Modifications of the chromatin fibre, such as the methylation of DNA or the acetylation of histones, are commonly referred to as epigenetic marks. These marks are understood as a way of storing information – of ‘bookmarking’ the genome so the cell remembers which genes to read. However, these processes are intimately tied to metabolism, as they both consume and produce metabolites which tie in to the wider metabolic network of the cell.

DIGISEN is a research group born with the purpose of implementing emerging digital technologies in the field of food research. These technologies will be primarily used as a support tool for sensory and consumer analysis techniques in the development of more sustainable and healthier meat and derivative products, but with the idea of also using them in other areas (such as characterization or safety) and products (not only meat and derivatives). Within these digital technologies are Industry 4.0 technologies such as mixed reality, biometric devices, or complex data analysis.

Our research line is mainly focused on the study and characterisation of macroscopic and histopathological lesions, pathogenic mechanisms, inflammatory and immune response in animal infectious diseases, with special attention to emerging and re-emerging diseases that may affect production and free-living animals such as African swine fever or bluetongue, and zoonoses with public health implications such as Rift Valley fever or SARS-CoV-2.

The GCC group is dedicated to the research of heterogeneous catalysts for their application in chemical reactions using renewable materials such as biomass wastes or carbon dioxide to obtain fuels or materials. To this end, the group studies the synthesis of catalysts and their behaviour in liquid or gas phase reactions. GCC also studies the synthesis of magnetic materials and its use in magnetothermal catalysis. This is expected to improve the energy efficiency of the processes by reducing energy consumption and heating time.

The research activity focuses on studying complementary aspects of disease prevention by consuming bioactive compounds present in the diet, plant extracts, or nutraceuticals, mainly phenolic compounds. Using a comprehensive approach, an exhaustive characterization of the phytochemical compounds in the raw material is carried out, and their bioavailability and metabolism are evaluated through metabolomic analysis. Additionally, their effects on health are studied, with particular emphasis on cardiometabolic diseases.

The research group led by Dr. Ferrándiz is dedicated to understanding the various mechanisms responsible for chromosome segregation and exploring the causes of aneuploidy in cancer cells. They mainly study membrane dynamics during cell division to maintain genomic stability.

The cellular interior is not a mere Brownian soup of molecules; it is rather an exquisitely structured entity organized into hierarchical levels. Knowing how proteins assemble into different layers of organization, is thus fundamental to understanding the functioning of the cell. We recently demonstrated that proteins are a few mutations, sometimes even one mutation away, to form infinite polymers –aka supramolecular assemblies– (Garcia-Seisdedos, et al. Nature 2017, Empereur-Mot, Garcia-Seisdedos, et al Sci Data 2019, Garcia-Seisdedos, et al PNAS 2022).