Translational Health Interventions

Eduardo Iglesias Gutiérrez

Eduardo Iglesias obtained his PhD (2005), Bachelor’s degree in Biology (2000) and Master’s in Food Biotechnology (2005) at the Universidad de Oviedo. He has completed postings as a PhD candidate and postdoctoral researcher at Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, US), the Karolinska Institutet (Stockholm, Sweden) and IMDEA Alimentación (Madrid, Spain).

He has been a University Lecturer since the 2005-2006 academic year: first at Universidad CEU San Pablo de Madrid (2005-2006 to 2009-2010) and subsequently at the Universidad de Oviedo (from the 2010-2011 academic year onwards). He has also participated as a lecturer on Master’s programmes in several universities. From 2016 until the beginning of 2020, he was Scientific Coordinator of the Technical and Scientific Services’ Animal Research Unit at the Universidad de Oviedo.

He has been Director and Coordinator of the Translational Health Interventions research group since its creation and incorporation into the Universidad de Oviedo directory of research groups in 2016, as part of the Biomedicine and Health cluster. The group subsequently joined ISPA in 2017.

Cristina Tomás Zapico

Cristina Tomás has a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry (2000) and a PhD (2006) from the Universidad de Oviedo, for which she obtained the Outstanding PhD Thesis Award (2008). During her time as a PhD candidate, when she was funded by an FPU (university teacher training) grant, she completed several national and international postings with expert groups in oxidative stress (Georg-August-Universität Göttingen; Universidad de Granada; Universidad de Sevilla) and autophagy (Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York). In 2006, she moved to the “Severo Ochoa” Centre for Molecular Biology (CSIC / Universidad Autónoma de Madrid), funded by a Ministry of Education and Science postdoctoral grant and, subsequently, by a “Juan de la Cierva” contract. There, she specialised in the molecular bases of Huntingdon’s Disease, developing an ongoing interest in the physiopathology of the brain in neurodegenerative diseases.

During her PhD and postdoctoral training periods, she taught on Bachelor’s degree courses in Biology (Universidad de Oviedo) and Biochemistry (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid). In 2011, she joined the Department of Functional Biology at the Universidad de Oviedo as a Lecturer, delivering classes in several courses on physiology, as part of the Bachelor’s programmes in Medicine, Biology, Nursing and Dentistry.

Benjamín Fernández García

Benjamín Fernández graduated as a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (1987), a Consultant in Physical Education and Sports Medicine (1991) and a Doctor of Medicine and Surgery (2000) at the Universidad de Oviedo, and has a Master’s degree in High Performance in Sports from the Spanish Olympic Committee (2001). He is a Corresponding Academic Member of RAMPRA (Royal Academy of Medicine of Asturias, 2016).

He has been a Lecturer at the Universidad de Oviedo since 7 November 2000 and teaches on the Master’s degree in High Performance in Sports, organised by the Spanish Olympic Committee.

He is a member of the INSITE (the INternational Study group for the Identification and Treatment of Endofibrosis) international study group on iliac artery endofibrosis in athletes, and has been a member of the National Commission for the Physical Education and Sports medical specialism.

He has extensive professional experience as a sports physician: in 1988 he became a doctor for the Fundación Deportiva Municipal de Avilés (Avilés Sports Foundation) and the Regional Sports Medicine Unit of the Principado de Asturias. He has been: a doctor in the Olympic Sports Association programme for the 1992 Olympic Games (ADO92, 1990-1992); the canoeing team doctor for the Real Federación Española de Piragüismo (Royal Spanish Canoeing Federation, 1988); team doctor for the CLAS-Cajastur and Mapei-GB professional cycling teams (1990-1996), with whom he participated in large-scale cycling tours such as the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España; a doctor for the Real Federación Española de Deportes de Invierno (Royal Spanish Winter Sports Federation, 1999-2002), participating as a doctor in the Spanish Olympic team in the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics in 2002 and acting as the Real Federación Española de Deportes de Invierno representative on the Medical Commission of the International Ski Federation; and a doctor on the Anti-doping Commission of the Real Federación Española de Piragüismo (2003-2004).

