Biomodels Unit of the Centro de investigación Príncipe Felipe

Within the Biomodels Unit of the CIPF, we have 3 subunits:

1. Pharmacological Screening and Computational Tools Subunit
2. Organoids and 3D Printing Subunit
3. Animal Models Subunit

Services

Pharmacological Screening and Computational Tools Unit

• Pharmacological screening (HTS and HCS); design of high-throughput screening assays, therapeutic identification-validation in biomodels.
• Design and execution of computational strategies.
• Assay design and image analysis applied to 2D and 3D biomodels.
• Transcriptomic analyses and molecular markers.
• Computing cluster consisting of 44 computing nodes (600 CPUs, 4 GPUs, and 11 Terabytes of cumulative RAM).
• Artificial intelligence tools, such as DoE and QbD (Sartorius Software).

Organoids and 3D Bioprinting Unit

• Generation of organ-on-chip models. Toxicity, traction force, contractility, and cellular invasion assays.
• Oncogenic signaling studies.
• Development of in vitro and in vivo patient tumor models (PDO and PDX).
• Creation of tumorsphere models in cancer cell lines and screenings.
• Metabolic and migratory characterization in 2D and 3D, and in vivo invasion/metastasis validation models.
• Cellular models (2D and 3D) for CNS and PNS diseases.
• Metabolic characterization of organoids and in vivo models.
• Genomic and functional characterization of biomodels.
• Study of 2D and 3D models using optical, electron, and intravital microscopy. Correlative volume electron microscopy (CLEM-vEM).
• Models of peripheral nerve connectivity and 3D reconstruction.
• Genomics service accredited as a clinical service.

Animal Models of Disease Unit

• Development of animal models:
• • Animal models for CNS and PNS diseases.
  • Animal models for retinal degeneration.
  • Animal models for hyperammonemia, hepatic encephalopathy, and Parkinson’s disease.
  • Animal models for mechanisms of cognitive and motor impairment and treatments to reverse them.
  • Animal models to evaluate tumor stroma and cachexia.
• Animal welfare consultancy and researcher training in animal experimentation.
• Transgenic Production Unit for generating preclinical models and cryopreservation of existing models. Expertise in Crispr/Cas techniques.
• Specialized facilities covering 700 m² with scientific equipment for animal experimentation, including:
  • Surgical microscope for intravitreal/subretinal injections.
  • Motorized stereotaxy.
  • Microdrills, nanoinjectors, perfusion pumps, calibrators, and thermoregulated surgical tables.

All CIPF services are ISO9001 certified.