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AIRLAB

GINYS-ISGLOBAL-003
Dra Sílvia Borràs
Staff Scientist, Lab manager
silvia.borras@isglobal.org | +34932147399 | ORCID | PRC page
AIRLAB – ISGlobal​
Paseo de la Circunvalación 8, 4th floor
08003 Barcelona
The AIRLAB was established in 2019 to promote research and innovation in the characterisation of the chemical and biological composition of the air and its effects on human health. Our objective is to provide scientific and technical support on the monitoring of air quality, air sampling and analysis of (bio)aerosols, both from indoor and outdoor environments. The AIRLAB offers a wide range of services, ranging from the peformance evaluation of air quality sensors, to the cultivation and DNA extraction of airborne microorganisms (e.g. bacteria and fungi) for their downstream characterisation and identification by next-generation sequencing techniques.
The AIRLAB is equipped with state-of-the-art instruments and has different areas, one for microbiological cultures, another for molecular biology analysis, the other for chemical analysis, as well as a microscopy room. 
The AIRLAB offers technical and methodological assessment to ISGlobal research projects and to external research groups. ISGlobal researchers can also use the AIRLAB facilities upon request.

Services

  • Processing of air samples
  • Extraction and quantification of DNA from air samples
  • Cultivation of microorganisms from air samples
  • Evaluation of air quality sensors
  • Analysis of air quality data
  • Scientific advice and technical support
  • Fluorescence microscopy (autoservice)

Equipment

Specific equipment:
Portable nanopore sequencer (MinION, Oxford Nanopore)
Thermal cycler (MiniAmp Plus, Invitrogen)
Gel imaging system (runSTATION, Cleaver Scientific)
Biosafety cabinet class II (BIO II Advance 4, Telstar)
PCR UV cabinet – DNA/RNA (UVT-S-AR, Grant Instruments)
Fluorometer for DNA quantification (Quantus, Promega)
Thermoshaker (Bioshake iQ, QInstruments)
Bead-beater homogenizer (FastPrep-24™ 5G, MP Biomedicals)
Colony counter (ColonyDoc-It 130, UVP)
Incubated/refrigerated orbital shaker (MaxQ 6000, Thermo Scientific)
Incubator (Incubat, JP Selecta)
Inverted fluorescence microscope (Axio Observer, Zeiss)
Multimode microplate reader – absorbance/fluorescence/luminescence (Infinite M Plex, Tecan)
Portable aerosol spectrometer (11-D, GRIMM)

General basic equipment:
Fume hood (VG AC-150, F-3 TEL, Romero)
Autoclave (D-45, Systec)
Refrigerated centrifuge (5430 R with rotor FA-45-30-11, Eppendorf)
Refrigerated centrifuge (5804 R with rotor A-4-44, Eppendorf)
Minicentrifuge (MC7000, LBX Instruments)
Water bath (Isotemp, Fisherbrand)
Heated ultrasonic bath (S-Series, Fisherbrand)
pH-meter (FiveEasy F20-Std, Mettler Toledo)
Stirring hotplate (Cimarec+, Thermo Scientific)
Vortex mixers
Analytical balance (Adventurer AX224, Ohaus)
Balance (CB complet, Cobos)
Ultrafreezers (BM Essential 690L, Froilabo)
Fridge (MediLine LKv 3910, Liebherr)
Fridge-freezer (MediLine LCv 4010, Liebherr)
Water purification system (Elix Essential 5, Milli-Q Reference)
Washer disinfector (PG 8583 AW-WW-AD-LD, Miele)

Staff

Staff Scientist, Lab manager
Dra Sílvia Borràs | silvia.borras@isglobal.org | +34932147399 | ORCID | PRC Page
Director
Dr Xavier Rodó | xavier.rodo@isglobal.org | ORCID | PRC Page

Projects

Title: TwinAIR – Digital Twins Enabled Indoor Air Quality Management for Healthy Living.
Reference: https://twinair-project.eu/
Funding Organism: Horizon Europe, European Commission
Status: Executing
Title: PREPARE-TID – Pipeline for Rapid Diagnostics of Emergency Transboundary Infectious Diseases.
Reference: https://prepare-tid.eu/
Funding Organism: Horizon Europe, European Commission
Status: Executing
Title: ARBOTHAI – Multi-scale seamless prediction of arboviral outbreaks in Thailand
Reference: https://research.pasteur.fr/en/project/multi-scale-seamless-prediction-of-arboviral-outbreaks-in-thailand-arbothai/
Funding Organism: Wellcome Trust
Status: Executing
Title: AIRBIOME - applying cutting-edge DNA sequencing technologies to unravel the microbial communities present in bioaerosols collected in Japan
Status: Executing
Title: B-COOL@HOME: Combatent la calor a les llars de les persones grans a Barcelona
Reference: https://www.isglobal.org/ca/-/b-cool-home
Funding Organism: Ajuntament de Barcelona
Status: Executing
Title: HABITAS–GRAN: Habitatge i salut per a la gent gran.
Reference: https://www.barcelona.cat/barcelona-pel-clima/sites/default/files/ppc2023-07_habitasgran.pdf
Funding Organism: Ajuntament de Barcelona
Status: Executing
Title: MicroBioMap - Knowing the urban microbiome to improve the quality of life
Reference: https://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/premsa/2020/02/07/el-pla-barcelona-ciencia-destina-un-milio-deuros-a-set-projectes-de-recerca-i-innovacio-per-reforcar-el-teixit-cientific-de-la-ciutat/
Funding Organism: Ajuntament de Barcelona
Status: Finished
Title: Climate Shelters - impact of implementing measures to adapt schools to climate change, especially rising temperatures.
Reference: https://www.uia-initiative.eu/en/uia-cities/barcelona-call3
Funding Organism: EU-Urban Innovative Actions
Status: Finished
Title: HABITAS – Vivenda i salut en temps de pandèmia i més enllà.
Reference: https://habitasventila.org/habitas/
Funding Organism: Ajuntament de Barcelona
Status: Finished
Title: HELICAL – HEalth data LInkage for ClinicAL benefit
Reference: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/813545
Funding Organism: Horizon 2020, European Commission
Status: Finished
Title: AirCOVID-19 – Transmisión de SARS-CoV-2 por el aire: detección en hospitales y tecnologías innovadoras.
Reference: https://pti-saludglobal.csic.es/transmision-de-sars-cov2-por-el-aire-deteccion-en-hospitales-y-tecnologias-innovadoras/
Funding Organism: Instituto de Salud Carlos III
Status: Finished

Publications

Promoting global collaboration to improve bioaerosol exposure assessment and understanding of associated health impacts: outcomes from a series of workshops.
Marczylo EL, Jackson S, Bell C, Andrews D, Clift MJD, Crawford I, Fejer G, Ferguson RMW, Fisher MC, Goode EJ, Isaac J, Kinnersley R, Morrissey JA, Pozdniakova S, Viegas C, Ward A, Wouters IM, Coulon F, Nasir ZA, Douglas P.
Microbiology (Reading). 2025 May;171(5):001561.
DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001561
Microbial richness and air chemistry in aerosols above the PBL confirm 2,000-km long-distance transport of potential human pathogens.
Rodó X, Pozdniakova S, Borràs S, Matsuki A, Tanimoto H, Armengol MP, Pey I, Vila J, Muñoz L, Santamaria S, Cañas L, Morguí JA, Fontal A, Curcoll R.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024 Sep 17;121(38):e2404191121.
DOI: .org/10.1073/pnas.2404191121
Air monitoring by nanopore sequencing.
Reska T, Pozdniakova S, Borràs S, Perlas A, Sauerborn E, Cañas L, Schloter M, Rodó X, Wang Y, Winkler B, Schnitzler JP, Urban L
ISME Commun. 2024 Jul 16;4(1):ycae099.
DOI: 10.1093/ismeco/ycae099
Citizen science and social innovation as citizen empowerment tools to address urban health challenges: The case of the urban health citizen laboratory in Barcelona, Spain.
Santos-Tapia C, Verderau M, Borràs S, Flórez-Santasusana M, Flórez F, Morales JJ, Moli P, Borràs A, Cirach M, Ubalde-López M.
PLoS One. 2024 Mar 13;19(3):e0298749.
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0298749
Adapting Schools to Climate Change with Green, Blue, and Grey Measures in Barcelona: Study Protocol of a Mixed-Method Evaluation.
Sanz-Mas M, Ubalde-López M, Borràs S, Brugueras S, Continente X, Daher C, Marí-Dell'Olmo M, López MJ.
J Urban Health. 2024 Feb;101(1):141-154.
DOI: 10.1007/s11524-023-00814-y
Sub-weekly signatures relate ultrafine aerosols enriched in metals from intensive farming and urban pollution to Kawasaki disease.
Rodó X, Navarro-Gallinad A, Kojima T, Morguí J-A, Borràs S, Fontal A.
Environ. Res. Lett. 2023 Jun 19;18 074011.
DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/acd798
Microbial contamination in grocery stores from Portugal and Spain - The neglected indoor environment to be tackled in the scope of the One Health approach.
Viegas C, Gomes B, Cervantes R, Moreira S, Dias M, Pena P, Carolino E, Twarużek M, Kosicki R, Soszczyńska E, Caetano LA, Cañas L, Pozdniakova S, Borràs S, Viegas S.
Sci Total Environ. 2023 Jun 1;875:162602.
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162602
A history of the MetaSUB consortium: Tracking urban microbes around the globe.
Ryon KA, Tierney BT, Frolova A, Kahles A, Desnues C, Ouzounis C, Gibas C, Bezdan D, Deng Y, He D, Dias-Neto E, Elhaik E, Afshin E, Grills G, Iraola G, Suzuki H, Werner J, Udekwu K, Schriml L, Bhattacharyya M, Oliveira M, Zambrano MM, Hazrin-Chong NH, Osuolale O, Łabaj PP, Tiasse P, Rapuri S, Borras S, Pozdniakova S, Shi T, Sezerman U, Rodo X, Sezer ZH, Mason CE.
iScience. 2022 Oct 20;25(11):104993.
DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104993
On the interpretation of the atmospheric mechanism transporting the environmental trigger of Kawasaki Disease.
Ballester J, Borràs S, Curcoll R, Navarro-Gallinad A, Pozdniakova S, Cañas L, Burns JC, Rodó X.
PLoS One. 2019 Dec 16;14(12):e0226402.
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0226402
Revisiting the role of environmental and climate factors on the epidemiology of Kawasaki disease.
Rodó X, Ballester J, Curcoll R, Boyard-Micheau J, Borràs S, Morguí JA.
Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2016 Oct;1382(1):84-98.
DOI: 10.1111/nyas.13201

