A study led by ICREA researcher Salvador Aznar Benitah and undertaken at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) based at PCB has identified two proteins that are fundamental to conserve skin stem cells and has shown that without these proteins these cells are lost. The study, which has been published in Cell Stem Cell, has involved Luciano Di Croce’s group at the Center for Genomic Regulation (CRG).
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.
The welcome ceremony to participants of the Spend the summer at the Park! program was held tyesterday, Monday, July 18. The aim of this initiative –organized annually by the Barcelona Science Park (PCB)– is to bring research closer to students of any university in the world through their participation in projects currently being carried out in research groups, research centers and companies based at the PCB.
This morning in Barcelona, the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) –based at Barcelona Science Park (PCB)– and the Barcelona Supercomputing Center-National Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS) have presented Nostrum Biodiscovery, a new biotech company that applies computational simulation to help new drugs and biotech molecules to reach the market. The creation of this spin-off has also been made possible thanks to the Bosch i Gimpera Foundation (FBG) of the University of Barcelona (UB) and the Catalan Institute for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), with the support by the Botín Foundation’s technology transfer programme.
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.
Avizorex Pharma –an ophthalmology biotech company with offices at Barcelona Science Park (PCB)– announces the submission of a Clinical Trial Application (CTA) to the Spanish Competent Authority, requesting clearance to initiate a Phase I/II clinical trial investigating the use of AVX-012 Ophthalmic Solution, a small molecule with a novel mechanism of action to treat patients suffering from mild to moderate Dry Eye Syndrome (DES).
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.
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.