Name	Organisation	Activity	Euraxess classification
Fernández del Valle, María	Universidad de Oviedo	Research/Teaching	R2
Fernández García, Benjamín	Universidad de Oviedo	Research/Teaching	R3
Fernández Sanjurjo, Manuel	FINBA	Research/Teaching	R2
Iglesias Gutiérrez, Eduardo	Universidad de Oviedo	Research/Teaching	R4
Pinto Hernández, Paola	Universidad de Oviedo	Research	R1
Terrados Cepeda, Nicolás	Ayuntamiento de Avilés	Research/Clinical/Teaching	R2
Tomás Zapico, Cristina	Universidad de Oviedo	Research/Teaching	R3

This is a relatively new research group made up of high-level researchers, including young scientists and researchers with well-established careers, academics and clinicians, from several institutions and organisations, all of whom have successful and productive lines of independent research. In light of their shared scientific interest (primarily, the role of diet and exercise as positive health interventions for the population) and great personal rapport, they decided to form a research group in 2015. The Translational Health Interventions research group was officially established in 2016, when it was incorporated into the Universidad de Oviedo directory of research groups, within the Biomedicine and Health cluster, before being accredited by ANEP (Spanish National Agency for Assessment and Prospective Studies). It was also in 2016 that the group published their first joint article. In 2017, the group was joined ISPA as an associated group. The team is multidisciplinary, including clinicians and basic researchers in biology, biochemistry, medicine, biotechnology, and physical activity and sports science. This helps the group to perform basic and translational research that has clinical applications and makes an impact on public health policies. Our lines of research are of a highly translational and cross-cutting nature, meaning that the group not only functions effectively in its own right, but offers significant potential for collaboration with other research groups.

Some of the research group’s most significant strategic objectives include:

• Consolidating and strengthening the research group, maintaining its current members and improving its capacity to incorporate new PhD and postdoctoral researchers.
• Reducing dependency on national public funding and increasing participation in international projects and other types of funding, particularly corporate sponsorship.
• Participating in regional policies promoting a healthy diet and active lifestyle by evaluating the dietary habits and physical activity of the population. To achieve this objective, we will engage in more in-depth research into the mechanisms by which exercise and diet perform their preventive, protective and health-promotion role. The results of our lines of research will be presented and made available to health and education organisations, so as to help shape and increase the efficiency of their policies.
• Increasing the group’s visibility in both biomedical science settings and social and institutional contexts, for the benefit of the wider community. For this purpose, we intend to participate more actively in science communication activities (conferences, professional seminars, etc.), institutional advisory commissions and bodies, as well as national and international expert groups.

1. Circulating microRNAs as emerging biomarkers for response and adaptation to exercise.
2. The effect of exercise upon the mother-child epigenetic legacy: circulating microRNAs as biomarkers for prenatal and postnatal transgenerational metabolic risk.
3. Ageing and lifestyle: cellular and molecular adaptations to physical exercise and diet for improving cognitive reserve. (Lead Researchers: Cristina Tomás Zapico and Benjamín Fernández García)
4. Nutritional assessment and intervention in people and animal models.

Total number of publications listed on PubMed in the last five years: 57.

