Hepatic and Intestinal Immunobiology Group

Multidisciplinary group focused on translational biomedical research in liver and digestive diseases (Imhilab).

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Inflammation and gut-liver axis

Our research focuses on the immunobiology of inflammation in the gut-liver axis, with a multidisciplinary approach aimed at understanding the role of bacterial translocation and the interaction between the microbiome and the Immune System in the context of advanced chronic liver disease and in inflammatory bowel disease.

Mechanisms of inflammation
Host-microbiota interaction
Liver immunology
Immune modulation and homeostasis

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Excellence Research Group

Our laboratory is located in the Department of Clinical Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine of the Miguel Hernández University (UMH) and is part of its consolidated research group. In addition, we are integrated into several prestigious institutions:

  • Health Research Institute ISABIAL, at the General University Hospital of Alicante.
  • Research, Development, and Innovation Institute in Health Biotechnology of Elche (IDIBE).
  • CIBER Consortium of Liver and Digestive Diseases (CIBERehd) at the Carlos III Health Institute.

Research areas

Our group is dedicated to translational research, following best practices and complying with current legislation for studies involving humans and experimental models. We have a diverse team that combines the experience of established basic and clinical researchers with the energy and talent of early-career researchers who are developing their scientific careers in our laboratory.

Hepatic

Research on mechanisms of inflammation and immunity in advanced chronic liver disease.
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Intestinal

Research on the pathogenesis and the immune modulation in IBD.
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Head

Rubén Francés

Rubén Francés has a PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the Miguel Hernández University. He was a Postdoctoral Researcher between the years 2003-2005 at the Boston Medical Center, Boston, USA, and a Researcher of the Spain’s National Health System between the years 2006-2018. He is currently Professor of Immunology in the Department of Clinical Medicine at Miguel Hernández University and Head of the Hepatic and Intestinal Immunobiology Group. He is the author of numerous international publications and has coordinated competitive research projects funded by different agencies continuously since 2006. His main line of research focuses on the immunobiology of bacterial translocation and inflammation in the gut-liver axis, with a multidisciplinary approach aimed at understanding the interaction between the microbiome and the Immune System and identifying new potentially useful targets in the recovery of homeostasis in advanced chronic liver disease and in inflammatory bowel disease.

Rubén enjoys traveling, listening to music and practicing his favorite sport, tennis.

ORCID: 0000-0001-5105-1201

Senior Researcher

Esther Caparrós

Esther Caparrós graduated in Biology in 1998 at the University of Alicante. She worked in the Department of Clinical Medicine of the Miguel Hernández University, in the Biological Research Center of Madrid and in the Department of Biochemistry and Immunology of the University of Murcia, where she received his doctorate in Immunology in 2005. From 2005 to 2009 she worked in the Neuroscience Institute of Alicante as a postdoctoral researcher. She obtained a scholarship to work at the MRC-LMB in Cambridge in 2008 and stayed at the Centro de Estudos de Doenças Crónicas (CEDOC) in Oeiras, Portugal, in 2013. She joined the Department of Clinical Medicine as Professor of Immunology in 2009. She has collaborated with different research groups, and since 2015 she is part of the Hepatic and Intestinal Immunobiology Group of the Miguel Hernández University.

Her main line of research focuses on understanding inflammation in the gut-liver axis, with a multidisciplinary approach aimed at understanding the interaction between the microbiome and the Immune System and identifying new potentially useful targets in the recovery of homeostasis in chronic liver disease and in inflammatory bowel disease.

Esther really likes music, reading and playing sports in her spare time.

ORCID ID: 0000-0002-9681-0408

Senior Clinical Researcher

Pedro Zapater

Pedro Zapater has a PhD in Medicine and Surgery from the Autonomous University of Madrid. He is currently Professor of Pharmacology in the Department of Pharmacology, Pediatrics and Organic Chemistry at Miguel Hernández University and Head of the Clinical Pharmacology Section of the General University Hospital Dr. Balmis in Alicante. He is the author of numerous international publications and has coordinated competitive research projects funded by different agencies continuously since 2005. His main line of research focuses on the study of the immunoregulatory activity of the autonomic nervous system and its relationship with chronic inflammatory processes such as advanced chronic liver disease, as well as the study of drugs capable of modulating this activity.

Pedro enjoys walking, reading and watching movies at the cinema. 

ORCID: 0000-0001-7927-858X

InmunoBlog

News, activities, publications, social.
Divulgation
January 29, 2025

The Impact of Aging on the Liver-Brain Connection in Cirrhosis

Cirrhosis is a chronic liver disease affecting millions of people…
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News
September 16, 2022

Amparo Estepa Award for our doctoral student Sebastián Martínez

On the 22nd of June, the UMH’s Institute for Research,…
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May 11, 2022

The group receives funding from PROMETEO 2021

The Hepatic and Intestinal Immunobiology Group receives funding from the…
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