Plant Biotechnology

Plant Biotechnology

The Plant Biotechnology group develops biotechnological platforms based on plant cell and organ cultures to produce specialised metabolites of interest in the pharmaceutical, cosmeceutical and nutraceutical industries, as well as plant stem cells for cosmetic and food ingredients, collaborating with companies in their industrial implementation.

Dr. Javier Palazon Barandela
Investigador principal
Dr. Javier Palazon Barandela

Javier Palazon Barandela is a Professor of Plant Physiology at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences of the University of Barcelona, with more than 40 years of experience in plant biotechnology research and development. His work focuses on the use of cell cultures and plant organs for the production of specialised metabolites, with applications in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and nutraceutical industries.

Throughout his career, he has worked extensively on optimising metabolite production and improving in vitro culture techniques, developing innovative methods to increase the efficiency and quality of bioactive compounds. His experience in plant biotechnology has allowed him to lead research projects aimed at harnessing plant cells for the production of high value-added ingredients.

He has worked closely with pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies in the implementation of these processes, contributing significantly to the transfer of technology and the advancement of the industry. He is the author of numerous outstanding scientific publications, which have contributed significantly to the increase of knowledge on plant biotechnology and metabolite production. In addition, he has supervised several doctoral theses and has participated in research projects funded by national and international organisations.

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3538-6890
Equip
Línies de recerca
  • Improvement of the production of taxol and other taxanes of interest by metabolic engineering of in vitro cultures of Taxus spp.

    We are working on the production of taxol, a diterpene alkaloid with high anticancer activity. We optimise its production in cell cultures through metabolic engineering, elicitation, genetic transformation, transcriptomics and heterologous systems to improve biosynthesis.

  • Biotechnological production of triterpene saponines in cell and root cultures of Centella asiatica

    C.asiatica has antioxidant, healing and neuroprotective properties. We study and optimise the biotechnological production of centellosides in cell and root cultures, optimising their levels through transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic studies to improve production at the bioreactor level.

Perez-Matas, E., Hidalgo-Martinez, D., Moyano, E., Palazon, J., & Bonfill, M.

Overexpression of BAPT and DBTNBT genes in Taxus baccata in vitro cultures to enhance the biotechnological production of paclitaxel.

Plant Biotechnology Journal, 22(1), 233–247. (2024). ; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/pbi.14182

Escrich, A., Jonguitud-Borrego, N., Malci, K., Sanchez-Muñoz, R., Palazon, J., Rios-Solis, L., & Moyano, E.

A novel step towards the heterologous biosynthesis of paclitaxel: Characterization of T1βOH taxane hydroxylase.

Metabolic Engineering, 85, 201–212. (2024). ; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymben.2024.08.005

Alcalde, M. A., Hidalgo-Martinez, D., Bru Martínez, R., Sellés-Marchart, S., Bonfill, M., & Palazon, J.

Insights into enhancing Centella asiatica organ cell biofactories via hairy root protein profiling.

Frontiers in Plant Science, 14, 1274767. (2023). ; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/FPLS.2023.1274767

Escrich, A., Hidalgo, D., Bonfill, M., Palazon, J., Sanchez-Muñoz, R., & Moyano, E.

Polyploidy as a strategy to increase taxane production in yew cell cultures: Obtaining and characterizing a Taxus baccata tetraploid cell line.

Plant Science, 334, 111776. (2023). ; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/J.PLANTSCI.2023.111776

Perez-Matas, E., Garcia-Perez, P., Bonfill, M., Lucini, L., Hidalgo-Martinez, D., & Palazon, J.

Impact of Elicitation on Plant Antioxidants Production in Taxus Cell Cultures.

Antioxidants, 12(4), 887. (2023). ; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ANTIOX12040887/S1

Alcalde, M. A., Müller, M., Munné-Bosch, S., Landín, M., Gallego, P. P., Bonfill, M., Palazon, J., & Hidalgo-Martinez, D.

Using machine learning to link the influence of transferred Agrobacterium rhizogenes genes to the hormone profile and morphological traits in Centella asiatica hairy roots.

Frontiers in Plant Science, 13, 1–12. (2022). ; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.1001023

Natural Products and Plant Biotecnology

2022-2025

Cosolidated Research Group SGR2021-00693. Generalitat de Catalunya.

Sustainable Cultivation of Corema album Berries and Its Impact on Human Health (CORBERRY).

Financiado por: MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033, Unió Europea NextGenerationEU / PRTR. Ref. PLEC2022-009299

Green factories for the production of anticancerogenic taxanes and stilbenes: new insights into the regulation of biosynthesis and redox homeostasis under elicitation (GREENFACATICAN).

Financiado por: RSOC – Programa Estatal de I+D+i Orientada a los Retos de la Sociedad. Ref. PID2020-113438RB-I00/ AEI / 10.13039 / 501100011033

Nuevos procesos biosostenibles y ecológicos basados en las biofactorias vegetales para la producción de anticancerígenos.

Financiado por: NBIO – Programa Nacional de Biotecnología. Ref. BIO2017-82374-R

Plant Biotechnology: Production of Phytochemicals.

Financiado por: AGAUR, Generalitat de Catalunya. 2014SGR215

Rational Design of New Bioprocesses for the Sustainable Production of Secondary Plant Metabolites.

Financiado por: NBIO – Programa Nacional de Biotecnología. Ref. BIO2014-51861-R

Centella asiatica Plant Stem Cells Project.

Research Transference (FBG-L’Oreal S.A.).  Ref. FBG: 307954

Nuevas estrategias para mejorar la producción biotecnológica de taxanos.

Edgar Pérez Matas – Universitat de Barcelona, Facultat de Farmacia i Ciencies de la Salut. 2023, Excel·lent cum laude.

2023

Optimización de la producción de centellosidos en cultivos de raíz pilosa de Centella asiatica.

Miguel Angel Alcalde Altives – Universitat de Barcelona, Facultat de Farmacia i Ciencies de la Salut. 2023, Excel·lent cum laude.

2023

Producción biotecnológica de ácido rosmarínico y ruscogeninas: Escalamiento a bioreactores.

Abbas Khojasteh – Universitat de Barcelona, Facultat de Farmacia. 2019, Excel·lent cum laude.

2019

Producción biotecnológica de paclitaxel: Regulación de la biosíntesis de taxanos.

Raul Sanchez Muñoz –  Universitat Pompeu Fabra. 2018, Excel·lent cum laude.

2018

Regulación de la producción de taxanos y otros metabolitos en cultivos vegetales.

Heriberto Rafael Vidal-Limon – Universitat de Barcelona, Facultat de Farmacia. 2017, Apte cum laude.

2017

Estrategias para mejorar la producción biotecnológica de fármacos en cultivos celulares y de órganos vegetales.

Diego Alberto Hidalgo Martínez – Universitat de Barcelona, Facultat de Farmacia. 2017, Excel·lent cum laude y Premi Extraordinari.

2017

Cultivos celulares de Taxus spp.: Herramienta biotecnológica para producción de taxanos.

Karla Ramírez Estrada –  Universitat de Barcelona, Facultat de Farmacia. 2015, Apte cum laude.

2015

Corylus avellana: a new biotechnological source of anticancer agents.

Ana Gallego Palacios – Universitat Pompeu Fabra. Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut. 2015

2015