INSTITUTE

ISGLOBAL - Institut de Salut Global de Barcelona

Rosselló, 132, 6ª planta

08036 Barcelona http://www.isglobal.org/ca/

DOMAINS RIS3CAT

  • Mobility and logistics system
  • Education and knowledge generation system
  • Industrial system
  • Socio-sanitary system

CATEGORIES

  • TECHNOLOGICAL EQUIPMENT
    • Other specializated laboratories

RATES AND ACCESS

Tarifes_GINYS-ISGLOBAL-003_1-2.pdf
Availability Level: Medium
Access Procedures:
Open.  To request a service and ask for a quotation, contact Silvia Borras.

FACILITIES NETWORKS

Cluster IAQ – Indoor Air Quality
Cluster IAQ - Indoor Air Quality
Network link
Reach: Worldwide
Status: Active
Funding: Private
PRC page
BioAirNet – Indoor/Outdoor Bioaerosols Interface and Relationships Network
The aim of BioAirNet is to act as the leading voice for the UK BioPM science community by taking a transdisciplinary approach to understand the complexity and connectivity among people, BioPM exposure and resultant health impacts and the indoor-outdoor continuum.
Network link
Reach: Worldwide
Status: Active
Funding: SPF - UK
PRC page
BioSkyNet – the first global network of bioaerosols researchers
Collectively, airborne microorganisms are called bioaerosols, which is simply the fraction of airborne particles that are biological in origin. This new network brings together experts to standardize and improve molecular analysis methods. However, a key goal of this network is to make these methods more available. The greatest burden of air pollution is in low- and middle-income countries, where access to advanced molecular methods is limited. Through the network, researchers in low- and middle-income countries can access these tools, advancing research on the greatest need
Network link
Reach: Worldwide
Status: Active
Funding: NERC-UK
PRC page
MetaSUB – Metagenomics & Metadesign of Subways & Urban Biomes
Mapping the Urban Biome We aim to build a molecular profile of cities around the globe to improve their design, functionality, and impact on health. Public transportation systems represent the densest interaction space for millions of people each day, and yet, there is little known about the dynamics of the microbiome and metagenomics profile on these surfaces, and most importantly, how these dynamics and our interactions with these surfaces can impact an individual’s health, as well as the health of a city..
Network link
Reach: Worldwide
Status: Active
Funding: Private
PRC page
CERCA - Ginys