Biosketch

I am a Chemist (1990) with a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology/Biochemistry (1995) from the University of Granada, Spain. I received postdoctoral training first in the Department of Biochemistry of the University of Cambridge (England, UK) (1995-1998) where I studied protein-protein interactions with Prof. Richard N. Perham as supervisor, and then in the  DNAX Research Institute (Palo Alto,  CA, USA) (1998-2001), discovering and characterising novel molecules under the supervision of Dr. J. Fernando Bazan. From 2001 to 2006, I worked for Prof. Ellis L. Reinherz at  the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA, with an appointment as research scientist and instructor of medicine of Harvard Medical School. Late 2006, I joined the Complutense University and established  the Immunomedicine Group. Throughout my research career, I  have had the chance to work in different topics and areas (Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Immunology and Bioinformatics), making relevant contributions. Selected achievements/contributions are summarised next.

In my PhD thesis, I characterised an essential Trypanosoma cruzi enzyme and identified inhibitors that could be used for treating chagas disease (PMID: 7969266 & 8144647). In the Department of Biochemistry of the University of Cambridge, I conducted work recognising that the tertiary structure and shape of apo-proteins, rather than the primary structure, determine their post-translational modification with lipoic acid or biotin (PMID: 10981714, 10329614, 9445386 & 976586). In the DNAX Research Institute, I played a key role in the discovery and functional characterisation of a novel cytokine, TSLP, which promotes Th2-allergic inflammation (PMID: 11418668 & 1205562). This discovery is cited in text books and it is protected by several patents, with me as co-inventor (US Patent 8,075,886, US Patent 6,890,734 & US Patent 7,071,308). Moreover, the work has found application in the treatment of asthma in the form of monoclonal antibodies against TSLP (Tezepelumab). 

I am a competent figure in Immunoinformatics. I initiated my activity in Immunoinformatics in 2001 when I joined the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and I have continued it until today in the University Complutense of Madrid (2007-present). Through the years, I have developed over a dozen of highly popular web-based bioinformatics tools, many for epitope prediction and epitope-vaccine design, that are available for free public use at http://imed.med.ucm.es/Tools/. I have also made use of computational biology to address different issues, test hypothesis and/or arrive to interesting biological conclusions. At the Dana-Farber, I devised the design of epitope-based vaccines using legacy experimentation available in databases (PMID: 16674822) and since then I have participated in the design of several epitope vaccines for different pathogens (PMID: 31823715, 29567319, 29100164, 29119120 & 31824493), including an universal flu vaccine (PMID: 27402904). By analysing viral T cell epitopes, we determined that T cell epitope immunogenicity is influenced by their position in the source antigens.  Moreover, we proposed that position-enhanced immunogenicity is related to preferential protein translation/biosynthesis (PMID: 22952734). I have a great interested in cytokines and through a structural bioinformatics analysis I discovered that the tertiary structure of gc-cytokines determines receptor usage (PMID: 30716660). In a recent work, my group has identified that, despite the common believe, most antibodies elicited during an infection recognise hidden antigens and non-accessible epitopes, which can only be explained if pathogens/antigens undergo ample degradation prior to recognition by B cells (PMID: 38994930). This finding ought to find room in text books. 

My formal training is however as experimental researcher and with group at the UCM I have made several relevant contributions in Immunology. Thus, research from my group determined that epithelial cells have an inherent immunosuppressive capacity, which has likely evolved to avoid harmful over reactions against resident bacteria (PMID: 31316504). The inhibition of T cells by epithelial cells is dramatic and I argued that it may explain the need to transport antigen and eliciting antigen-specific responses away from the influence of epithelial cells, in secondary lymphoid tissues (PMID: 35126344). Likewise, I argued that the immunosuppressive capacity of epithelial cells may explain why most tumors derive from epithelial cells (PMID: 35126344). Indeed, my group has recently identified that oral sarcoma cells, which derive from epithelial cells, release proteins that induce the differentiation of immunosuppressive macrophages and promote tumor growth (PMID: 39437531). This knowledge shall be instrumental to develop novel anti-tumoral therapies. 