• de Gonzalo-Calvo D, Dávalos A, Fernández-Sanjurjo M, Amado-Rodríguez L, Díaz-Coto S, Tomás-Zapico C, Montero A, García-González Á, Llorente-Cortés V, Heras ME, Boraita Pérez A, Díaz-Martínez ÁE, Úbeda N, Iglesias-Gutiérrez E. Circulating microRNAs as emerging cardiac biomarkers responsive to acute exercise. Int J Cardiol. 2018 Aug 1;264:130-136. doi: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2018.02.092. Impact factor (IF): 4.034 (JCR 2017), Q2 CARDIAC AND CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEMS.
• Fernández-Sanjurjo M, de Gonzalo-Calvo D, Fernández-García B, Díez-Robles S, Martínez-Canal Á, Olmedillas H, Dávalos A, Iglesias-Gutiérrez E. Circulating microRNA as Emerging Biomarkers of Exercise. Exerc Sport Sci Rev. 2018 Jul;46(3):160-171. doi: 10.1249/JES.0000000000000148. IF: 5.065 (JCR 2017), Q1 SPORT SCIENCES.
• Tomé-Carneiro J, Fernández-Alonso N, Tomás-Zapico C, Visioli F, Iglesias-Gutierrez E, Dávalos A. Breast milk microRNAs harsh journey towards potential effects in infant development and maturation. Lipid encapsulation can help. Pharmacol Res. 2018 Jun;132:21-32. doi: 10.1016/j.phrs.2018.04.003. IF: 4.897 (JCR 2017), Q1 PHARMACOLOGY AND PHARMACY.
• Marqués-Jiménez D, Calleja-González J, Arratibel-Imaz I, Delextrat A, Uriarte F, Terrados N. Influence of different types of compression garments on exercise-induced muscle damage markers after a soccer match. Res Sports Med. 2018 Jan-Mar;26(1):27-42. doi: 10.1080/15438627.2017.1393755. IF: 1.87 (JCR 2017), Q2 SPORT SCIENCES.
• Olmedillas H, Vicente-Rodríguez G. Stabilization in the Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in Spanish Children and Young Adolescents. Rev Esp Cardiol(Engl Ed). 2017 Aug;70(8):629630. doi:10.1016/j.rec.2017.02.047. IF: 5.16, Q1 CARDIAC & CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEMS.
• Tomé-Carneiro J, Crespo MC, Iglesias-Gutierrez E, Martín R, Gil-Zamorano J, Tomas-Zapico C, Burgos-Ramos E, Correa C, Gómez-Coronado D, Lasunción MA, Herrera E, Visioli F, Dávalos A. Hydroxytyrosol supplementation modulates the expression of miRNAs in rodents and in humans. J Nutr Biochem. 2016 Aug;34:146-55. doi: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2016.05.009. IF: 4.518, Q1 BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY.
• INSITE Collaborators (INternational Study group for Identification and Treatment of Endofibrosis): Hinchliffe RJ, D'Abate F, Abraham P, Alimi Y, Beard J, Bender M, Björck M, Edmundson C, Fernandez Garcia B, Cherry K, Álvarez Fernández LJ, Feugier P, Lee J, Palfreeman R, Passfield L, Peach G, Ricco JB, Rimpler H, Roake J, Rouviere O, Schep G, Spark I, Schumacher YO, Zierler RE.. Diagnosis and Management of Iliac Artery Endofibrosis: Results of a Delphi Consensus Study. Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg. 2016 Jul;52(1):90-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ejvs.2016.04.004. IF: 4.061, Q1 SURGERY.
• Díez-Planelles C, Sánchez-Lozano P, Crespo MC, Gil-Zamorano J, Ribacoba R, González N, Suárez E, Martínez-Descals A, Martínez-Camblor P, Álvarez V, Martín-Hernández R, Huerta-Ruíz I, González-García I, Cosgaya JM, Visioli F, Dávalos A, Iglesias-Gutiérrez E, Tomás-Zapico C. Circulating microRNAs in Huntington's disease: Emerging mediators in metabolic impairment. Pharmacol Res. 2016 Jun;108:102-110. doi: 10.1016/j.phrs.2016.05.005. IF: 4.480, Q1 PHARMACOLOGY AND PHARMACY.
• Casas-Agustench P, Iglesias-Gutiérrez E, Dávalos A. Mother's nutritional miRNA legacy: Nutrition during pregnancy and its possible implications to develop cardiometabolic disease in later life. Pharmacol Res. 2015 Oct;100:322-34. doi: 10.1016/j.phrs.2015.08.017. IF: 4.816, Q1 PHARMACOLOGY AND PHARMACY.
• de Gonzalo-Calvo D, Dávalos A, Montero A, García-González Á, Tyshkovska I, González-Medina A, Soares SM, Martínez-Camblor P, Casas-Agustench P, Rabadán M, Díaz-Martínez ÁE, Úbeda N, Iglesias-Gutiérrez E. Circulating inflammatory miRNA signature in response to different doses of aerobic exercise. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2015 Jul 15;119(2):124-34. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00077.2015. IF: 3.004, Q1 SPORT SCIENCES.
