
Judith Silvia Armstrong Morón
Jefe de Grupo
Research group
Judith Armstrong graduated in Biology in 1997 from the University of Barcelona. His training has been entirely in the field of Neurogenetics and hereditary neurological diseases, begun in studies of fragile X chromosome syndrome, work carried out during the past year by the John F. Kennedy Instituttet Laboratory, Denmark under the direction of the Dr. Grønskov. This stay involved obtaining the degree of Experimental Master in Human Genetics in 1998. She completed his training with a doctorate on Rett syndrome at the SJD Barcelona Children's Hospital, under the direction of Dr. Monrós in 2003.
Between 2003 and 2007, and during his postdoctoral stay at the Bellvitge Hospital, she developed the Neurological Tissue DNA Bank of the ICS Institute of Neuropathology, under the direction of Dr. Ferrer and Dr. Volpini.
Currently and since 2008 she is a faculty assistant of the Genetic and Molecular Medicine Service of the SJD Barcelona Children's Hospital and belongs to the CIBERER U-703 group, in charge of research and molecular diagnosis of Rett Syndrome. Together with Dr. Pineda and starting in 2008, the research projects in Rett syndrome were restarted: 2008, "Phenotype-genotype correlation studies in Rett syndrome. Study of deletions of the MECP2 gene AND OTHER genes"; in 2011 "Genetic diagnosis of Rett syndrome: First step for pharmacological therapy. Study in the genes involved and phenotype-genotype correlation" (PFNR0004), in 2013 "Exome sequencing for discovery of candidate genes in Rett and Rett variants" (PFNR0037), in 2015 "Duplication of MECP2: genetic and clinical study in Spanish patients" (PCP00148), 2016 "Clinical and molecular characterization of Rett syndrome: elucidating unsolved cases" (FIS15 / 01159) and in 2017 "Function of the MeCP2 protein: implications in MECP2 Duplication syndrome and Rett syndrome ". Along with Dr. Pineda, and in relation to Rett syndrome, more than 30 publications with an impact factor have been published.
The Rett Syndrome group at the SJD Barcelona Children's Hospital is a national reference center, both at the clinical and molecular level, registering more than 500 cases of Rett Syndrome patients with confirmed clinical and genetic diagnosis. Since it was discovered that mutations in the MECP2 gene caused Rett syndrome (October 1999), our laboratory has diagnosed samples from all over the country and abroad (Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, the Czech Republic, Turkey, Israel, etc.). Currently, molecular diagnosis of all genes that are capable of causing Rett (MECP2, CDKL5, and FoxG1) and Rett-like is performed using a wide variety of diagnostic techniques (NGS, direct sequencing, MLPA, PCRq, etc.).
In 2017, Dr. Pineda and Dr. Armstrong received the 1st AELMHU Award for the best clinical career in Rare Diseases.
She currently leads the Rett syndrome research group where she studies the mechanisms involved in gene regulation of the MeCP2 functional pathway and how to apply this knowledge in personalized therapies in patients with genetic diseases.
Professional network profiles
Related websites
Last Publications
- Illescas S, Diaz-Osorio Y, Serradell A, Toro-Soria L, Musokhranova U, Julià-Palacios NA, Ribeiro J, Altafaj X, Olivella M, O'Callaghan-Gordo M, Darling A, Armstrong-Moron J, Artuch-Iriberri R, Garcia-Cazorla A and De Oyarzabal-Sanz AL Metabolic characterization of neurogenetic disorders involving glutamatergic neurotransmission JOURNAL OF INHERITED METABOLIC DISEASE . : .
- Jana Domínguez Carral, Ludlam WG, Junyent Segarra M, Fornaguera Marti M, Balsells S, Muchart-Lopez J, Cokolic Petrovic D, Espinoza I, Ortigoza-Escobar JD and Martemyanov KA Severity of GNAO1-Related Disorder Correlates with Changes in G-Protein Function. ANNALS OF NEUROLOGY . 94(5): 987-1004.
- Pascual-Alonso A, Xiol-Viñas C, Smirnov D, Kopajtich R, Prokisch H and Armstrong-Moron J Identification of molecular signatures and pathways involved in Rett syndrome using a multi-omics approach. HUMAN GENOMICS . 17(1): 85-85.
Projects
- Project name:
- Estudio de validación de dianas terapéuticas en muestra cerebral y sangre periférica de pacientes con síndrome de Rett
- Leader
- Judith Silvia Armstrong Morón
- Funding entities:
- Fundación Noelia. Niños Contra la Distrofia Muscular Congénita por Déficit de Colágeno VI, FUNDACIÓN ADEY
- Code
- PFNR0185
- Starting - finishing date:
- 2023 - 2025
- Project name:
- Cómo dirige el gen MECP2 la expresión génica: varones Rett y varones con duplicación MECP2
- Leader
- Judith Silvia Armstrong Morón
- Funding entities:
- Associació Muevete por los que no pueden
- Code
- PCP00374
- Starting - finishing date:
- 2023 - 2024
- Project name:
- SGR 2022-2024_Precision Medicine of Genetic and Rare Diseases (PrecisionRare)
- Leader
- Francesc Palau Martínez
- Funding entities:
- Agaur - Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca
- Code
- 2021 SGR 01610
- Starting - finishing date:
- 2022 - 2024