Our Team

Joaquim Gascon has an MD and PhD in Medicine, and a Master in Medical Microbiology. He is the Co-Director of the Chagas Initiative at ISGlobal.

Gascon's previous professional experience includes medical officer in charge of the Nemba’s Hospital in Rwanda (1982-86); Head of the International Health Department at Hospital Clinic Barcelona; Member of the steering committee of TROPNETEUROP (European network for imported infectious tropical diseases) from 2002 to 2016; and Coordinator of NHEPACHA, an Iberoamerican network focused on the discovery and assessment of biomarkers of therapeutic efficacy for Chagas Disease from 2010-2019.

Gascon has coordinated several clinical guidelines and consensus documents on Chagas disease in Spain, published in national and international journals, and participated in working groups for the implementation of control programs in blood banks in Spain and the control program for the vertical transmission of Chagas disease in Catalonia. In 2020, he published the monographic Chagas Disease: A Neglected Tropical Disease (Springer, 2020), that provides a comprehensive resource on various aspects of the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi and Chagas disease.

Since 2008, Gascon is PI of the “Platform for integral care of patients with chronic Chagas disease in Bolivia", a project he coordinates in Bolivia together with Dr Torrico. The platform develops a global intervention strategy for Chagas, which combines direct assistance to the patients, special training of health professionals, and development of research protocols.

Lines of research

•  Biomarkers of early therapeutic efficacy
•  New drugs and treatment schemes or schedules
•  New strategies to scale-up the access to diagnosis and treatment of patients with Chagas disease
•  Clinical and epidemiological research

Main publications

• Muñoz J; Coll O; Juncosa T; Vergés M; del Pino M; Fumadó V; Bosch J; Posada E; Hernández S; Fisa R; Boguña JM; Gállego M; Sanz S; Portús M; Gascon J. Prevalence and vertical transmission of T. cruzi infection among pregnant latinamerican women attending two maternity clinics in Barcelona, Spain. Clin. Infect. Dis., 2009; 48(12): 1736 - 1740. doi:10.1086/599223
• Soy D, Aldasoro E, Guerrero L, Posada E, Serret N, Mejía T,Urbina J.A , Gascón J. Population pharmacokinetics of benznidazole in adult patients with Chagas disease. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 2015;59(6):3342-9. doi: 10.1128/AAC.05018-14
• Pinazo MJ, Posada Ede J, Izquierdo L, Tassies D, Marques AF, de Lazzari E, Aldasoro E, Muñoz J, Abras A, Tebar S, Gallego M, de Almeida IC, Reverter JC, Gascon J. Hypercoagulability Factors in Patients with Chronic Chagas Disease: Potential Biomarkers of Therapeutic Response. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2016 Jan 4;10(1):e0004269. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004269
• Torrico F, Gascon J, Ortiz L, Alonso-Vega C, Pinazo MJ, Schijman A, Almeida IC, Alves F, Strub-Wourgaft N, Ribeiro I; E1224 Study Group. of adult chronic indeterminate Chagas disease with benznidazole and three E1224 dosing regimens: a proof-of-concept, randomised, placebo-controlled trial. Lancet Infect Dis. 2018 Apr;18(4):419-430. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(17)30538-8
• Pinazo MJ, Pinto J, Ortiz L, Sánchez J, García W, Saravia R, Cortez MR, Moriana S, Grau E, Lozano D, Gascon J, Torrico F. A strategy for scaling up access to comprehensive care in adults with Chagas disease in endemic countries: The Bolivian Chagas Platform. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2017 Aug 18;11(8):e0005770. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005770