Nuria Pell
Contact: pell@clinic.cat
Academic Role: PhD Student
Biography: Nuria Pell (Prades, Tarragona, 1991) earned her Bachelor’s of Science degree in Pharmacy from the University of Barcelona in 2014, and her Master of Science in Biomedical Research from the University Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona) in 2015. She performed her scientific research project and Master’s Thesis at the Laboratory of Chromatin Regulation of Human and Viral Gene Expression of the Molecular Genomics Department at the Molecular Biology Institute of Barcelona (IBMB-CSIC). She also conducted predoctoral research at the Laboratory of Cancer Therapy of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Barcelona (2011/2012). She also did a research internship at the Department of Human Genetics of the Leiden University Medical Center at the Netherlands (2013/2014), and worked as an associate pharmacist at Farmacia Vidal in Prades (2014). She has also earned the professional Certificate in Epigenetic Control of Gene Expression of the University of Melbourne (2014) and the Certificate in R Programming of the Johns Hopkins University (2015).
Nuria joined the Mercedes Fernandez Lab in September 2015 to perform her Predoctoral Training. She was awarded with a 4-years FPI Predoctoral Research Contract from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) in November 2015. During this period, she has earned the Certificate in Training on Experimental Animal Use and Design of Research Projects of the University of Barcelona (2016). Nuria has also received institutional training on statistical and scientific softwares SPSS and GraphPad (2017), and on Cytometry (2018), and participates in the oficial IDIBAPS Training Programme for Pre and Postdoctoral Researchers (from 2016). Conferences attended include the International Liver Congress of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) (Barcelona, 2016), the Barcelona Biomed Conferences: Epithelial Transitions and Cell Migration (Barcelona, 2016), the Beyond Cancer Genomes, Barcelona Conference on Epigenetics and Cancer; B-Debate, International Center for Scientific Debate (Barcelona, 2016), and the Liver Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD) (Washington DC, 2017). In this last meeting, Nuria presented our research in a Parallel Session. She has also been awarded with the 2017 Basic Science Young Investigator Travel Award from AASLD, which recognizes outstanding young basic science researchers working on liver disease. In October 2018, Nuria co-organized and co-presented the Workshop in Vascular Biology Techniques during the European Club for Liver Cell Biology meeting (Bonn, Germany). She also participated as a Faculty Member in the Basic School of Hepatology of the European Association for the Study of Liver (Barcelona, October 2018). In 2019, Núria conducted a 4-month research stay at Bernd Schnabl’s Lab, University of California San Diego School of Medicine. She co-organized the Workshop for Biomedical Students of the University International of Catalonia, that took place at the IDIBAPS (Barcelona, February 2020). Núria is also a volunteer of the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC) and actively participates in awareness campaigns to help prevent cancer, to support and accompany sick people and their families, and at the same time raise funds to finance research projects.
Publications
CPEB4 increases expression of PFKFB3 to induce glycolysis and activate mouse and human hepatic stellate cells, promoting liver fibrosis
Mejias M, Gallego J, Naranjo-Suarez S, Ramirez M, Pell N, Manzano A, Suñer C, Bartrons R, Mendez R, Fernandez M
Corresponding author: Mercedes Fernandez
Gastroenterology 2020; S0016-5085(20)30328-0 (doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2020.03.008).
CPEB4-driven PFKFB3-mediated metabolic reprogramming is essential for hepatic stellate cell activation and liver fibrosis: A novel druggable target
Mejias M, Gallego J, Naranjo-Suarez S, Ramirez M, Pell N, Manzano A, Bartrons R, Mendez R, Fernandez M
Corresponding author: Mercedes Fernandez
Hepatology 2019; 70 (Suppl):1444A
This abstract has been selected as a Presidential Poster of Distinction by the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD). Posters of Distinction are classified as being in the top 10% of all accepted poster abstracts and receive special recognition in the Poster Hall. It has been presented in the Basic Fibrosis Research and Stellate Cell Biology Session, at The Liver Meeting 2019 (Boston, Massachusetts).
This abstract has also been selected by the AASLD Liver Fibrosis Special Interest Group to be presented as an oral communication at the TechBar of the Liver Meeting 2019.
Intestinal stem cell proliferation and differentiation in alcoholic liver disease
Llorente C, Pell N, Brea Contreras R, Fouts DE, Karin M, Schnabl B
Hepatology 2019; 70 (Suppl):1366A
This abstract has been presented at The Liver Meeting 2019 (Boston, Massachusetts).
Pericytes in the gut
Ramirez M, Pell N, Mejias M, Fernandez M
Co-first authors: Marta Ramirez and Nuria Pell
Corresponding author: Mercedes Fernandez
Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology 2019; 1122:73-100, “Pericyte Biology in Different Organs”, Ed. A. Birbrair. Springer Nature, Switzerland AG
Invited Review
Therapeutic siRNA targeting endothelial KDR decreases portosystemic collateralization in portal hypertension
Gallego J, Garcia-Pras E, Mejias M, Pell N, Schaeper U, Fernandez M
Co-first authors: Javier Gallego and Ester Garcia-Pras
Corresponding author: Mercedes Fernandez
Scientific Reports (2017) 7:14791-14806 PubMed Springer Nature SharedIt
Gene therapy with endothelial-specific liposomal short interfering siRNA targeting kinase insert domain receptor inhibits portosystemic collateralization in portal hypertension
Gallego J, Garcia-Pras E, Mejias M, Pell N, Schaeper U, Fernandez M
Corresponding author: Mercedes Fernandez
Hepatology (2017); 66(1) (Suppl.): 141A
This abstract has been presented in Parallel Session at the Liver Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD) (Washington DC, 2017). The speaker and coauthor, Nuria Pell, has been awarded with the 2017 Basic Science Young Investigator Travel Award from AASLD, which recognizes outstanding young basic science researchers working on liver disease.
Pathogenesis of portal hypertension: Extrahepatic mechanisms
Fernandez M, Mejias M, Garcia-Pras E, Gallego J, Pell N, Ramirez M, Naranjo-Suarez S, Barrachina-Catala A
Corresponding author: Mercedes Fernandez
Current Hepatology Reports (2016) 15:199-207
Invited Review