
Welcome
October 19, 2021
GABRIEL TIRADO, PRESIDENT OF ASPANOA, ASSOCIATION OF PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH CANCER OF ARAGON
October 19, 2021«The most reliable tool to find the best answers to problems is research»
Why did you decide to study Medicine and dedicate yourself to research?
When I was a child, in my town, I suffered from measles. During that period there was a lot of talk about a young man who had died of that disease. It was a very important concern for people and a cause of fear for others. On the other hand, at that time there was great discrimination when someone suffered from a stigmatizing disease, such as tuberculosis, so that people looked at them differently and transmitted that vision to others. So, when I had the opportunity to study, which was not possible in the town, I thought about everything I could do to eliminate or reduce the suffering that I experienced and that others also suffered. When I had to decide what my path was going to be, I thought that the best thing would be to work on what would contribute to improving people's well-being, whether physical, social, mental or environmental.
And what did you think might fit into that vision?
During the year before starting university I had great doubts that led me to the conclusion that the best way to fulfill myself was through Medicine, teaching and the defense of human rights, and that is what I have dedicated myself to. as a doctor, as a teacher and as a citizen. Personally, I have focused on finding better answers to problems, and the most reliable tool is research, so I incorporated it into my way of life and my work. At this moment, my vision and goal is to improve health, but in the concept of 'One Health', 'Global Health', that is, human, animal, environmental, housing and urban planning to maintain health.

Since when have you been linked to IIS Aragón?
In fact, I have participated in the Aragon Health Research Institute since before it was formed as such. I think it was a great idea and I was very excited to participate in its creation and collaborate in its growth.
What do your main investigations consist of?
My first research focused mainly on antibiotic resistance and the diagnosis of mycoses, as well as their management and prevention. Currently, at the IIS Aragón we continue to research, especially in aspergillosis, an infection that has a high mortality rate, especially in ICU patients, leukemias, cancers, solid organ transplants, etc. We have participated in the validation of diagnostic markers in aspergillosis and invasive infections due to the Candida genus, as well as in accelerating the definitive diagnosis of ringworm. In mycoses and bacterial infections, an important part has been, and continues to be, the search for more precise diagnostic methods, easier treatments, with fewer complications and that make the emergence of resistance to antibacterial or antifungal agents more difficult. In this sense, we have published 40 articles in journals of international impact, the most prolific being the one that deals with the use of substances that when in contact with light (photosensitizers) produce the death of infecting microorganisms, thus allowing the use fewer antibiotics or eliminate them completely.
Do you also work with animals?
Yes, to improve antibiotic treatment and also prevent spread to other people. It is a line of research from 'One Health', which includes both wild and farmed animals, on the importance that animals have in the transmission of these antibiotic-resistant microorganisms to people. In this context, we have been collaborating for years with the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) in studying the effectiveness of the flu vaccine, and currently COVID-19. An important section for us is the detection and analysis of bacterial outbreaks and their typing to allow us to know the origin of the infection and transmission in relation to health care. We also work on the study of surgical infections and their relationship with vitamin D levels, and the importance of providing this vitamin in the diet or as a supplement. In this regard, a very important part of health depends on the microorganisms that are present especially in the intestine, the microbiota. In this sense, we have seen how a simple change of bread in the diet triggers a significant change. On the other hand, we have carried out a study in patients with lung cancer, demonstrating that it is different in those with cancer and in those who do not suffer from it, data that favors the visualization of the disease as a conglomerate of factors, including one very important as the microbiota, especially that of the intestine.
What is your motivation?
Research is a passion that forces the continuous search for personal and collective improvement, since it allows us to know and analyze the mistakes made and the benefits that new findings bring to improve life, in the broadest sense: human being, animal. , plant, environment and healthy microbiota.
What recent progress have you made?
I have participated in the development of photodynamic therapy, a procedure that has been used historically such as sunbathing. It consists of the application of substances that are activated in contact with light. This therapeutic strategy favors a more personalized management of the disease depending on the characteristics of the person, animal or environment in contact with the patients. In another line, I have worked to improve knowledge of how microorganisms that infect or live in animals, and how they put human health at risk through the transmission of multi-resistant germs that put therapeutic options in check, thus increasing the probabilities of death. and hospital stay, with the personal and family suffering that this entails, and, especially, in the development of strategies that reduce this risk, promoting global health.
Besides your work, what is your other great passion in life?
I have never considered a job my professional activity. It allows me to serve individual and collective life, since it is a vision of existence as a human being. Enjoying my family also makes me very happy, in addition to being able to collaborate with non-profit organizations that bring medicine to the most needy places, that defend human rights anywhere in the world, access to water, food, opportunities for all, regardless of sex, race, religion or social status. I am also concerned about caring for the earth as a habitat for all living beings and recovering healthy agriculture for those who cultivate it, for those of us who enjoy it at the table, and for the planet as a whole.