Platelet Biotechnologies S.L.
PlaBiTe is a Spin-Off company
of the Foundation for Biosanitary Research and Innovation of the Principality of Asturias (FINBA) and the University of Oviedo (UO).
In addition to institutional support, PlaBiTe has a multidisciplinary team highly committed to our mission: the development of new innovative solutions based on platelets to improve human health.
The company is primarily focused on developing platelet secretomes for entry into two large and rapidly expanding markets for this type of bioproduct:
Regenerative medicine
Treating chronic wounds and skin ulcers
Biotechnology
Providing supplements for cell culture
Andrea Acebes Huerta
PhD in Biochemistry.
Expert in the development and manufacturing of platelet-derived bioproducts.
Laura Gutiérrez
Expert in megakaryopoiesis and platelet biology & function.
Rafael Permuy Martínez
MBA.
Expert in business development, managing, marketing and communication.
FINBA
Fundación para la Investigación Biosanitaria del Principado de Asturias
https://ispa-finba.es/
Andrea Acebes Huerta
PhD in Biochemistry.
Expert in the development and manufacturing of platelet-derived bioproduct.
Resume
Andrea Acebes Huerta obtained her Licenciatura degree in Biochemistry (University of Oviedo, Spain) in 2009. During her undergraduate studies, she received an Erasmus+ Grant, which allowed her to work at Prof. Vincenzo Russo’s Lab at San Raffaele Hospital (Milan, Italy) in a research project focused on gene therapy. In 2010, she completed her MSc degree in Cancer Research from the University Institute of Oncology (University of Oviedo, Spain). Following this, she joined the Tumor Immunology Research Group as a PhD student under the supervision of Prof. Segundo González, and she obtained her PhD degree (Cum Laude – International mention; EMBO Fellowship) from the University of Oviedo in 2015.
In 2016, she became a postdoctoral researcher at the Ocular Surface and Inflammation Research Group led by Prof. Jesús Merayo at the Fernández-Vega Ophthalmological Institute (Oviedo, Spain). During her postdoctoral tenure, she gained valuable experience in advanced cell therapies and regenerative medicine applied to human corneal tissues. In 2018, she continued her scientific career at the Platelet Research Group (ISPA) under the supervision of Laura Gutiérrez, where she focused the research on the development of novel platelet-based therapies until their incorporation to PlaBiTe in September 2023.
Throughout her research career, Andrea has authored numerous scientific articles and has been involved in several projects related to cancer immunology, platelet biology, function and their therapeutic applications. She is presently collaborating with the Platelet Research Group as an external research member.
Rafael Permuy Martínez
MBA.
Expert in business development, managing, marketing and communication.
Resume
Rafael Permuy Martínez has studied Business Administration at both University of Oviedo and University of Ávila, as well as MBAs in Commercial and Marketing Management from FENA- ESIC Madrid, Human Resources Management from IMF – CEU San Pablo de Madrid, and in Finance and Organizational Management from FENA. He also completed a Strategic Management Program at the European University of Madrid and an IMS Health Management Program, in addition to attending numerous training courses in the pharmaceutical and surgical fields. This included three years in subspecialty courses at the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Rafael has accumulated over 20 years of experience at companies such as Pfizer, Sanofi Pasteur MSD, Pharmacia & Upjohn, Allergan, Hartmann, and Angellini, where he has held various roles related to business development and market access to medicines, vaccines, medical devices, and health products. Being part at Executive Committee level.
Apart from PlaBiTe, Rafael is also co-founder and director of corporate development of three other biotechnology companies in the health sector: Microviable Therapeutics, which specializes in developing complete microbiota ecosystem products and microbiome therapies; Neurostech, a Medtech company that creates new drug delivery systems, and Loutktar Robotics, that develops exoskeleton to help people after suffering a stroke.
Pablo Fanjul Bolado
PhD in Chemistry.
Expert in strategic and commercial development.
Resume
Pablo Fanjul Bolado holds a Doctorate in Chemistry from the University of Oviedo. He has 20 years of experience in Analytical Chemistry and has published 70 scientific articles with an h-index of 23. Additionally, he is a co-author of 9 patents. Pablo specializes in transferring research results to the market and has been previously involved in creating two additional Spin-off companies.
