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The awardees (Cabau and Bartomeu, in the center) with Enric Sierra, Juan Cruz, Núria Montserrat, and Germán Ramón-Cortés. Photo / La Vanguardia
 18.11.2025

Researchers from IRB and IBEC triumph at the 2025 Vanguardia Science Award

The excellence of the researchers from the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) and the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), both institutions based in the Barcelona Science Park, has been recognized in the latest edition of the 2025 Vanguardia Science Award, a joint initiative by La Vanguardia and the Fundació La Pedrera. This award was created to acknowledge projects led by women, aiming to help reduce the gender gap in science. In this edition, the research from IRB Barcelona and IBEC won the first and third prizes, respectively.

The first prize was awarded to researchers Carla García-Cabau and Anna Bartomeu, from IRB Barcelona, for their pioneering work on autism. In their study, published in the prestigious journal Nature, they identified that a dysfunction in the protein CPEB4 can alter neuronal maturation during embryonic development, which may contribute to the origin of autism spectrum disorder. This finding not only provides a new molecular key to understanding autism but also opens the door to potential therapeutic strategies.

“For us, this recognition is a true honour, especially considering the extraordinary level of women doing science in Spain. It is also a reminder that research has a real impact, and it is very exciting to see how society recognizes and supports this work,” explained Dr. Bartomeu.

In the case of IBEC, the third prize was awarded to Meritxell Serra-Casablanca and Samuel Sánchez, from the Intelligent Nanobio-Devices group, for their innovative therapeutic approach against bladder cancer. The study, published in Nature Nanotechnology, describes nanorobots loaded with radiopharmaceuticals that move inside the bladder using the urea in urine as an energy source. In animal models, a single dose managed to reduce tumour volume by 90%, with fewer side effects than traditional treatments.

In second place were Guadalupe Sabio, from the National Cancer Research Center (CNIO), and Cintia Folgueira, from the National Center for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC), for their discovery of a protein that promotes physical activity, with potential applications in metabolic disorders.

During the award ceremony, held last week as part of the Science Week organized by the Catalan Foundation for Research, the president of the foundation, Miquel Gómez Clares, and the Minister of Research and Universities, Núria Montserrat, were in attendance. During the evening, the figure of the scientist Joan Guinovart, recently deceased, was also commemorated as a driving force behind initiatives to identify and attract talent. Guinovart founded and directed IRB Barcelona.

» Link to the news: La Vanguardia [+]