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by Keyword: Direct conversion
Arnau, Marc, Sans, Jordi, Turon, Pau, Aleman, Carlos, (2025). Sustainable oxidation of methane into formic acid using a polarized bioceramic under mild reaction conditions Sustainable Energy & Fuels 14, 3808-3819 
The conversion of methane into useful chemicals has an enormous interest from both economic and social points of view as it is an important feedstock in chemical industry and is the second most important greenhouse gas contributor to climate change. In this work, we report the sustainable and selective conversion of methane into formic acid in batch and continuous-flow conditions using a biocatalyst made of permanently polarized. Formic acid was the only product identified in absence of UV irradiation, while a mixture of formic acid and methanol was obtained under UV light. The reaction pathway was investigated, on the one hand experimentally, by varying the reaction time, temperature and pressure in a batch reactor, in addition to the analysis of gaseous products, which allowed to understand the role of UV light in the change of selectivity, and on the other hand theoretically, using Density Functional Theory (DFT) computer calculations. The reaction pathway was experimentally investigated varying the reaction time, temperature and pressure in a batch reactor, besides gas products analysis, enabling to understand the UV light role in selectivity shift. Continuous-flow reactions using non-irradiated catalysts were conducted at 120 degrees C, produced a formic acid yield of 4.2 mmol per gram of catalyst and hour.
JTD Keywords: Amino-acid, Direct conversion
Fontcuberta-PiSunyer, M, García-Alamán, A, Prades, É, Téllez, N, Alves-Figueiredo, H, Ramos-Rodríguez, M, Enrich, C, Fernandez-Ruiz, R, Cervantes, S, Clua, L, Ramón-Azcón, J, Broca, C, Wojtusciszyn, A, Montserrat, N, Pasquali, L, Novials, A, Servitja, JM, Vidal, J, Gomis, R, Gasa, R, (2023). Direct reprogramming of human fibroblasts into insulin-producing cells using transcription factors Communications Biology 6, 256
Direct lineage reprogramming of one somatic cell into another without transitioning through a progenitor stage has emerged as a strategy to generate clinically relevant cell types. One cell type of interest is the pancreatic insulin-producing β cell whose loss and/or dysfunction leads to diabetes. To date it has been possible to create β-like cells from related endodermal cell types by forcing the expression of developmental transcription factors, but not from more distant cell lineages like fibroblasts. In light of the therapeutic benefits of choosing an accessible cell type as the cell of origin, in this study we set out to analyze the feasibility of transforming human skin fibroblasts into β-like cells. We describe how the timed-introduction of five developmental transcription factors (Neurog3, Pdx1, MafA, Pax4, and Nkx2-2) promotes conversion of fibroblasts toward a β-cell fate. Reprogrammed cells exhibit β-cell features including β-cell gene expression and glucose-responsive intracellular calcium mobilization. Moreover, reprogrammed cells display glucose-induced insulin secretion in vitro and in vivo. This work provides proof-of-concept of the capacity to make insulin-producing cells from human fibroblasts via transcription factor-mediated direct reprogramming.© 2023. The Author(s).
JTD Keywords: adult, beta-cells, differentiation, direct conversion, genes, in-vivo, islets, maturation, pancreatic progenitors, Pluripotent stem-cells
