An international research team led by researchers from the Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG) and the spin-out Sequentia Biotech based at the Barcelona Science Park has been able to obtain, through genetic engineering, Artemisia annua plants that produce twice as much artemisinin molecule, the main component of malaria treatments worldwide. This finding could be a major step towards reducing the production costs of antimalarial drugs.
Mind the Byte, located at the Barcelona Science Park, continues to reinforce its international presence. To this end, Thomas Högberg is joining the company as Business Development Director Scandinavia and Senior Advisor in order to consolidate computational design services in one of the most important pharmaceutical and biotechnology markets in Europe. He will carry out these responsibilities from the company’s offices at the Copenhagen Bio Science Park (COBIS).
Pangaea Oncology –located at the Dexeus University Hospital and associated company of PCB – has been the first laboratory to be accredited in Spain for the determination of oncological biomarkers in blood (liquid biopsy) by the norm UNE-EN ISO 15189. This laboratory has great experience in the field of oncology, and was the first to be accredite in 2009 for the analysis in tissue of mutations in genes related to tumor processes, specifically in lung cancer. The result of these analyzes allows to predict the response to certain drugs and to apply personalized medicine to patients.
The Barcelona City Council has announced the 2016 “Premi Ciutat de Barcelona” awardees, the highest recognition that the city gives to its citizens. Salvador Aznar Benitah, ICREA researcher at IRB Barcelona based at PCB, has been recognized in the Life Sciences category for the relevance of his work for metastasis research.
IBEC‘s Nanoscale Bioelectrical Characterization group at PCB has been awarded 3.6 million euros to coordinate the SPM2.0 project in the framework of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks (MSCA-ITN-ETN). The ten consortium members of the SPM2.0 European Training Network – located in Spain, France, Austria, the UK and Italy – will be able to provide researchers with state-of-the-art multidisciplinary scientific training in the field of Scanning Probe Microscopes (SPM), covering basic science to industrial applications, which should enable them to generate new scientific knowledge.
Azierta, located at the Barcelona Science Park, has been awarded with the European Medal for Merit in Work granted by the European Association of Economy and Competitiveness in recognition of the company´s professional task in the field of science and health. The award ceremony took place on Friday at the Westin Palace Hotel in Madrid.
Researchers from IRB Barcelona at the Barcelona Science Park identify a fundamental role of the JAK/STAT signalling pathway in the development and growth regulation of limbs in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Published in Nature Communications, the study paves the way to research into the function of this pathway in vertebrate development and its possible involvement in human congenital diseases.
A study headed by Salvador Aznar Benitah, ICREA researcher at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) in the Barcelona Science Park, and published today in Nature, identifies metastasis-initiating cells through a specific marker, namely the protein CD36. Their results show that the protein CD36, which absorbs fat from the cell membrane, is an essential factor that determines whether tumour cells become metastatic. IRB Barcelona will co-develop antibodies against CD36 with the potential to treat patients.
Researchers of the University of Barcelona proposes in a study published in the scientific journal Nature Chemistry, a new way of facing the discovery of molecules with biological activity. Since it is based on a different principle, this method complements conventional tools and allows going forward in the path of rational drug design. ICREA researcher Xavier Barril, from the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences and the Institute of Biomedicine of the University of Barcelona (IBUB) –located at PCB– has led this project, which has the participation of professor Francesc Xavier Luque and PhD student Sergio Ruiz Carmona, members of the same Faculty.
From the massive data obtained from genomic analysis down to the most intricate details of individual proteins. This is precisely what will be addressed by invited speakers in the next Barcelona Biomed Conference, to be held from today 28 to 30 November at the Institut d’Estudis Catalans. Entitled From genomes to structures: looking at big data with an atomic perspective” and organised by IRB Barcelona, based at PCB, and the BBVA Foundation, this event is the 29th in this series of think-tank gatherings.
