Our members at the Tissue Bank
Javier Calvo, PhD
Tissue Bank Director
M.D. and Ph.D., and specialist in Immunology. During his residency training at the Hospital Clinic in Barcelona, he participated in several research projects that led to the publication of more than 20 original articles in international journals and obtaining his doctoral thesis that deserved an Extraordinary Doctoral Award from the University of Barcelona. These projects are mainly focused on the study of membrane CD5 molecule and include its biochemical, genetic and functional characterization. He currently works as the director of the Blood and Tissue Bank of the Balearic Islands, which was established in 1999. Recent projects in his lab focus on the preparation and characterization of mesenchymal stem cells obtained from umbilical cord tissue and the preparation and analysis of demineralized bone matrix from cortical bone.
Antoni Gayà, PhD
Professor Emeritus
He obtained his Medical Degree (1981) and his PhD (1990) at the University of Barcelona. From 1982 until 1998, he worked as an immunologist at the Hospital Clinic (Barcelona). In 1982, he began his residency in Immunology at the Immunology Service of the Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, where he obtained the title of Medical Specialist in Immunology. From 1986 to 1998 he served as Associate Physician/Senior Specialist at the Immunology Service of the Hospital Clínic of Barcelona. Simultaneously, he joined as an Associate Professor of Immunology at the University of Barcelona between 1992 and 1998, teaching the subject of Immunology in the faculties of Podiatry, Dentistry, Pharmacy, and Medicine.
In 1998, he joined as Technical Director of the Tissue Bank of the Fundació Banc de Sang i Teixits de les Illes Balears, until his retirement in 2023.
Between 2002 and 2012 he held the position of Regional Transplant Coordinator of the Balearic Islands. In 2019, he was appointed associate professor coordinator of the subject of Organ and tissue transplantation at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of the Balearic Islands, a position he held until 2022.
In 2001, he created the first breast milk bank in Spain, and in 2008, he founded the Spanish Association of Human Milk Banks, of which he was president between 2008 and 2016.
Principal investigator in 16 projects funded in competitive calls and collaborating researcher in another 16 projects, giving rise to 83 articles in indexed international journals, 18 articles in national journals, 10 book chapters, and 4 doctoral theses.
His research activity has focused on several areas of basic and clinical immunology, such as organ and tissue transplantation, major histocompatibility complex (HLA), leukocyte differentiation antigens, molecular biology, regenerative medicine, tissue engineering and human milk banking. .
Now, he is an emeritus but still actively collaborating and working within the TERCIT Group.
Marta Munar-Bestard, PhD
Advanced Therapies Production Manager
She is a graduate of Biochemistry from the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB, 2015) and an M.Sc. in Biomedical Sciences Research from the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM, 2016). In 2019, she secured a predoctoral training research contract in health (PFIS) from the Carlos III Health Institute within the TERCIT Group, focusing on the development of regenerative treatments for periodontal disease. In April 2024, she defended her doctoral thesis entitled “Mangostanin hyaluronic acid hydrogel: a biocompatible alternative to chlorhexidine for managing periodontal disease“, which focused on investigating innovative antimicrobial natural products for their potential application in oral and skin diseases in conjunction with compatible and biocompatible hydrogels.
Currently, she holds the position of Production Manager at the Advanced Therapies with Stem Cells Platform of The Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), located within the Balearic Islands Tissue Bank.
