Dr. Eliandre de Oliveira, cientific leader of the B·Debate on clinical proteomics Blog Post

World leaders in proteomics will meet at CaixaForum Barcelona on 7 and 8 November in an event held by B·Debate, an initiative by Biocat and Obra Social ‘la Caixa’, co-organized in this edition by Barcelona Science Park (PCB), ProteoRed-ISCIII, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) and Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO). Four experts of renowned prestige in this field –including Dr. Eliandre de Oliveira, head of the PCB’s Proteomics Platform– will lead the debate.

 

Discovery of a key protein involved in the development of autism Blog Post

An international team headed by Raúl Méndez, researcher at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), and José Lucas, researcher at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the Network Center for Biomedical Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED) has identified that CPEB4, a molecule that regulates protein synthesis, is impaired in most cases of autism. The study has been published in the journal Nature. 

 

Researchers design a nano-carrier to release drugs into damaged cells Blog Post

A team headed by the ICREA researcher Manuel Serrano at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), located in the Barcelona Science Park (PCB), has designed a drug encapsulation system that selectively targets senescent cells. The study, published in EMBO Molecular Medicine, paves the way for therapeutic approaches to eliminate these zombi cells in many diseases, such as pulmonary fibrosis and cancer. This is currently a central goal for many pharmaceutical companies, among them the one co-founded by Manuel Serrano himself Senolytic Therapeutics, based in PCB and in Boston.

 

ICCUB becomes a Scientifica International technological partner Blog Post

The Institute of Cosmos Sciences (ICCUB) of the University of Barcelona has signed an agreement with the company Scientifica International to work together in the fields of nuclear and particle physics, space sciences and industry. One of the first licensed products for its trade is the Multi-purpose Integrated Circuit (eMUSIC), carried out at the ICCUB technology Unit (ICCUB-TECH), based in the Barcelona Science Park.

 

New clues to analyse gene expression through epigenetics Blog Post

Researchers from the Centro Nacional de Análisis Genómico (CNAG-CRG), based in the Barcelona Science Park, and the Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC) have shown that the DNA region known as the first intron, a region to which not much attention had been paid until now, is a key region for analysing gene expression by epigenetic modifications. Anna Esteve-Codina, data analyst of the Functional Genomics team at the CNAG-CRG, is co-author of the paper.

 

SOM Biotech initiates of Phase 2a clinical trial of SOM3355 in Huntington’s disease patients Blog Post

SOM Biotech, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company –with headquarters in Barcelona Science Park– that discovers and develops drugs for orphan indications in the central nervous system,  has initiated of Phase 2a clinical trial of its compound SOM3355 for the treatment of the chorea movements associated to Huntington’s disease. The investigational product is a repositioned drug, currently commercialized for the treatment of hypertension. 

 

ilS, five years connecting companies with world experts in health sciences Blog Post

The consultancy firm Insights in Life Sciences (ilS), which is based at the Barcelona Science Park, is celebrating its fifth anniversary this year. With more than 100 projects under its belt, 40 clients and a network of 15,000 experts across the world, the company has consolidated itself as an exceptional liaison between pharma, biotech and medical device companies and life sciences’ Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs), with the aim of helping those Companies make suitable decisions for developing their products or successfully handling licence negotiation processes or funding rounds.

 

Big Data analysis identifies new cancer risk genes Blog Post

Researchers at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), in collaboration with the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) at PCB, developed a new method to systematically identify genes contributing to heritable cancer risk.The study, published in Nature Communications, is a success story for data sharing and openness in science.