Laboratory of Neural Stem Cells and Brain Damage. PI: Daniel Tornero Prieto

Presentation

The group uses human Neural Stem Cells for neurological disease modelling and the development of cell therapies for brain stroke. We are mainly interested in the functional aspects of neuronal network’s development applied to the in vitro models using brain-on-chip technology and to the functional integration of neural progenitors grafted in the damaged brain using animal models. We take advantage of top technological advances, including monosynaptic anterograde tracing with pseudotyped-rabies virus and monitorization of neuronal activity with genetically encoded calcium indicators, together with a wide network of national and international collaborators to develop novel advanced therapies that combines genetics and stem cell-based approaches.The group uses human Neural Stem Cells for neurological disease modelling and the development of cell therapies for brain stroke. We are mainly interested in the functional aspects of neuronal network’s development applied to the in vitro models using brain-on-chip technology and to the functional integration of neural progenitors grafted in the damaged brain using animal models. We take advantage of top technological advances, including monosynaptic anterograde tracing with pseudotyped-rabies virus and monitorization of neuronal activity with genetically encoded calcium indicators, together with a wide network of national and international collaborators to develop novel advanced therapies that combines genetics and stem cell-based approaches.

KEYWORDS: Neural stem cells, regenerative medicine, disease modelling, brain-on-chip, stroke, functional integration, neural networks.

Members of the group

Daniel Tornero Prieto
Associate Professor
daniel.tornero@ub.edu
https://twitter.com/NSC_BrainDamage
http://www.neurociencies.ub.edu/daniel-tornero/

Anna-Christina Haeb
PhD student
haeb.anna@web.de

Alba Ortega Gascó
Postdoctoral researcher
albaortega@ub.edu

Clàudia Puigsasllosas Pastor
TFM student
clpuigsp13@alumnes.ub.edu

Lines of research

Neuronal replacement in stem cell therapies for stroke-damaged brain.
Functional studies in neuronal networks using intracellular calcium imaging.
Brain-on-chip models to mimic healthy and diseased neuronal connectivity.
Gene editing in neural stem cells for the generation of brain disease in vitro models.

Projects of research

Redes neuronales humanas diseñadas para el desarrollo de tareas de inteligencia artificial

Project reference: -
Principal investigator: Daniel Tornero Prieto
Affiliation entity:Universitat de Barcelona
Funding entity: Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación
Period: 01/04/2024 - 31/03/2026
Funding received: 394.629,40 €

In vivo reprogramming to rescue alterations in Huntington’s disease

Project reference: HR21-00622
Principal investigator: Josep Maria Canals Coll
Affiliation entity: Universitat de Barcelona
Funding entity: Fundació “La Caixa”
Period: 01/11/2021 - 31/10/2024
Funding received: 994.890 €

Improving Functional Integration of hiPSC-derived neural progenitors transplanted into Ischemic Stroked-Brain

Project reference: PID2020-118120RB-I00
Principal investigator: Daniel Tornero Prieto
Affiliation entity: Universitat de Barcelona
Funding entity: Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación
Period: 01/09/2021 - 31/08/2024
Funding received: 169.400 €

Neuronal networks from Cortical human iPSCs for Machine Learning Processing (NEU-ChiP)

Project reference: 964877
Principal investigator: Daniel Tornero Prieto and Jordi Soriano Fradera
Affiliation entity: Universitat de Barcelona (Fundació Bosch i Gimpera)
Funding entity: European Union FET-Open
Period: 01/09/2021 - 31/08/2024
Funding received: 3.461.780 €

Publications

For more information for PI publications click in the link:
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4812-4091
ResearcherID: https://publons.com/researcher/1292489/daniel-tornero/
Scopus Author ID: https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=6506127151

