Scientists in Barcelona discover a potential treatment for cirrhosis Blog Post

Scientists from the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) at PCB and the August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS) reveals a therapeutic target to prevent the development of the many abnormal blood vessels that cause gastrointestinal bleeding—the main complication in cirrhosis. The results of the study have been published in the most recent issue of Cirrhosis is the main risk factor for liver cancer. The same target may be the key to preventing and treating this condition.

 

Knowledge transfer in psoriasis, recognized with the Antoni Caparrós Award Blog Post

The Knowledge Transfer program in psoriasis between the academia and the industry developed by the Translational Immunology Group of the Department of Physiology and Immunology at the University of Barcelona (UB)- based at the Barcelona Science Park (PCB)– has been recognized with the Antoni Caparrós Award, one of the five awards that the UB Board of Trustees and the Bosch i Gimpera Foundation (FBG) granted this last Wednesday. 

 

Secondary school teachers learn about biomedical chemistry at IRB Barcelona Blog Post

On the afternoon of Friday 27th November and all of the next day, fifteen secondary school teachers from around Catalonia will have the opportunity to learn about the value of chemistry for biomedicine by the hand of researchers at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona). Forming part of the programme Teachers and Science, an initiative of the Catalunya-La Pedrera Foundation, the course Chemistry: the basic ingredient of biomedical research involves the collaboration of IRB for the fifth consecutive year. The course will be held on IRB Barcelona premises at the Barcelona Science Park.

 

IRB Barcelona develops an advanced method and the first platform of DNA simulations Blog Post

The Molecular Modelling and Bioinformatics Laboratory at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), headed by Modesto Orozco, has published today in Nature Methods a new model which allows atomic-level simulations of DNA dynamics, with unprecedented accuracy. All the simulations and posterior analyses are kept in the first online tool developed to date dedicated to atomic level simulations of nucleic acids. The platform is free of charge and available to the entire scientific community through the Spanish Institute of Bioinformatics and the European network ELIXIR-Excellerate.

 

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.

 

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.

 

Spain and France join the European Consortium Elixir for managing and analysing biological data Blog Post

At their meeting today in Hinxton (UK), the Board unanimously accepted Spain and France as full members of Elixir, the largest infrastructure of life science data in Europe. The National Bioinformatics Institute (INB), which acts as the Spanish scientific node, will coordinate the Spanish scientific partner institutions. These comprise top-level institutions such as CNAG-CRG and IRB Barcelona, located at PCB. The National Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCII) will coordinate the Spanish scientific partner institutions.

 

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.