The life sciences sector is experiencing a boom, and Barcelona is strengthening its position as a hub for biotech innovation with global reach. The Catalan capital’s focus on specialization in health is supported by a robust ecosystem made up of universities, hospitals, research centers, and increasingly active investment that fosters the creation of spinoffs and startups. In this context, the biotech companies Nuage Therapeutics, Ona Therapeutics, and SpliceBio, based at the Barcelona Science Park, have been spotted in a recent Nature article as key representatives of a new generation of companies leading the sector’s growth in the city.

According to the latest BioRegion Report 2024, prepared by Biocat, the health sector is already the third-largest source of wealth in Catalonia, representing 7.6% of the region’s GDP, with a business volume close to €45 billion last year. This growth is supported by a vibrant ecosystem, made up of 112 spinoffs and 470 active startups. Among them, Nuage Therapeutics, Ona Therapeutics, and SpliceBio stand out, featured in a recent Nature article in a special section focused on scientific advances and key innovation trends. These three companies are emerging as major biotech promises, with research that could mark a turning point in the treatment of diseases that have so far been difficult to address.

Nuage Therapeutics is focusing its oncology research on targeting a type of proteins that evade most currently available treatments. Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) lack a fixed structure, are flexible and dynamic, which makes it difficult for traditional small molecules to bind to them—posing a challenge for classical drug design strategies. “We have developed a technology that captures these proteins in vitro in a more ordered secondary conformation,” CEO Stuart Hughes told Nature. “This allows us to find drugs that bind to them in a way conventional drug discovery has not been able to.”

Currently, the startup is working on applying its proprietary technology to develop a new line of therapeutic agents aimed at oncogenic transcription factors. “Nuage Therapeutics has a highly differentiated set of technologies that allow us to capture ‘disordered’ proteins in a form suitable for small-molecule screening,” says Hughes, who believes their technology “represents a revolutionary advance in drug discovery and precision medicine, especially in cases where the targets were previously considered undruggable.”

Another major challenge in oncology remains advanced cancer. Metastasis is responsible for the majority of cancer-related deaths—a stage where the disease spreads and evolves to become resistant. Ona Therapeutics is aiming to fight cancer by creating therapies capable of counteracting the mechanisms that allow its spread and survival. Its antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) combine targeted drugs with antibodies to act directly on tumor cells. Co-founder and CEO Valerie Vanhooren states that “Ona Therapeutics’ tailor-made ADCs have the potential to define new treatment paradigms and patient populations.”

The company’s research focuses on detecting molecular changes that occur when cancer adapts to conventional therapies, using real patient samples. In the Nature article, Haijun Sun, CSO of Ona Therapeutics, notes that “by analyzing rare samples from patients with advanced-stage cancer, we’ve been able to identify completely new drug targets that no one else is working on.” Their lead drug candidate, ONA-255, is expected to enter clinical trials by the end of 2025 for the treatment of solid tumors such as breast and gastric cancers.

In recent years, gene therapy has become a promising field for treating rare diseases, presenting a major opportunity for those capable of delivering innovative solutions. Developing effective treatments for these conditions—many still incurable—requires creativity, expertise, and new ways of thinking about science. The biotech company SpliceBio is betting on gene therapy to treat hereditary diseases caused by mutations in large genes.

The company has developed a pioneering protein splicing technology based on a family of proprietary artificial proteins called inteins. This innovation has already been applied to its lead candidate, SB-007—a gene therapy using two AAV vectors to treat Stargardt disease, an inherited retinal disorder caused by mutations in the ABCA4 gene. “Our technology allows us to split the gene into two transgenes, which are delivered using our dual AAV vector,” explains Miquel Vila-Perelló, co-founder and CEO of SpliceBio, in Nature. “Once inside the cell, the DNA of each transgene is transcribed into messenger RNA and translated into protein. Then, our modified inteins assemble the complete protein needed to treat the disease.”

With examples like these three companies, Barcelona is establishing itself as a strategic hotspot in life sciences and is attracting increasing interest from the global pharmaceutical industry. Within Spain, Catalonia leads research activity, being the autonomous community with the highest number of clinical trials. Internationally, Spain ranks as the European country with the most registered clinical trials—a position only surpassed by powerhouses like the United States, China, and Japan.

» More information: Nature Portfolio. (2025, abril). Why biotech is booming in Barcelona. Nature. https://www.nature.com/articles/d42473-025-00025-w