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Photo: Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC).
 07.12.2020

IBEC calls society to action to accelerate the development of three research projects against Covid-19

The Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) launches the Faster Future “A por la COVID19” campaign, with the aim of raising the 100.000€  to bring to the clinical practice, in collaboration with hospitals and patients associations, three projects that are already at an advanced stage of research. In previous editions, the Institut, based in the Barcelona Science Park, has already successfully carried out projects on muscular dystrophy and Parkinson’s disease.

Three ICREA Research Professors at IBEC aim to accelerate their research against Covid-19, in collaboration with various hospitals such as the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Jiménez Díaz de Madrid, Vall d’Hebron, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau in Barcelona and the NHS Royal Free in London, among others. The projects, already on going, seek to obtain results within a maximum period of 18 months to contribute to stop the virus infection capacity, as well as reducing the impact of the disease on people already infected.

The Project of professor Nuria Montserrat seeks to control the “doors”entrance gates of the virus‘s entry into organs such as the kidneys, heart or lungs. To do this, Montserrat and her team are creating mini-organs in the laboratory, also called organoids, which when infected with the virus, will provide information about its spread and possible blocking pathways.

On the other hand, Professor Giuseppe Battaglia’s group seeks to develop a nanocapsules system that serves as targeted delivery therapy, increasing the effectiveness of drugs and reducing their side effects.

Finally, the team of Professor Javier Ramón focuses on people who have overcome the disease, with the aim of studying the impact of the disease Covid-19 on the muscles. They will, and being able to adapt their diagnostic platforms of “muscle on a chip” device to explore the effectiveness of potential drugs in muscle tissues.

The period for making individual contributions will last until April 2021.

« For further information: IBEC website [+]

 

 

 

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