• Martín M, Lorca R, Fernández B, Reguero JJ. Pre-participation screening and athlete's heart: A long way to run. Int J Cardiol. 2015 Jul 15;191:81. doi: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2015.04.262. IF: 4.638, Q1 CARDIAC & CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEMS.
• Schelling X, Calleja-González J, Torres-Ronda L, Terrados N. Using testosterone and cortisol as biomarker for training individualization in elite basketball: a 4-year follow-up study. J Strength Cond Res. 2015 Feb;29(2):368-78. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000642. IF: 1.97, Q2 SPORT SCIENCES.
• Moro-García MA, Fernández-García B, Echeverría A, Rodríguez-Alonso M, Suárez-García FM, Solano-Jaurrieta JJ, López-Larrea C, Alonso-Arias R. Frequent participation in high volume exercise throughout life is associated with a more differentiated adaptive immune response. Brain Behav Immun. 2014 Jul;39:61-74. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2013.12.014. IF: 5.889, Q1 NEUROSCIENCES.
• Cuesta A, Del Valle ME, García-Suárez O, Viña E, Cabo R, Vázquez G, Cobo JL, Murcia A, Alvarez-Vega M, García-Cosamalón J, Vega JA. Acid-sensing ion channels in healthy and degenerated human intervertebral disc. Connect Tissue Res. 2014 Jun;55(3):197-204. doi: 10.3109/03008207.2014.884083. IF: 1.602, Q2 ORTHOPEDICS.
• Gil-Zamorano J, Martin R, Daimiel L, Richardson K, Giordano E, Nicod N, García-Carrasco B, Soares SM, Iglesias-Gutiérrez E, Lasunción MA, Sala-Vila A, Ros E, Ordovás JM, Visioli F, Dávalos A. Docosahexaenoic acid modulates the enterocyte Caco-2 cell expression of microRNAs involved in lipid metabolism. J Nutr. 2014 May;144(5):575-85. doi: 10.3945/jn.113.189050. IF: 3.875, Q1 NUTRITION & DIETETICS.
• Casadei N, Pöhler AM, Tomás-Zapico C, Torres-Peraza J, Schwedhelm I, Witz A, Zamolo I, De Heer R, Spruijt B, Noldus LP, Klucken J, Lucas JJ, Kahle PJ, Krüger R, Riess O, Nuber S. Overexpression of synphilin-1 promotes clearance of soluble and misfolded alpha-synuclein without restoring the motor phenotype in aged A30P transgenic mice. Hum Mol Genet. 2014 Feb 1;23(3):767-81. doi: 10.1093/hmg/ddt467. IF: 6.393, Q1 BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY.
• González-López A, López-Alonso I, Aguirre A, Amado-Rodríguez L, Batalla-Solís E, Astudillo A, Tomás-Zapico C, Fueyo A, dos Santos CC, Talbot K, Albaiceta GM. Mechanical ventilation triggers hippocampal apoptosis by vagal and dopaminergic pathways. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2013 Sep 15;188(6):693-702. doi: 10.1164/rccm.201304-0691OC. IF: 11.041, Q1 RESPIRATORY SYSTEM.
• de Gonzalo-Calvo D, Fernández-García B, de Luxán-Delgado B, Rodríguez-González S, García-Macia M, Suárez FM, Solano JJ, Rodríguez-Colunga MJ, Coto-Montes A. Chronic training increases blood oxidative damage but promotes health in elderly men. Age (Dordr). 2013 Apr;35(2):407-17. doi: 10.1007/s11357-011-9358-6. IF: 3.445, Q1 GERIATRICS AND GERONTOLOGY (11/49).
• Fuentes T, Ponce-González JG, Morales-Alamo D, de Torres-Peralta R, Santana A, De Pablos-Velasco P, Olmedillas H, Guadalupe-Grau A, Rodríguez-García L, Serrano-Sanchez JA, Guerra B, Calbet JA. Isoinertial and isokinetic sprints: muscle signalling. Int J Sports Med. 2013 Apr;34(4):285-92. doi: 10.1055/s-0032-1312583. IF: 2.37, Q1 SPORT SCIENCES.
• Santos L, Fernandez-Rio J, Winge K, Barragán-Pérez B, González-Gómez L, Rodríguez-Pérez V, González-Díez V, Lucía A, Iglesias-Soler E, Dopico-Calvo X, Fernández-Del-Olmo M, Del-Valle M, Blanco-Traba M, Suman OE, Rodríguez-Gómez J. Effects of progressive resistance exercise in akinetic-rigid Parkinson's disease patients: a randomized controlled trial. Eur J Phys Rehabil Med. 2017 Mar 13. doi: 10.23736/S1973-9087.17.04572-5. IF: 2.208, Q1 REHABILITATION.

