The Barcelona Science Park participates in the first “City and Science Biennial” Blog Post

The Barcelona Science Park is to participate in the 1st edition of the “City and Science Biennial”—organised by the Barcelona City Council, via the Culture Institute of Barcelona (ICUB) –with the aim of improving the dissemination of scientific knowledge generated in the city, and creating closer ties with society. The programme, which comprises the participation of 118 entities and the collaboration of academics, researchers, teachers and scientists, includes around 90 activities that will take place between 7 and 11 February in over 72 locations across the city’s ten districts.

 

Artificial intelligence applied to the genome identifies an unknown human ancestor Blog Post

Researchers from the Centro Nacional de Análisis Genómico (CNAG-CRG) –based in the Barcelona Science Park and integrated into the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG)– the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE), and the Institute of Genomics at the University of Tartu have identified, in the genome of Asiatic individuals, the footprint of a new hominid who cross bred with its ancestors tens of thousands of years ago. The study, published in Nature Communications, uses deep learning for the first time ever to account for human evolution, paving the way for the application of this technology in other questions in biology, genomics and evolution.

 

Embryotools achieves the world’s first pregnancy with a new nuclear transfer technique for treating infertility Blog Post

Researchers from the Spanish centre Embryotools —with headquarters in the Barcelona Science Park (Parc Científic de Barcelona, PCB) — are participating in a landmark scientific event in Greece that will shape the future of assisted reproduction. In a pilot clinical trial conducted on women, which is being sponsored by the assisted reproduction centre Institute of Life in Athens, Spanish scientists have achieved the world’s first pregnancy that uses the Maternal Spindle Transfer technique to solve problems of infertility.

 

Europe looks to cells for a healthier future Blog Post

Researchers from the Centro Nacional de Análisis Genómico (CNAG-CRG) –based in the Barcelona Science Park and integrated into the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) take part in the LifeTime consortium, which aims at understanding the constant changes within cells and their relationship to disease. The initiative will receive one million euros to devise a plan how to embed its vision into the European research and innovation landscape.

 

IBEC researchers produce ‘biorobots’ with live muscle tissue generated from 3D bioprinting Blog Post

IBEC’s Smart Nano-Bio-Devices group at the Barcelona Science Park have used 3D bioprinting to produce ‘biorobots’ made of biological elements such as muscle tissue. These bio-inspired soft robotic devices could offer many more capabilities for movement and performance – such as real-time bio-sensing, self-organization, adaptability, or self-healing – than existing systems, which use solely artificial materials.

 

Iproteos, IBEC and VHIR to develop an innovative therapy against solid tumors Blog Post

The biotechnology company Iproteos and the Institute of Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), based at the Barcelona Science Park (PCB), and the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) are set to develop an innovative treatment to slow down, stop and even reverse the growth of solid tumors, which represent more than 90% of cancer cases. The project, which received €935,000 from the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, through of the call Retos Colaboración, will focus in its first phase on two of the most common solid tumors in children and adolescents, rhabdomyosarcoma and neuroblastoma, as well as in lung and colon cancer, which have the highest mortality rate in adults.

 

Researchers uncover strategy to reduce chemotherapy side effects Blog Post

Researchers at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), based in the Barcelona Science Park, and the Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research (IDIBELL) have developed a light-regulated molecule that could improve chemotherapy treatments by controlling the activity of anticancer agents.

 

The Human Protein Atlas will pave the way to personalized medicine Blog Post

World leaders in proteomics are meeting with local doctors and researchers today and tomorrow at CosmoCaixa Barcelona, in an event held by B·Debate, an initiative by Biocat and Obra Social ‘la Caixa’, co-organized in this edition by the Barcelona Science Park (PCB), ProteoRed-ISCIII, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) and Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO). Four scientists of renowned prestige in this field –including Dr. Eliandre de Oliveira, head of the PCB’s Proteomics Platform– lead this debate.