The Research Group on Human Natural Killer Cell Biology is led by Dr. Miguel López-Botet, Professor of Immunology at University Pompeu Fabra (UPF) and head of the Immunology Service at Hospital del Mar. The research laboratory is located at the UPF premises in Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB).
The team has a long-standing and internationally recognized experience on the biology of human Natural Killer (NK) cells, which are involved in the immune response against infections and tumors.
The role of NK cells in the response to human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is currently being studied. HCMV infection may cause severe congenital neurological disorders in newborns, and constitutes a common complication for immunocompromised individuals (e.g transplant recipients). Our attention is oriented to: a) unravel the mechanism(s) of this pattern of adaptive NK cell response to the viral infection; b) explore its implications in the immune response to other pathogens and tumors, as well as in the pathophysiology of inflammatory disorders.
Research group website