I have also carried out other investigations with relevant practical implications. My group has identified highly conserved T cell epitopes in human Rhinovirus (HRV) which could be used for epitope-vaccine development against HRV (PMID: 33230881 & 34571943). Early during the COVID-19 pandemic, I concluded through a computational analysis that vaccines with tetanus and diphtheria toxoids could induce protective cross-reactive immunity against SARS-CoV-2 (PMID: 33178220). Many benefited from this early discovery.  Protection against COVID-19 by these vaccines was latter corroborated by independent epidemiological studies (PMID: 33972940, 37441187 & 34691063) and my group has shown that Tetanus-diphtheria (Td) vaccine can induce SARS-CoV-2 cross-reactive responses in antigen unexperienced naïve T cells (PMID: 39091504). This study formally proves that vaccines with tetanus and diphtheria toxoids represent an original source of cross-reactive immunity to SARS-CoV-2 and perhaps also to other common cold coronavirus. My group has also shown that essential eucalyptus oil (EEO) can inhibit infection by SARS-CoV-2-like viruses. EEO is known for its anti-inflammatory properties, which, all together, calls for testing/adopting EEO aromatherapy as a cost-effective easy-to-implement anti-COVID-19 measure (PMID: 39200349).

Education

• 1995 – PhD in Chemistry, Bioquemistry. University of Granada, Granada, Spain

• 1990 – Bachelor Degree in Chemistry. Faculty of Sciences, University of Granada, Spain.

Selected teaching activity

• 2007-present. Principles of Immunology, Biochemistry, Medicine and Biology Majors, UCM, Spain (Course Director: Pedro A Reche)

• 2010-present. Immunotechnology, Master of Immunology; School of Medicine, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), Spain (Course Director: Dr. Pedro A Reche)

• Immunochemistry and Cellular Immunology, Biochemistry major, second cycle; School of Chemistry, UCM, Spain (Course Director: Pedro A Reche)

• 200-2015. Immunoinformatics,  Master of Bioinformatics,  National School of Health (Course Director: Federico Morán)

• 2006-2007. Bioinformatics Approaches in Immunology Research; Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia, Oeiras,  Portugal (Course Organizer: Pedro Fernandes)

• 2003-2006. Components of Antigen Processing and Presentation, Molecular Basis of Human Disease course;   Harvard Medical School, USA (Course Director: Edmond Yunis).

Awards and Fellowships

• 09/1995–09/1997. Post-Doctoral Fellowship, Federation of European Biochemistry Societies (FEBS)

• 03/1994–05/1994. Short Term Pre-Doctoral Research Fellowship, European Science Exchange Program, The Royal Society, UK.

• 03/1994–05/1994.  Short Term Pre-Doctoral Research Fellowship, Junta de Andalucía, Spain.

• 10/1990–09/1994.  PhD Fellowship, Junta de Andalucía, España

• 09/1988–09/1990.  Undergraduate Research Fellowship, Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia, España.

Patents

• Title: Mammalian cytokines; receptors; related reagents and methods.

  • Inventors: Pedro A Reche-Gallardo, Vassili Soumelis, Yong-Jun Liu, Rene de Waal Malefyt, Bazan J. Fernando, Robert A. Kastelein

  • Patent Nº: 7569224 B2

  • Holder: Schering Corporation

• Title: Identifying antibody that inhibits pathogenicity of infectious microorganism such as an orthopox virus using a programmed computer

  • Inventors: Pedro A. Reche and Ellis E. Reinherz

  • Application Number: US2003229454-A1; WO2004040398-A2; AU2003299469-A1; AU2003299469-A8

  • Holder: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

• Title: New IKBNS gene, useful for preparing a composition for treating e.g. cancer, malaria, tuberculosis, AIDS or autoimmune disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes mellitus or multiple sclerosis

  • Inventors: Ellis L. Reinherz, Linda K. Clayton, Emma Fiorini, Pedro A. Reche, Ingo Schmitz

  • Application Number: WO2003018776-A; WO2003018776-A2; AU2002258548-A1; US2005084916-A1; AU2002258548-A8

  • Holder: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

• Title: New computer-assisted method of generating an immunogen by providing a pathogenesis factor (PI;) or its fragment and determining whether the produced compound is an immunogen in a mammalian host

  • Inventors : Ellis L Reinherz, Mikyung Kim, Pedro A Reche and Jia-Huai Wang.

  • Application Number: WO2003017032-A2; EP1417628-A2; AU2002326580-A1; US2005015232-A1; AU2002326580-A8

  • Holder: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute