Researchers find a new key target for the treatment of prostate cancer Blog Post

A team led by researchers of the Institute of Biomedicine of the University of Barcelona (IBUB) –at the Barcelona Science Park– and the Research Institute of the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau (IIB-Sant Pau) shows for the first time, the three-dimensional structure of the homodimeric androgen receptor ligand-binding domain, a structure that eluded researchers for years. This new structure of the nuclear receptor allows explaining more than forty mutations related to prostate cancer, one of the most common worldwide and especially in Catalonia, as well as known developing disorders.

 

Esteve and SEFAC come together to implement a therapeutic adherence plan in community pharmacies Blog Post

Esteve and the Spanish Society of Community Pharmacy (SEFAC) have signed an agreement whereby both entities will collaborate in the development of a program of activities to foster and implement a treatment adherence plan in community pharmacies over the next two years. With this alliance, Esteve –which has its Center for Drug Discovery and Preclinical Development at PCB – reaffirms its commitment to provide answers to medical needs not covered properly.

 

First 3D observation of nanomachines working inside cells Blog Post

Today scientists at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) at the Barcelona Science Park present a study in Cell where they have been able to observe protein nanomachines (also called protein complexes)—the structures responsible for performing cell functions—for the first time in living cells and in 3D. This work has been done in collaboration with researchers at the University of Geneva in Switzerland and the Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo in Seville.

 

A public-private project to treat atherosclerosis led by Iproteos receives € 700,000 Blog Post

A public-private consortium led by the biotech  Iproteos – based at the Barcelona Science Park (PCB)– with the participation of the Biomedical Research Institute of Barcelona (IIBB) belonging to the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), has launched a project to validate a new family of compounds for the treatment of cholesterol vascular accumulation associated with atherosclerosis. The project has just received  a grant for 700,000 Euros from the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness, through the 2016 Retos-Colaboración call under the scope of the National Programme for Research Aimed at the Challenges of Society (Exp. RTC-2016-5078-1).

 

Carmen Plasencia receives a 2017 ‘femtalent’ award for her Professional Career Blog Post

Carme Plasencia, CEO and cofounder of biotech Aromics, based at the Barcelona Science Park, has won the femtalent award for her Professional Career. Greenaltech and Seed&Click, also located at PCB, received special mention in the categories of ‘Innovation and Organization” with We talent values,  respectively. The presentation of awards took place last Frisay at the Activa Barcelona Technology Park as part of the 2017 edition of the femtalent fòrum, which brought together over 200 attendees and 10 lecturers from the field of entrepreneurship, finances and social innovation.

 

Researchers discover a protein that protects against fatty liver Blog Post

A team co-headed by scientists at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) and the IDIBAPS Biomedical Research Institute (part of the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona) has revealed the capacity of the CPEB4 protein to prevent fatty liver disease.This condition generally leads to chronic inflammation (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis), which can trigger fibrosis, cirrhosis and ultimately liver cancer. This study on the basic biology of the liver paves the way to examine therapeutic strategies to fight and prevent fatty liver disease. The results have appeared in Nature Cell Biology this week.

 

Scientists reveal how to computationally design artificial proteins for novel applications Blog Post

An international team of scientists led by the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle has deciphered key rules that govern how proteins form pocket-like structures that are essential for many key protein functions. The discovery makes it possible for researchers to custom-design proteins that can mimic the actions of naturally occurring proteins as well as to design new proteins, unlike any found in nature, capable of performing entirely new functions. IRB Barcelona researcher, Enrique Marcos, is the first author of the study published today in Science.

 

Sequentia launches AIR, a platform revolutionizing transcriptomics Blog Post

Sequentia Biotech, based at the Barcelona Science Park, has launched a cloud computing platform called A.I.R. (Artificial Intelligence RNAseq), the first predictive bioinformatics tool that automatically analyzes mass transcriptomic data (ie data linked to the RNA) from the genome of any species, generated by the Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies, providing a complete report in less than 24 hours. 

 

€7m project awarded to IBEC to develop therapeutic approaches for cancer and other diseases Blog Post

Mechanocontrol, coordinated at IBEC by Pere Roca-Cusachs, is one of only 12 projects selected out of 210 proposals submitted in the Horizon 2020’s FET Proactive program,  which helps new research communities to be developed by encouraging researchers from different disciplines to work together. With its grant of €7m over five years, it is over three-fold larger than the prestigious European Research Council grants. In the international consortium that will develop Mechanocontrol also participates the company Mind the Byte located on the PCB.

 

Minoryx Therapeutics receives European Orphan Drug Designation for its lead candidate MIN-102 Blog Post

Minoryx Therapeutics – a drug development company specialized in the discovery and development of new drugs for orphan diseases, which has R& D laboratories at the Barcelona Science Park–  today announces that its lead compound MIN-102 has been granted Orphan Drug Designation by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). This designation is granted to medicines that are aimed at a condition that is life-threatening or chronically debilitating and have a prevalence rate in the EU of no more than five in 10,000 and brings a number of benefits to Minoryx including ten years market exclusivity.