Translational Health Interventions Research Group

• Principal investigator: Eduardo Iglesias Gutiérrez.
• Funding body: Universidad de Oviedo. Grants to support the research activities of research groups approved by the Universidad de Oviedo.
• Duration: 01/01/2018 to 16/11/2018.
• Amount: €1,650

Clearing target proteins from cerebrospinal fluid: an innovative approach to reversing neurodegenerative diseases.

• Principal investigator: Cristina Tomás Zapico.
• Funding body: Universidad de Oviedo. Grants to support research projects. Type A: grants to incentivise European or national projects (bridging grants) for teaching or research staff.
• Duration: 01/01/2018 to 16/11/2018.
• Amount: €2,526

Mechanisms involved in exercise for health: characterisation and validation of circulating microRNAs as epigenetic regulators of the molecular response to exercise (M-REX) (DEP2015-69980-P)

• Principal investigator: Benjamín Fernández García.
• Funding body: MINECO, R & D Projects, within the Spanish National Programme for the Promotion of Scientific and Technical Excellence, National Subprogramme for Knowledge Generation, as part of the Spanish National Plan for Scientific Research, Technical Research and Innovation 2013-2016.
• Duration: 01/01/2016 to 31/12/2018.
• Amount: €70,843.40

Physiological adaptations in the adult heart to resistance and strength exercises: the role of autophagy (PAPI17-PEMERG-16).

• Principal investigator: Cristina Tomás Zapico.
• Funding body: Universidad de Oviedo.
• Duration: 01/01/2017 to 31/05/2018.
• Amount: €6,000

Prescribing cardiovascular exercise to healthy and sick people: homocysteine kinetics and mechanism of metabolic response to exercise (PRECISE) (DEP2012-39262).

• Principal investigator: Eduardo Iglesias Gutiérrez.
• Funding body: Dirección General de Investigación y Gestión del Plan Nacional de I+D+i (General Office of Research and Coordination of the National RDI Plan), Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad.
• Duration: 01/02/2013 to 31/01/2015.
• Amount: €83,070

The influence of swimming on bone development in adolescents: evaluation of circulating microRNAs

• Principal investigator: Hugo Olmedillas Fernández.
• Funding body: Universidad de Oviedo.
• Duration: 01/01/2014 to 31/12/2014.
• Amount: €1,400

Supervisors	Title	PhD Student	Organisation	Date of Viva
Cristina Tomás Zapico Benjamín Fernández Granda	The role of autophagy in the adaptive response in the brain to strength and resistance training	Helena Codina Martínez	Universidad de Oviedo	2019
Hugo Olmedillas Fernández	Bone metabolism in adolescent cyclists	Marta Rapún López	Universidad de Zaragoza	2017
Eduardo Iglesias Gutiérrez Benjamín Fernández García	The effect of a nutritional intervention programme implemented with adolescent footballers on their dietary behaviour and nutritional status when adults: a qualitative approach	Pedro García Zapico	Universidad de Oviedo	2016
Nicolás Terrados Cepeda Julio Calleja González	Comparison of different methods for calculating the individual anaerobic threshold and its equivalence with the maximum stable state	Iñaki Arratíbel Imaz	Universidad del País Vasco	2014
Nicolás Terrados Cepeda Julio Calleja González	Kinanthropometric, physiological and haematological parameters of an elite mountain climber	Gaizka Mejuto Hidalgo	Universidad del País Vasco	2013
Benjamín Fernández García Laura Cabiedes Miragaya	Analysis of the efficacy and efficiency of minor surgery in terms of cost, technical quality and perceived quality, according to professionals and the clinical setting in which it is performed	Enrique Oltra Rodríguez	Universidad de Oviedo	2013

 

• A group associated with ISPA has received one of the 19th National Sports Medicine Research Awards (9/3/2018)
• Two ISPA groups participate in developing a new treatment for Alzheimer’s (17/11/2018)
• ISPA researchers analyse nutrition in Asturias (26/7/2019)
• Inauguration of the IN MOTU SALUS research network, led by ISPA researchers (29/7/2019)