PEDRO MELGAR LESMES

I am Pharmacist, Biochemist and PhD in Biomedicine with more than 16 years of experience in Biomedical Sciences, Nanotechnology and Biomedical engineering. My education and training reflects my desire for a multidisciplinary and complementary framework that integrates multiple disciplines to uncover the best strategy to solve clinical problems. My research interest embraces fundamental questions in biomedical sciences and technical challenges in the therapy and diagnostic of liver diseases, and in solving each will aid in the resolution of the others. In particular, I apply state-of-the-art technologies to address a worldwide need for innovative approaches and advanced insight into tissue regeneration with special emphasis into hepatic regeneration. My research envisions to interfere with the cellular events that are gatekeepers in altered hepatic regeneration after chronic liver injury and fibrosis using novel therapeutic strategies: 1) Inorganic and polymeric nanoparticles designed to target, tag and treat inflammatory macrophages and to locally stimulate immune system for tissue regeneration after injury; 2) Cell therapy with implanted healthy matrix-embedded cells to either help recover physiological liver function after injury, or generating organoids to replace hepatic functions. Overall, my line of research focuses on the modulation of immune system and the microenvironment in liver disease to reduce injury and stimulate regeneration.

My greatest joy comes from bringing science and technology, engineering and pathophysiologic insights together. The training and exposure I have received have helped me understand how to use technology and biomedical knowledge to advance research and the accretion of knowledge to move technology forward. This is what I have done and this is what I will continue doing, for myself, with colleagues and for students and trainees in the University of Barcelona.