The creation of the Bioavance Foundation in 2006 was the result of collaboration between the University of La Laguna (ULL) and the Tenerife Island Council (Cabildo de Tenerife) for the development of biomedical and biotechnological research. At that time, the University created the Tenerife Institute of Biotechnology (ITB), and the Island Council established the Bioavance Foundation as explicit support for the Institute's development. The foundation is governed by a board of trustees whose president is the head of the Tenerife Island Council, and whose first vice-president is the rector of the ULL. Other trustees currently include the president of the ULL's Social Council and representatives from other ULL research institutes. Since its inception, the foundation, funded by the Tenerife Island Council, has acted as a catalyst for the development of biomedical and biotechnological research in Tenerife and the Canary Islands, fostering relationships between different entities (including university institutes and hospitals). In this regard, the foundation participates in the management of biomedical research projects.
Funded by private entities, support for obtaining and managing public sector projects, both national and international, support for innovation and transfer in biomedicine and biotechnology, dissemination of the activities of research groups, and organization of events related to these activities. As an example of the foundation's impact on ITB's activities, the securing and management of projects ADE-210/00046 (Construction and development of the Canary Islands Research Center; Carlos III Health Institute, 2011–2018, €8,030,000) and FP7-REGPOT-2012-2013-1 (Improving Biomedical Research and Innovation in the Canary Islands, IMBRAIN; European Commission, 2012–2016, €4,158,874) should be highlighted.
Scientific Director:
- Diego Álvarez de la Rosa Rodríguez, PhD (Professor of Physiology ULL, Director of ITB)
Manager, Project Director:
- Randolph Revoredo Chocano
Technical or management staff:
- Irene López Jiménez (Administrative Management)
- Eladio Frías Arrocha (Project Manager)
- Nair Mesejo Nores (Project Manager)