The most common immunodeficiencies are those that tend to develop in adulthood and affect antibody production. Antibodies are proteins of the immune system responsible for the recognition of germs and the activation of different immune cells. They are produced by two types of cells: B lymphocytes or B cells and
The first question that comes to mind for an immunologist when they hear about paternal antibodies and their (supposed) relationship with recurrent reproductive failure is precisely, what are paternal antibodies? Those of us who work in clinical hospital immunology and perform analytical tests for organ transplantation are used to finding
Antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs) are autoantibodies that bind to phospholipid-associated proteins that are located in many types of cells, such as the walls of blood vessels, as well as in the cells of the endometrial mucosa and in the cells derived from embryonic development (trophoblast). When they bind to the target
Natural killer (NK) cells are a type of white blood cell (leukocyte) that are part of the group of cells that make up lymphocytes, which also includes B lymphocytes – the cells that start the production of antibodies – and T lymphocytes – the cells that orchestrate the immune system’s
I am a clinical immunologist with a clinical vocation since my first steps in the specialty. I have tried to train in-depth in the laboratory, which has allowed me to know the techniques, their limitations and their possibilities.
I am in charge of the Immunochemistry Laboratory at Hospital 12 de Octubre, a large public hospital with accredited activity with ISO 15189 by ENAC. In terms of patient care, I have trained in some of the best hospitals in Madrid in Immunodeficiencies and Autoimmunity such as the Hospital Ramón y Cajal, Hospital La Paz, Hospital Gregorio Marañón and Hospital Clínico San Carlos. I have also trained in courses of the European Society of Immunodeficiencies ESID in Freiburg (Germany) and I am part of the research group of Dr. Antonio Serrano in antiphospholipid syndromes, being currently co-principal investigator.
We have discovered and published very relevant contributions in this field, giving value to the diagnosis through the study of new autoantibodies such as anti-phosphatidylserine/prothrombin, anti-B2GPI immune complexes or IgA antibodies. At the moment we are working on a line that we believe will help to clarify the pathogenicity mechanisms of the Syndrome. On the other hand, we were the first in the world to treat this syndrome with a drug against plasma cells, achieving a very significant clinical remission. In addition, in all this time I have developed assistance to patients with infertility and infertility, with repeated implantation failure and with recurrent miscarriages.
I have worked in many clinics and with large teams, both immunologists, at the Hospital Ruber International, the Ruber Juan Bravo and Paseo de la Habana clinics, and Reproductive Medicine, such as Hospital HLA Moncloa and at Instituto Bernabéu, having given support and performed immunological assessment and intervention in national and international patients.
This experience has allowed me to develop a great passion for this clinical problem and challenge and has led me to orient my professional career also towards this field, in which I have read my doctoral thesis and to which I dedicate myself day by day working in conjunction with gynecologists from all over the country and abroad. In this area I have helped to develop or introduce a body of new diagnostic techniques such as extracriterion antiphospholipid antibodies, anti-intercellular substance antibodies, the proper interpretation of NK populations in the blood and a deeper understanding of the KIR genotype and HLA-C typing, looking beyond the genotype reported.
I have also participated and have adequate experience in the incorporation of new therapeutic strategies such as the use of hydroxychloroquine in antiphospholipid syndromes in Reproduction, therapies for KIR/HLA-C disparity and immunomodulators such as sirolimus or tacrolimus. My method is based on a deep medical history focused on the possible onset of the problems, the laboratory techniques used and the detailed review of the treatments used. Each patient and each case is different and it is necessary to adjust the treatments well, since it is not always necessary to introduce new drugs, but to adjust well the ones already used. As you can see, Clinical Immunology fascinates me because there is still much to explore, know and develop to help patients.