Clara Penas

Dr Clara Penas obtained the Biochemistry degree in 2003 in the University of Barcelona, and the Neurosciences Ph.D in the Universitat Autònoma of Barcelona in 2009. She performed a first postdoctoral stage in the Neurosurgical Repair Group of the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis in the University of Miami in 2010. Between 2011 and 2016, Dr Penas performed a second postdoctoral stage in Dr Ayad´s laboratory which belongs to Center for Therapeutic Innovation of the University of Miami. Then she obtained a COFUND/Marie-Sklodowska Curie Actions fellowship that allowed her integration in the laboratory of Dr Xavier Navarro in the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Dr Penas has authored over 20 publications and a book chapter.

Clara Penas' objective is the establishment of an epigenetic research in the CNS trauma field, to enhance functional recovery and reduce neuropathic pain. Epigenetic mechanism are alterations that produce changes in gene expression that occur without alteration in DNA sequence. These mechanisms are capable to sustain long-lasting effects on gene activity in response to environmental stimuli. Epigenetics is a burgeoning field in neuroscience but it has been concentrated in a few areas such as brain cancer, neurogenesis and psychiatric disorders. Thus, this is a novel and important area that remains to be investigated, which links the collaboration of different fields of research.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

• Penas C, Navarro X. (2018).  Modifications Associated to Neuroinflammation and Neuropathic Pain After Neural Trauma. Frontiers on Cellular Neuroscience. 12 - 158, pp. 1 - 13.

• Tan SK, Pastori C; Penas C, Komotar R, Ivan M, Wahlestedt C, Ayad NG.  (2018). Serum Long Noncoding RNA HOTAIR as a novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in glioblastoma multiforme. Molecular Cancer. 17 - 1, pp. 1 - 7.

•  Rodriguez-Blanco J, Pednekar L, Penas C, Li B, Martin V, Long J, Lee E, Weiss WA, Rodriguez C, Mehrdad N, Nguyen DM, Ayad NG, Rai P, Capobianco AJ, Robbins DJ. (2017).  Inhibition of WNT signaling attenuates self-renewal of SHH-subgroup medulloblastoma. Oncogene. Epub.

• Penas C, Hatten ME, Ayad NG. (2015). The APC/C and CK1 in the developing brain. Oncotarget. 10;6(19):16792-3.

• Penas C, Govek EE, Fang Y, Ramachandran V, Daniel M, Wang W, Maloof ME, Rahaim RJ, Bibian M Kawauchi D, Finkelstein D, Han JL, Long H, Li B, Robbins DJ, Malumbres M, Roussel M, Roush WR, Hatten ME, Ayad NG. (2015). CK1δ is an APC/CCdh1 Substrate Regulating Cerebellar Granule Cell Neurogenesis. Cell Reports. 11(2):249-60.

PUBLICATIONS WITHIN THE P-SPHERE PROJECT

• Sanchez-Ventura J, Navarro X, Penas C. BET proteins as a novel target to reduce inflammation and enhance functional recovery after SCI,  IV Scientific Conferences of the Institute of Neurosciences, Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Spain, 10/10/2018.

• Sánchez-Ventura J, Suarez AS, Navarro X, Penas C. BET proteins as a novel target to reduce inflammation and enhance functional recovery after SCI, Epigenetics in the Nervous system: development and disease, Stockholm, Sweden, 01/10/2018.

• Penas C, Maloof ME, Rodriguez-Blano J, Long J, Robbins D, Ayad NG. Phospho-BRD4 dependent control of GLI1 expression during cerebellar granule cell progenitor cell cycle exit, Epigenetic Mechanisms in Health and Disease, Barcelona, Spain, 25/10/2017.

• Penas C, Maloof ME, Rodriguez-Blanco J, Long J, Robbins D, Ayad NG Phospho-BRD4 dependent control of GLI1 expression during cerebellar granule cell progenitor cell cycle exit, 17 Congreso Nacional de la Sociedad Española de Neurociencia (SENC), Alicante, Spain, 27/09/2017.

• Penas C, Xavier Navarro. Las proteínas BET como diana terapéutica para dolor neuropático. IX Jornada del Departament de Biologia Celular, Fisiología i Immunologia, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Spain, 09/06/2017.

• Penas C, Ayad NG.A novel CK1d/BRD4 pathway for the treatment of medulloblastoma, 17th Annual Sylvester Comprehenisve Cancer Center Poster Session, Miami, United States of America, 01/04/2016.

• Penas C, Govek EE, Fang Y, Ramachandran V, Daniel M, Wang W, Maloof ME, Rahaim RJ, Bibian M, Kawauchi D, Finkelstein D, Han JL, Long H, Li B, Robbins DJ, Malumbres M, Roussel M, Roush WR, Hatten, ME, Ayad NG.Functional Proteomics Identifies CK1as a Therapeutic Target in Medulloblastoma, Zubrod Memorial Lecture and Sylvester Cancer Research Poster Session, Miami, United States of America, 15/05/2015.