Publications by authors named "P Fernandez-Silva"

Context: SARS-CoV-2, responsible for COVID-19, has led to over 500 million infections and more than 6 million deaths globally. There have been limited effective treatments available. The study aims to find a drug that can prevent the virus from entering host cells by targeting specific sites on the virus's spike protein.

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Over the last decades, the evidence accumulated about the existence of respiratory supercomplexes (SCs) has changed our understanding of the mitochondrial electron transport chain organization, giving rise to the proposal of the "plasticity model." This model postulates the coexistence of different proportions of SCs and complexes depending on the tissue or the cellular metabolic status. The dynamic nature of the assembly in SCs would allow cells to optimize the use of available fuels and the efficiency of electron transfer, minimizing reactive oxygen species generation and favoring the ability of cells to adapt to environmental changes.

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Article Synopsis
  • The connection between mitochondria and cancer is gaining attention in research, but more work is needed to understand how mitochondrial changes contribute to tumor formation and identify specific mitochondrial traits associated with tumors.
  • A method called cybridization, where mitochondria from one cell type are introduced into another cell with a different nuclear background, is used to study this connection, particularly in challenging invasive cells.
  • The study introduces a new mitochondrial exchange protocol that works with suspension-growing cancer cells, allowing for a clearer investigation into the role of mitochondria in cancer progression and metastasis by overcoming the limitations of traditional cybridization techniques.
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The generation of temperature gradients on nanoparticles heated externally by a magnetic field is crucially important in magnetic hyperthermia therapy. But the intrinsic low heating power of magnetic nanoparticles, at the conditions allowed for human use, is a limitation that restricts the general implementation of the technique. A promising alternative is local intracellular hyperthermia, whereby cell death (by apoptosis, necroptosis, or other mechanisms) is attained by small amounts of heat generated at thermosensitive intracellular sites.

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