Institutions of RICET
Carlos III Health Institute
Biological Research Centre
Ramon y Cajal Hospital
López Neyra Parasitology and Biomedicine Institute
Severa Ochoa Molecular Biology Centre, Autónoma University of Madrid
La Laguna University
Léon University
Murcia University
Salamanca University
Valencia University
GENERAL OBJECTIVE
To support the National Health System in the diagnostics, treatment and control of tropical diseases, by means of high level research and training. To achieve a synergy between the different research groups involved that provides added value to the research of each group within the NETWORK.
The following shall be developed:
Improve the diagnostics, search for new therapeutic formulae both at a pharmaceutical-chemical level and when developing new vaccines and immunotherapies, study and recommend control measures, and further the study of the relationships between the etiological agent of the disease, host and, where applicable, the transmitting vectors. The basic research lines are:
To support the National Health System in the diagnostics, treatment and control of tropical diseases, by means of high level research and training. To achieve a synergy between the different research groups involved that provides added value to the research of each group within the NETWORK.
The following shall be developed:
- a cooperative research project between the different Network Groups and Centres
- an infrastructure network to share the required research resources.
Improve the diagnostics, search for new therapeutic formulae both at a pharmaceutical-chemical level and when developing new vaccines and immunotherapies, study and recommend control measures, and further the study of the relationships between the etiological agent of the disease, host and, where applicable, the transmitting vectors. The basic research lines are:
- Diagnostics, Molecular Epidemiology, Phylogenetics and Evolution:
- Identifying new targets and developing molecular tools applicable to the diagnostics
- Validation of the new diagnostics methods in the clinical sphere and in endemicity regions
- Use of molecular markets in clinical-epidemiological studies.
- Host-parasite interactions and Pathophysiology
- Host/parasite biology
- Pathogenic mechanisms
- Physio-immunopathology
- Development of disease animal models
- Those aspects of basic research (cellular biology, targets, virulence, expression, genomics and proteomics) related between the different pathogens and their hosts (intermediary and definitive), whether human or vectors transmitters of the disease, shall be assessed.
- Studies on vectors and reservoirs
- The vectors that transmit the most important pathologies in the network as far as their characterisation, population variability, vector capacity, insect resistance, factors related with their biology and control shall be studied. Research shall also be carried out regarding the reservoirs that are intrinsically related with some pathologies.
- Therapeutics and Resistences:
- Identification of new molecular targets for the pharma-chemical action
- Developing new drugs and formulas
- New therapeutic strategies
- Resistance molecular markets
- Testing on animal models
- Therapeutic and clinical assays
- Vaccines and Immunotherapy:
- Locating targets
- Protection strategies
- Profilactics
- Therapeutics
- Adjuvants and immunomodulators
- Clinical assays
- F. Control:
- Incidence/prevalence studies of emerging, prevalent diseases, etc.
- Evaluation of control measures (insecticides, global positioning systems)
- Molecular entomology
- Clinical assays in phase III and IV of new treatments, prophylaxis, etc.
