Gemma Chiva-Blanch

I am the Group Leader of NUTRALiSS (Nutrition, Food, Health and Sustainability, for Spanish spelling) Research Group at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), aimed at the study of the interplay between nutrition, health and sustainability. I am a 42-year-old researcher in the field of nutrition and cardiovascular diseases with recognised experience in clinical trials and cohort studies in the field of nutrition, biomarkers, and cardiovascular diseases. In fact, my main lines of research are:

 1) The identification of new biomarkers of atherothrombosis and cardiovascular disease through the characterisation of inflammatory biomarkers and extracellular vesicles (EV) of vascular and blood origin. The aim of this line is to identify specific molecules and phenotypes of EV released into the bloodstream that allow the reclassification of individuals with a high risk of suffering a cardiovascular event in the short/medium term, regardless of their clinical cardiovascular risk (sex, age, cholesterol, smoking status, etc.). The long-term objective is that these specific phenotypes of CVD could be quantified in the clinical practice and integrated into more precise cardiovascular risk equations in the context of precision medicine.  I have been granted 2 national projects as PI in this area.

2. The evaluation of the effects of different dietary compounds, foods, and dietary patterns on cardiovascular risk. I have contributed to the seminal study PREDIMED, evaluating the effects of the Mediterranean Diet in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. In addition, I have also been among the first to find a relationship between the adherence to a healthy dietary pattern and lower circulating levels of EV related to cardiovascular risk. This line of research aims to better understand the complex relationship between diet and cardiovascular disease and to contribute to the development of nutritional strategies aimed at reducing CV risk burden and delaying the onset and progression of CVD in the context of a sustainable diet. In this line, I have also been granted three national and one international project as PI.

I am a board member of GEIVEX (the working group of Spanish researchers specialised in the field of extracellular vesicles) from January 2024. I am Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology, since 2021, where I am currently a nucleus member (2022-2026) of the Working Group of Cellular Biology of the Heart. I have participated in two International Scientific Statements in this framework (Davidson SM, et al. Cardiovasc Res. 2025;121(5):702-729; and Paillard M, et al. Eur J Heart Fail. 2025, in press. doi: 10.1002/ejhf.3674.), and I am currently co-leading another International Statement, highlighting the importance of education and training in overcoming the gap between discovery and clinical science in the cardiovascular field in the era of precision medicine (under review). I have also been involved in the Working Group on Thrombosis and the Council on Basic Cardiovascular Science (CBCS) of the ESC, in which I have actively participated in the Scientific Committee of the Frontiers in Cardiovascular Biomedicine biannual meeting and co-directed the 2025 ESC-CBCS Summer School. I have been a member of the scientific committee of the 2025 Scientific meeting of the CCNIEC (Catalan Nutrition Centre).   

I am also Associate Professor in the Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics and in the Master of Food, Health and Sustainability at the UOC. I have designed microcredentials and an expert diploma in medical writing, so I have experience designing lifelong learning (adult learning) education activities, besides my research experience in cardiovascular disease.