Ened Rodríguez-Urgellés, Diana Casas-Torremocha, Anna Sancho-Balsells, Iván Ballasch, Esther García-García, Lluis Miquel-Rio, Arnau Manasanch, Ignacio del Castillo, Wanqi Chen, Anika Pupak, Veronica Brito, Daniel Tornero, Manuel J. Rodríguez, Analia Bortolozzi, Maria V. Sanchez-Vives, Albert Giralt & Jordi Alberch. Thalamic Foxp2 regulates output connectivity and sensory-motor impairments in a model of Huntington’s Disease. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences. Original Article, Published: 21 November 2023, Volume 80, article number 367, (2023). Cell. Mol. Life Sci.2023 Nov 21; 80(12):367. doi: 10.1007/ s00018-023-05015-z.. PMID: 37987826

Pereira I, Lopez-Martinez MJ, Villasante A, Introna C, Tornero D, Canals JM, Samitier J. Hyaluronic acid-based bioink improves the differentiation and network formation of neural progenitor cells. Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2023 Mar 3;11: 1110547. doi: 10.3389 /fbioe.2023.1110547. eCollection 2023. PMID: 36937768 Free PMC article.

Morales Pantoja IE, Smirnova L, Muotri AR, Wahlin KJ, Kahn J, Boyd JL, Gracias DH, Harris TD, Cohen-Karni T, Caffo BS, Szalay AS, Han F, Zack DJ, Etienne-Cummings R, Akwaboah A, Romero JC, Alam El Din DM, Plotkin JD, Paulhamus BL, Johnson EC, Gilbert F, Curley JL, Cappiello B, Schwamborn JC, Hill EJ, Roach P, Tornero D, Krall C, Parri R, Sillé F, Levchenko A, Jabbour RE, Kagan BJ, Berlinicke CA, Huang Q, Maertens A, Herrmann K, Tsaioun K, Dastgheyb R, Habela CW, Vogelstein JT, Hartung T. First Organoid Intelligence (OI) workshop to form an OI community. Front Artif Intell. 2023 Feb 28; 6:1116870. doi: 10.3389 /frai.2023.1116870. eCollection 2023. PMID: 36925616 Free PMC article. Review.

Montalà-Flaquer M, López-León CF, Tornero D, Houben AM, Fardet T, Monceau P, Bottani S, Soriano J. Rich dynamics and functional organization on topographically designed neuronal networks in vitro. iScience. 2022 Nov 26; 25(12): 105680. doi: 10.1016/ j.isci.2022.105680. eCollection 2022 Dec 22. PMID: 36567712 Free PMC article.

Estévez-Priego E, Moreno-Fina M, Monni E, Kokaia Z, Soriano J, Tornero D. Long-term calcium imaging reveals functional development in hiPSC-derived cultures comparable to human but not rat primary cultures. Stem Cell Reports. 2023 Jan 10;18(1): 205-219. doi: 10.1016 /j.stemcr. 2022.11.014. Epub 2022 Dec 22. PMID: 36563684 Free PMC article.

Tornero D. Neuronal circuitry reconstruction after stem cell therapy in damaged brain. Neural Regen Res. 2022 Sep; 17(9): 1959-1960. doi: 10.4103/ 1673-5374.335145. PMID: 35142674 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

Palma-Tortosa S, Coll-San Martin B, Kokaia Z, Tornero D. Neuronal Replacement in Stem Cell Therapy for Stroke: Filling the Gap. Front Cell Dev Biol. 2021 Apr 6;9: 662636. doi: 10.3389/ fcell.2021. 662636. eCollection 2021. PMID: 33889578

Memanishvili T; Monni E; Tatarishvili J; Lindvall O; Tsiskaridze A; Kokaia Z; Tornero D. Poly(ester amide) microspheres are efficient vehicles for long-term intracerebral growth factor delivery and improve functional recovery after stroke. Biomed Mater. 2020 Nov 21; 15(6): 065020. doi: 10.1088/ 1748-605X/ aba4f6. PMID: 32650328