He has also participated in over 30 international R&D projects, including those funded by FP7, H2020, and HEurope. Pablo’s expertise includes technology transfer from Universities or Public research institutions to private companies getting new products and services into the market. Co-founder of DropSens company founded in 2006 and acquired by an international group in 2017 is therefore skilled in developing, growing, and divesting technology-based companies.
Currently, he serves as the president of the Association of Biotechnology Companies of Asturias (Bioasturias) and he is professor of the master’s degree in biotechnology at the University of Oviedo.
Laura Gutiérrez
Expert in megakaryopoiesis and platelet biology & function.
Resume
Laura Gutiérrez is Associate Professor I3 at the Department of Medicine of the University of Oviedo, and Principal Investigator of the «Platelet Research: Biology, Pathology and Therapeutic Applications» located at the Health Research Institute of the Principality of Asturias (ISPA).
She obtained her Licenciatura Degree in Biology (University of Oviedo, Spain) in 1998 and a MSc Biotechnology Degree with Distinction (De Montfort University, Leicester, UK) in 2000. Her MSc project took place at the lab of Dr. A. de Klein (Dept. of Genetics, ErasmusMC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands). She then joined the Department of Cell Biology at the ErasmusMC, supervised by Prof. F. Grosveld and Prof. J. Philipsen, obtaining her PhD degree in 2005 and continuing as a junior postdoc researcher with interest on hematopoietic lineage specification and the role of transcription factors in such processes. She was awarded with her first personal fellowship (VENI, NWO) and joined Sanquin Research (Amsterdam) in 2010 as a junior Group Leader, where she initiated her research lines on megakaryopoiesis and platelets.
She returned to Spain in 2015 with a Ramón y Cajal Fellowship, first located at the Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria San Carlos (IdISSC, Madrid). In January 2018 she transfers her Ramón y Cajal Fellowship to the University of Oviedo, joining ISPA, where she continues her teaching and research activities.
Graciela Carbajo Argüelles
BSc in Biology.
MSc in Biomedicine and Molecular Biology.
Resume
Graciela Carbajo Argüelles completed her BSc in Biology at the University of Oviedo, Spain in 2017. In 2022, she earned her MSc degree in Biomedicine and Molecular Biology.
Graciela has extensive experience in clinical biomedicine and teaching. She is currently working on her doctoral thesis in Health Sciences under the supervision of Dr. Laura Gutiérrez and Dr. Andrea Acebes. This doctoral thesis project aims to broadly characterize the composition and functionality of different platelet fractions to provide essential knowledge for a better definition of their therapeutic uses and to generate new therapeutic strategies based on platelets.
Sergio Ruiz Saavedra
MSc in Biotechnology.
PhD in Chemical, Environmental and Bio-food Engineering.
Resume
Sergio Ruiz Saavedra’s first contact with research occurred at Ignacio Moraga’s cytokines lab (University of Dundee, Scotland) in the summer 2017, during an Erasmus + Internship programme. He finished his BSc in Biochemistry at the University of Granada, Spain, in 2018, and later on enrolled on a MSc degree in Biotechnology at the Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain. In 2019, as part of his final MSc project, he joined Leonor Kremer’s group to deepen into the knowledge of monoclonal antibodies against leukaemia. Moreover, in 2019, Sergio started his PhD at the University of Oviedo and the Institute of Dairy Products of Asturias (IPLA-CSIC) under the guidance of Clara González de los Reyes-Gavilán and Sonia González Solares. His doctoral thesis, which focused on diet, microbiota and intestinal health, was presented in 2024.
During his research, Sergio developed a multidisciplinary profile. His main expertise relies on data processing and interpretation. He is also experienced in performing lab-related protocols and procedures. More precisely, his main works evaluate intestinal microbiota data and dietary factors associated with food cooking and processing, considering clinical research and features.
We aim to be at the forefront of the field of platelet-based therapies, and to achieve this goal we are seeking highly passionate and hardworking people who are interested in joining a dynamic team.
Dr. Johannes A. Eble
Biochemistry Professor at Münster University (Germany).
Resume
After having studied biochemistry at the University of Tübingen, Germany, Johannes A. Eble gained an intense training on extracellular matrix and collagen-binding integrins during his doctorate thesis at the Max Planck-Institute of Biochemistry in Martinried, close to Munich, Germany. In 1994, he gained his doctorate degree from the Ludwig Maximilian-University, Munich.
