The groups of Pau Gorostiza, ICREA Research Professor in IBEC at PCB and Amadeu Llebaria of IQAC-CSIC have developed molecules that can be applied as light-regulated molecular prostheses to help restore vision in cases of retinal degeneration. Marina Gay, Senior Research Officer in the IRB Barcelona Mass Spec & Proteomics Facility at PCB, has also contributed to a study to develop molecular prostheses to restore sight.
Minoryx Therapeutics, a drug development company specialized in the discovery and development of new drugs for orphan diseases, today announces the initiation of its first-in-man Phase 1clinical trial for its lead compound MIN-102. The company –located at TecnoCampus Mataró-Maresme, with laboratories at Barcelona Science Park (PCB)– will harness its unique mechanism of action for potential use in X-linked Adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD), a genetic disease characterized by progressive neurologic deterioration with no available pharmacological treatment.
IBEC Director Josep Samitier and the Technology Transfer unit introduced IBEC’s 3D bioprinting capabilities at the first IN(3D)USTRY: From Needs to Solutions event, which was held at Fira Barcelona last week. IBEC’s 3D bioprinter is the only one offering the level of precision and characteristics requred for regenerative medicine purposes in southern Europe, and one of very few on the continent. It promises to put IBEC –based at Barcelona Science Park (PCB)– at the forefront of a new revolution in regenerative medicine by allowing researchers to add biological properties to implanted tissues such as bone, and may eventually be able to manufacture entire organs for transplantation.
Up to this date only 13 migraine-related genes were known and now a study of Nature Genetics proves the contribution of these 10 genes and adds 28 more to the candidate list. In the international work, focused on the analysis of common genetic migraine variants on people, there is the participation of Professor Bru Cormand and the collaborator Cèlia Sintas, from the Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics and the Institute of Biomedicine of the University of Barcelona (IBUB), located at the Barcelona Science Park (PCB).
The RIS3CAT Community for Digital applications in biotechnology and health therapies –coordinated by Biocat from its headquarters at the Barcelona Science Park (PCB)– is one of the first RIS3CAT Communities to which Government of Catalonia, through ACCIÓ, has allocated 19.1 million Euros from the ERDF fund (European Regional Development Fund). Leitat –whose BioMed Division is based at PCB– will also coordinate a further RIS3CAT Community for New diagnostic devices and big data applied to health, in which Intelligent Pharma, located at PCB, leads one of the four projects: ‘Diabetes as an accelerator of cognitive derioration in Alzheimer´s disease: Integral approach and treatment adherence’.
Researchers at IBEC, based at PCB, nd their collaborators at CMR[B] have developed a revolutionary new technique based on photoactivation (light activation), by which cells in deep tissue can activated and tracked in vivo without causing any damage. Manipulating protein expression to monitor cell behavior is a powerful tool in the field of biology.
EIT Health has lunched two funding initiatives: the grants Headstart and Proof of Concept and the Business Plan Aggregator program. As part of the EIT Health accelerator, both ideas are geared to innovative business ideas, SMEs, spin-offs and start-up committed to the social challenges defined by EIT´s principles: promoting a healthy lifestyle, supporting active ageing and improving quality of life through better healthcare. EIT Health Spain is based at the Barcelona Science Park (PCB) and at presently brings together 18 leading public and private organizations in the three areas of the innovation triangle: research, education and business creation.
The life sciences and healthcare sector of Catalonia gathers 734 companies with a turnover of 14.360 million euros, 7% of Catalonia’s GDP and employs 42,133 workers. These are some of the data yielded by the 2015 Biocat Report, presented last Thursday at the Palau de la Generalitat, which brought more than 200 politicians, business people and figures from academia and science. The event was presided over by the President of the Government of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, with the participation of Albert Barberà, CEO at Biocat, the organization that coordinates and promotes the health and life sciences sector in Catalonia, and Ella Korets-Smith, executive director of TO Health!, the Toronto´s life science cluster.
IDP Pharma, founded in 2015 and with headquarters at the Barcelona Science Park (PCB) has raised, during its first operative year, over 2 million euros from public and private capital. The biopharmaceutical company –specializes in the development of drugs for cancer treatment directed to a new class of therapeutic targets: IDPs– will appoint this capital to continue the preclinical development of their most advanced products: two first-in-class molecules with antitumor activity for Multiple Myeloma, the second most common blood cancer
Mundipharma its independent associated company Purdue Pharma today announced that, following completion of Phase II studies, they have exercised their option and taken over full responsibility from Laboratorios Esteve for the clinical, regulatory and commercial development of a potential first-in-class sigma-1 antagonist (AS1 o MR309/E-52862). In June 2012, Esteve has moved its Center for Drug Discovery and Preclinical Development to the Barcelona Science Park (PCB) in an attempt to shorten development time and speed up the arrival to market of innovative new drugs.
