A study on autism done at IRB Barcelona in the running for the “Vanguardia de la Ciencia” Award Blog Post

For the fifth consecutive year, the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) based in PCB has been nominated for the  “Vanguardia de la Ciencia” Award, thanks to research into autism, done in collaboration with the Centre for Molecular Biology “Severo Ochoa” (CBMSO), joint center between the Superior Council of Scientific Investigations (CSIC) and the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM). The work in question established that the CPEB4 protein, which coordinates the expression of hundreds of genes necessary for neuronal activity, is altered in the brains of patients with this neurological disorder.

 

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.

 

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.

 

Whole Genix wins the 2018 Mediterráneo Excellente Prize for Medical Innovation Blog Post

The company Whole Genix, headquartered in the Barcelona Science Park, received the 2018 Mediterráneo Excelente Prize in the Medical Innovation category. This award was received during the gala marking the IV edition of these prizes, held on Friday in Hotel Arts in Barcelona. With these awards, the editorial group El Suplemento aims to assess and highlight entrepreneurial, scientific and cultural talent, as well as social and charity initiatives undertaken by companies, institutions and professionals from the Mediterranean Arc.

 

Researchers at IRB Barcelona explain the origin of the mysterious periodicity of the genome Blog Post

A team of scientists led by Núria López-Bigas –ICREA Research Professor and head of the Barcelona Biomedical Genomics Lab at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona)– have found an explanation for a periodicity in the sequence of the genomes of all eukaryotes, from yeast to humans. The results published in the journal Cell offer an alternative explanation to the one based on natural selection, which has been accepted by the scientific community to date.