Once again, experts in nanomedicine from various fields gathered in Barcelona on the occasion of World Cancer Day. The meeting provided an opportunity to showcase the latest innovations in nanomedicine for combating cancer, covering topics such as early diagnosis, controlled drug release, and radiotherapy employing nanoparticles.
IBEC kicks off 2024 with the incorporation of three new research groups led by Manuel Salmerón Sánchez, Zaida Álvarez Pinto, and Xavier Rovira Clavé. With these additions, IBEC strengthens its position in the field of advanced and emerging therapies.
Núria Montserrat Pulido, principal investigator at IBEC, will lead a project to study Ataxia telangiectasia thanks to funding from AEFAT, the Spanish ataxia-telangiectasia family association. The idea of the project is to obtain cells with the patient mutations, develop organoids, explore the possibility of gene editing processes for different mutations and create a platform for drug testing.
IBEC will enhance its scientific information system and further implement its open science policy with the assistance of María de Guzmán from FECYT.
The BIST Forum has discussed how excellent science enhances the development of society and economic growth. The event was attended by the President of the Catalan Government, the Mayor of Barcelona, the heads of the highest economic institutions and the rectors of the main universities. At the event, the new BIST IGNITE projects for multidisciplinary research were announced, three of which have the participation of IBEC.
Teresa Sanchis and Xavier Trepat, members of IBEC, have authored opinion pieces in the ‘World View’ section of Nature Physics. Both articles underscore IBEC’s dedication to scientific excellence, the promotion of diversity, and the cultivation of an environment conducive to collaboration. They also highlight the relevant role of IBEC at the international level in multidisciplinary research.
IBEC participates as a partner in the EIT Health SCI FI (From Scientists to Innovators) program. A course for scientists from all over Europe wishing to transition into industry. In the 2023 edition, IBEC’s commitment went beyond providing its bioengineering innovation expertise, actively engaging in the program’s kick-off organization.
BuonMarrow, OMICSENS, and PHOENIX-OoC are the three projects in which IBEC’s Biosensors for Bioengineering Group will apply its extensive knowledge in the field of biosensors and organs-on-a-chip. The projects, which will be developed with funding from the European Innovation Council’s prestigious Pathfinder Open program, promise to enhance cancer treatments and foster innovation in diagnostics.
An installation featured in the exhibition “A=A, B=B” at the Antoni Tàpies Foundation will provide live access to the laboratories of IBEC. A window from which visitors will have the opportunity to see how researchers carry out their research projects, as if it were a genuine performance of scientific innovation.
On December 1, 2023, the Action Plan for Catalonia’s Advanced and Emerging Therapies Hub was unveiled at Vall d’Hebron University Hospital. Hosted by Biocat, the event underscored the significance of this pioneering initiative.