Dr Irene Marco-Rius, principal investigator at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), has been awarded the 2025 Anatole Abragam Prize for her pioneering work on the use of magnetic resonance to study cells grown on chips, allowing ex vivo metabolic assessment of disease mechanisms and therapy responses in controlled microenvironments. The award was presented at the Joint ENC-ISMAR Conference in California.
Dr Irene Marco-Rius, principal investigator of the Molecular Imaging for Precision Medicine group at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), has been awarded the 2025 Anatole Abragam Prize. This prize, established by the International Society of Magnetic Resonance (ISMAR) and sponsored by the Bruker Corporation, recognises and encourages outstanding young researchers in the field of magnetic resonance for their novel and significant contributions.
The IBEC researcher was recognised for her original contributions to hyperpolarized magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy. Her pioneering work includes the use of magnetic resonance to study cells grown on chips (‘organ-on-a-chip’ models), allowing ex vivo metabolic assessment of disease mechanisms and therapy responses in controlled microenvironments, applied in the context of diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and cancer, for example.
“I’m truly honored to receive this award—it reflects the dedication and hard work of my entire team. It motivates us to keep exploring exciting and complex scientific challenges, always focusing on biomedical applications that can make a real difference.”
Irene Marco Rius
Dr Marco-Rius’ research develops tools based on magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to gain insight into cellular metabolism and detect pathological changes, with the aim of identifying disease biomarkers for early diagnosis and assessing treatment response after administration of therapy. Her innovative methods have enabled more detailed investigations of molecular dynamics and interactions, pushed the boundaries of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technology, and had a significant impact on fundamental research and practical applications in biomedical imaging.
The Anatole Abragam Award was presented on Sunday 6 April in Asilomar, Pacific Grove, California, during the opening session of the Joint ENC-ISMAR conference, where Dr Marco-Rius gave a lecture. This meeting aims to promote the exchange of cutting-edge NMR research.