Grønning Hansen M; Laterza C; Palma-Tortosa S; Kvist G; Monni E; Tsupykov O; Tornero D; Uoshima N; Soriano J; Bengzon J; Martino G; Skibo G; Lindvall O; Kokaia Z. Grafted human pluripotent stem cell-derived cortical neurons integrate into adult human cortical neural circuitry. Stem Cells Transl Med. 2020. Nov;9(11): 1365-1377. doi: 10.1002/ sctm.20-0134. Epub 2020 Jun 29. PMID: 32602201

Palma-Tortosa S; Tornero D; Grønning Hansen M; Monni E; Hajy M; Kartsivadze S; Aktay S; Tsupykov O; Parmar M; Deisseroth K; Skibo G; Lindvall O; Kokaia Z. Activity in grafted human iPS cell-derived cortical neurons integrated in stroke-injured rat brain regulates motor behavior. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2020 Apr 21; 117(16): 9094-9100. doi: 10.1073/ pnas.2000690117. Epub 2020 Apr 6. PMID: 32253308

Teller, S; Estevez-Priego, E; Granell, C; Tornero, D; Andilla, J; Olarte, OE; Loza-Alvarez, P; Arenas, A; Soriano, J. Spontaneous Functional Recovery after Focal Damage in Neuronal Cultures. eNeuro, 2020 Jan 3;7(1): ENEURO.0254-19.2019. doi: 10.1523/ ENEURO. 0254-19.2019. Print Jan/Feb 2020. PMID: 31818830

Ge R; Tornero D; Hirota M; Monni E; Laterza C; Lindvall O; Kokaia Z. Choroid plexus-cerebrospinal fluid route for monocyte-derived macrophages after stroke. J Neuroinflammation. 2017 Jul 28; 14(1): 153. doi: 10.1186/ s12974-017-0909-3. PMID: 28754163

de la Rosa-Prieto C; Laterza C; Gonzalez-Ramos A; Wattananit S; Ge R; Lindvall O; Tornero D; Kokaia Z. Stroke alters behavior of human skin-derived neural progenitors after transplantation adjacent to neurogenic area in rat brain. Stem Cell Res Ther. 2017 Mar 9; 8(1): 59. doi: 10.1186/ s13287-017-0513-6. PMID: 28279192

Tornero D; Tsupykov O; Granmo M; Rodriguez C; Grønning-Hansen M; Thelin J; Smozhanik E; Laterza C; Wattananit S; Ge R; Tatarishvili J; Grealish S; Brüstle O; Skibo G; Parmar M; Schouenborg J; Lindvall O; Kokaia Z. Synaptic inputs from stroke-injured brain to grafted human stem cell-derived neurons activated by sensory stimuli. Brain. 2017 Mar 1; 140(3): 692-706. doi: 10.1093/ brain/aww347. PMID: 28115364

Kokaia Z; Tornero D; Lindvall O. Transplantation of reprogrammed neurons for improved recovery after stroke. Prog Brain Res. 2017; 231:245-263. doi: 10.1016/ bs.pbr. 2016.11.013. Epub 2017 Jan 6. PMID: 28554399

Wattananit S; Tornero D; Graubardt N; Memanishvili T; Monni E; Tatarishvili J; Miskinyte G; Ge R; Ahlenius H; Lindvall O; Schwartz M; Kokaia Z. Monocyte-Derived Macrophages Contribute to Spontaneous Long-Term Functional Recovery after Stroke in Mice. J Neurosci. 2016 Apr 13; 36(15): 4182-95. doi: 10.1523/ JNEUROSCI.4317-15.2016. PMID: 27076418

Memanishvili T; Kupatadze N; Tugushi D; Katsarava R; Wattananit S; Hara N; Tornero D; Kokaia Z. Generation of cortical neurons from human induced-pluripotent stem cells by biodegradable polymeric microspheres loaded with priming factors. Biomedical Materials, 2016 Mar 23; 11(2): 025011. doi: 10.1088/ 1748-6041/ 11/2/025011. PMID: 27007569

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