During a postdoc period at Harvard Medical School in Boston, USA, he intensified his knowledge on integrins, where he developed a technique to produce soluble integrins. As a research assistant at the University of Münster, Germany (1998-2008), as associate professor at the University of Frankfurt (2008-2014) and as full professor at the University of Münster (since 2015), he investigated integrin-mediated cell-matrix interaction and redox regulation of integrins.
Moreover, he progressively got into the toxinology field, after having identified a novel class of toxins that selectively target collagen-binding integrins. He also investigates toxins that block platelet functions.
Dr. Judit Fernández Fuertes
Traumatologist at Central University Hospital of Asturias (Spain).
Resume
Judit Fernández completed her degree in Medicine at the University of Oviedo (Oviedo, Asturias, Spain) in 2003, and then pursued specialized training in Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology at the University Care Complex of León (León, Spain) between 2004 and 2009. In 2016, she successfully defended her doctoral thesis at the University of León, receiving a cum laude mention.
She has been practicing as a specialist in Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology for 15 years. Currently, she works at the Central University Hospital of Asturias (Oviedo, Asturias, Spain), specialized in the Lower Limb Section and primarily in the Orthopedic Oncology Surgery Unit. Additionally, she serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery and Medical-Surgical Specialties at the University of Oviedo and participates in the Research Line in Surgery and Traumatology as part of the Doctoral Program in Health Sciences at the same University. Moreover, she is a member of the Platelet Research Group at the Health Research Institute of the Principality of Asturias (ISPA).
Her research interests primarily focus on Orthopedic Oncology and the application of platelet-derived products in her field. She has published extensively on the use of platelet-rich plasma in knee osteoarthritis and has presented on this topic at regional, national, and international conferences. Additionally, she is currently co-directing a thesis related to this subject. She is dedicated to exploring innovative products that can benefit patients with orthopedic or oncological conditions in my professional domain.
Dr. Frank Grosveld
Cell Biology Professor at the Erasmus University Medical Center (Netherlands).
Resume
Frank Grosveld is a Professor at the Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam and former head of the Departments of Cell Biology and of Clinical Genetics. He is a fellow of the Royal Society and a member of the Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences.
His research on the control of gene expression has been selected as one of the top ten achievement of the medical research Council (UK) in the 20th century by the Higher Education and Research Opportunities in the UK. He was awarded the Louis Jeantet prize for medicine in 1991 and the Spinoza Award (NL) in 1995.
He has founded a number of companies among which Harbour Antibodies BV, now Harbour Biomed listed at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. He is the inventor of Harbour Mice™ and an inventor on more than 20 patents.
Dr. Jesús Merayo Lloves
Ophthalmologist in charge of the Clinical Unit for Ocular Surface and Inflammation at Fernández-Vega Ophthalmological Institute (Spain).
Professor at University of Oviedo (Asturias-Spain).
Resume
Dr. Merayo is the Director of the “Fernández-Vega” University Institute since 2016 and appointed Professor at the University of Oviedo since 2019. His work is primarily focused on ocular surface and inflammation, with specific contributions in the areas of allergy, dry eye, refractive surgery, uveitis, and ocular regenerative medicine.
He obtained his degree in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Valladolid in 1986 and later specialized in Ophthalmology in 1992. He completed his Doctorate in Medicine and Surgery in 1995, with a research focus on ocular allergy. Following his residency, he pursued a Fellowship in Ocular Immunology and Uveitis at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary of Harvard University from 1993 to 1995. He also underwent postgraduate training in Refractive Surgery at the Autonomous University of Bucaramanga in Colombia in 1997, and studied Optics and Optometry at the CEU-San Pablo University in Madrid in 2002. He holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and Management (EAP, 1997) and is a University Specialist in Evaluation, Planning, and Quality Management in Health (2000), in addition to completing a course in management and administration of foundations in 1999.
Dr. Merayo has an extensive publication record, including 211 scientific articles, 70 book publications, and 6 patents, with a total of 445 publications and over 600 participations in congresses, courses, and seminars. He has been involved in 93 research projects, 66 of which he led as the Principal Investigator. Furthermore, he has supervised 24 doctoral theses and 35 final degree or master’s projects.
