Global health, emerging and re-emerging infections

General Objective

The Global Health, emerging and re-emerging infections Program, has as its main objective to strengthen translational research on autochthonous and imported, emerging and re-emerging tropical diseases, especially those caused by respiratory viruses and hemorrhagic viruses, and to improve knowledge and care of people who suffer from them, inside and outside our country. To this end, the work carried out is focused on optimizing clinical care for infections imported by travelers and immigrants, on the study of the biological and social factors that condition them, on improving diagnosis, on the search for new therapeutic formulas, the implementation of clinical trials and on the recommendation of prevention and control strategies, delving into the study of the relationships between the etiological agents of the disease, the host and, where appropriate, the transmitting vectors. All this is carried out through transversal actions related to the rest of the CIBERINFEC programs.

Specific objectives: lines of research

• Description, prevention and control of emerging and re-emerging tropical infections in migrants, travelers and people living in the tropics. These research lines will be carried out, inside and outside of Spain, through epidemiological surveillance, educational programs, and clinical care of excellence that takes into account linguistic and cultural factors.
• Research on the pathogenesis of emerging and re-emerging tropical diseases. Description of cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in infection. Proteomic and genomic approaches applied to the development of personalized medicine.
• Research on vector/reservoir/pathogen/final host interactions aimed at understanding the natural cycle of zoonotic agents and their relationship with environmental changes within the “One Health” concept.
• Promote and investigate the development of new diagnostic methods and their applicability in the context of Global Health. Identification of biomarkers of infection and disease.
• Research in the development of new targets and therapeutic strategies for tropical, emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. Clinical trials and development of therapeutic efficacy tests. Identification of genetic markers of drug resistance in pathogens.
• Develop and evaluate new prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines of interest in Global Health. Research of new rapid immunization approaches against outbreaks. Identification of biomarkers of immunity against pathogens.