Minoryx Therapeutics receives European Orphan Drug Designation for its lead candidate MIN-102 Blog Post

Minoryx Therapeutics – a drug development company specialized in the discovery and development of new drugs for orphan diseases, which has R& D laboratories at the Barcelona Science Park–  today announces that its lead compound MIN-102 has been granted Orphan Drug Designation by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). This designation is granted to medicines that are aimed at a condition that is life-threatening or chronically debilitating and have a prevalence rate in the EU of no more than five in 10,000 and brings a number of benefits to Minoryx including ten years market exclusivity.

 

Natàlia Pérez wins the 2n edition of the ‘A day at PCB’ photography contest Blog Post

Shadows de Natàlia Pérez, researcher at biotech Minoryx Therapeutics, has been the winner of the 2nd edition of the photography contest ‘Un dia al PCB’ (A day at the PCB). The aim of this event organized by the Parc Científic de Barcelona (PCB) which brings together over the 2000 people that make up the PCB Community- is to create a collective mosaic with the best snapshots of life at the park. Scientist from IRB Barcelona Amparo Prades, from the Asymmetry Synthesis Research Unit (URSA), has received an accesit award with her photograph Mirada fotogràfica. Awards were presented to the winners today, 22nd of December, at the Dolor Aleu Hall.

 

Arian Internacional succesfully starts a consultancy división for European projects Blog Post

Backed up by 14 years experience and more tan 200 companies  advised on international projects, Arian Internacional–an associate company at the Barcelona Science Park (PCB) – has successfully started the European Projects Advisory/Consultancy service with the preparation of the ZeClinics– that has won funding from the SME Instrument Phase 2, within the framework of  Horizon 2020, under the category  ‘Supporting innovative SMEs in the healthcare biotechnology sector’. This € 1.87 million grant is intended for small and medium-sized European companies investing in innovative projects with a major economic and social impact. 

 

Towards a better understanding of the puzzling “droplets” in the cell cytoplasm Blog Post

A study at IRB Barcelona, located at PCB, sheds light on the dynamics of protein aggregates that behave like “droplets of oil in water” and that are described as membraneless cytoplasmic organelles.These organelles regulate protein activity during cell division.This is the first study at the Institute to address the so-called liquid-like droplets, which are attracting the attention of researchers worldwide.

 

Omega-3 fatty acids stimulate brown adipose tissue metabolism Blog Post

Omega-3 fatty acids are able to stimulate the activation of brown and beige adipose tissues, a discovery that would promote the development of new therapies for obesity and other metabolism diseases, according to a research study published in the journal Nature Communications under the supervision of Professor Francesc Villarroya, from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biomedicine and member of the Institute of Biomedicine of the University of Barcelona (IBUB) –located at PCB– and the Biomedical Research Center Red-Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN) of the Institute of Health Carlos III.

 

Drug repurposing, a new hope for rare diseases Blog Post

Under the theme Drug repurposing for rare diseases. The cure of the 21st centuryB·Debate – an initiative by Biocat and  “la Caixa” Foundation– will be holding, in association with the Barcelona Science Park (PCB) and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu (HSJD), an international expert gathering at CosmoCaixa on 17 and 18 November to help identify new therapeutic strategies for rare diseases, with a special emphasis on drug repurposing already approved for other diseases. 

 

“La Marató” awards funding to two IRB Barcelona projects on obesity and diabetes Blog Post

Today the “Fundació La Marató de TV3” has announced the 34 winning projects out of 117 presented for funding in the 2015 campaign devoted to obesity and diabetes in an award presentation ceremony held at the Acadèmia de Ciències Mèdiques i de la Salut de Catalunya i de Balears, in Barcelona. The Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), based at the Barcelona Science Park, has received funding for the two projects that it presented.

 

Molecules activated by light to control glutamate receptors Blog Post

Researchers at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) based at PCB, the Institute of Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC) and the Institute of Functional Genomics of Lyon (IGFL) have developed molecules that can modulate the activity of glutamate receptors in the central nervous system, with important applications in biomedicine.

 

IBEC’s first EMBO Young Investigator Blog Post

IBEC junior group leader at PCB and UB assistant professor Pere Roca-Cusachs has been accepted into the prestigious EMBO Young Investigator Programme. EMBO, the European Molecular Biology Organization, chooses some of the best young group leaders in Europe through a highly competitive annual selection. Pere presented his research plan for the next five years to an international panel in Heidelberg at the beginning of October.