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Photo legend: This initiative has allocated 1.3 million euros in the first round for the creation of biotechnology companies (Photo: ”la Caixa” Foundation).
 15.09.2015

Projects submitted by IBEC and FBG have been selected in the first call of CaixaImpulse

A smart dressing for wound care and a library of compounds to fight multi-resistant bacterial infection, developed by the Institute of Bioengineering Institute of Catalonia (IBEC), and two UB projects submitted by means of the Boch i Gimpera Foundation (FBG) –one about developing compounds for inflammatory and cardiovascular disorders and the other about therapies to cure diseases of the liver, lung, intestine and pancreas– are four of the 15 selected projects in the first call of the CaixaImpulse program. The initiative, co-organised by the Obra Social la Caixa and Caixa Capital Risc, aims at fostering the transformation of scientific knowledge in companies that create value for society and it allocates 1.3 million euros to the creation of biotech companies. 
 

Enric Banda, director of Science and Knowledge of the “la Caixa” Foundation and Carles Trenchs, director of Caixa Capital Risc, presented today at the Palau Macaya the 15 initiatives selected among 41 submitted by several research centers, hospitals and universities to take part in the first call of CaixaImpulse. The selection process has prioritized the potential transfer of assets and their impact on society.

Through this project, “la Caixa” Foundation and Caixa Capital Risc put their expertise in the fields of research, creation, development and investment in early-stage companies at the service of a shared objective: the transfer of research results to society.

The projects belong to different communities of the State: Andalucia (1), Catalonia (11), Galicia (1) Madrid (1) and Navarra (1). All proposals are framed in the fields of life sciences and medical and health sciences, and want to bring innovations and products to treat diseases such as Alzheimer’s, brain damage, heart attacks and cardiovascular disorders.
 

IBEC´s Dermoglass and RNRbiotics

Dermoglass is a smart dressing based on an innovative and biodegradable nanotechnology acting on the leading cause of wound chronification by stimulating revascularization of the affected area. The main objective of this project, led by Xavier Puñet, is to improve the treatment of patients and reduce associated health costs.

The RNRbiotics project, led by Eduard Torrents, has as its main objective to build a library of compounds that fight multi-resistant bacterial infections, considered as one of the leading causes for human health (WHO, World Health Organisation).  

Innovative therapies, the commitment of the Bosch i Gimpera Foundation

Current protocols to obtain stem cells are complex and require a long and expensive process. One of the two projects selected in this FBG call is led by Ana Belen Álvarez, which aims to design a new and simple procedure. The project is to use skin cells from the same patient to develop multipotent cells-capable of generating different tissue types of the organism- as a basis for new regenerative therapies to cure diseases of the liver, lung, intestine and pancreas.

The other project is led by Rosana Leiva and aims to develop compounds for inflammatory and cardiovascular disorders with better characteristics than other drugs under development. These drugs are new inhibitors of soluble hydrolase epoxide, an enzyme recently discovered, with improved pharmacological profile and a greater solubility, which is one of the most serious problems encountered with compounds currently being evaluated in clinical trials.

■ For further information on the CaixaImpulse project, plese access link [+]