A scientific study outlines the evolution of genes involved in selenoprotein synthesis Blog Post

An international study has been highlighted on the cover of the prestigious journal Genome Research. It illustrates the evolution of selenophosphate synthetase genes —involved in selenoprotein synthesis— in prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. Montserrat Corominas and Florenci Serras, professors in the Department of Genetics and researchers at the Institute of Biomedicine of the University of Barcelona (IBUB) at PCB, participate in the study together with the scientific team led by Roderic Guigó, expert at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG-UPF).

 

New computational approach to predicting adverse drug reactions with higher confidence Blog Post

A new integrated computational method helps predicting adverse drug reaction—which are often lethal—more reliably than with traditional computing methods. This improved ability to foresee the possible adverse effects of drugs may entail saving many lives in the future. The study that is being conducted by researchers from IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), and the company Chemotargets at PCB, within the framework of the European eTOX project, was chosen for the cover of the journal Chemical Research in Toxicology.

 

PCB hosts a ‘Lessons Learned’ session on investment in R & D and tax administration Blog Post

Thursday, the 22 of October, Barcelona Science Park (PCB) hosted the 8th session of ‘Lessons Learned’ series: ‘Biofiscalitat: els incentius per a la ciència‘, an initiative of CataloniaBio and Biocat to foster knowledge and networking among professionals in the field of life sciences. On this occasion, the aim of the event was to gain further insight and analyze the tools to overcome the regulations and red tape governing the taxation regimen of biotechnological and biomedical companies which hamper R & D.

 

Renewal of IRB Barcelona’s ‘Severo Ochoa’ Accreditation of Excellence Blog Post

This morning the Secretary of State for I+D+I has announced that the first eight ‘Severo Ochoa’ Centres of Excellence‘ ─whose strategic research plans for the period 2016-2019 have been positively evaluated─ have been awarded this distinction again, which has won them  a grant of 1 million euros a year for a further four years. One of these centers is the Institute for Biomedical Research (IRB Barcelona), which received the news during its 10th year anniversary institutional event at the Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB). Last March, the Institute of Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) was granted the Severo Ochoa accreditation, which means that Barcelona Science Park (PCB) now is home to two of the centers that have been presented with this distinction.

 

Artax is granted 10 million dollars to foster clinical trials with an innovative drug in patients who suffer from autoimmune disorders Blog Post

The start-up Artax Biopharma –focusing on the development of first-in-class drugs to treat autoimmune diseases- has closed a Series B series investment funding round totaling $10 Million to boost clinical trials of its most advanced compound, drug AX- 024. This biotech- based in Cambridge (Massachusetts) and founded by Damià Tormo, a scientist and entrepreneur from Valencia– leads a team in Spain that manages a large part of the project in Europe from its offices located in Valencia and at Barcelona Science Park (PCB). 

 

The 20 Severo Ochoa Centers of Excellence organise 100xCIENCIA Forum Blog Post

The 20 Spanish research centers accredited with the Severo Ochoa Excellence distinction– two of which are the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) and the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), based at PCB–  met for the first time and for three days, to analyze the current situation of Spanish science and its key actors under the framework of ‘100XCIENCIA Communicating frontier science. The event, which was held from 7 to 9 October in Santa Cruz de la Palma, was closed a clear message: Science has to be conveyed to society for continued growth.

 

Secretary of State visits IBEC at the Barcelona Science Park Blog Post

This morning, Secretary of State for Research, Development and Innovation, Carmen Vela, visited the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) at PCB, after taking part in the opening ceremony of the conference ‘Future Tools for Biomedical Research. In Vitro, in Silico and in Vivo Disease Modeling‘, organized by B·Debate, International Center for Scientific Debate – an initiative of Biocat and “la Caixa” – jointly with IBEC. 

 

IBUB has participated in a international study to identify a novel gene implicated in osteoporosis Blog Post

Un uncommon variant of the gene EN1 contributes to bone mineral density and osteoporotic fractures, according to a study recently published in the journal Nature. Daniel Grinberg, expert in the Department of Genetics of the University of Barcelona (UB) and member of the Institute of Biomedicine of the UB (IBUB) at Barcelona Science Park (PCB) has participated in the study, wich is part of the international project Genetic Factors for Osteoporosis Consortium (GEFOS), funded by the European Union.