Institutional news

One of IBEC’s mentees under the BATX2LAB programme was a prize winner last Wednesday at the initiative’s annual ceremony to award the best research projects.

In BATX2LAB, organised by the PCB and CatalunyaCaixa, researchers working in the science park are assigned as tutors to secondary school pupils who are starting their A-level/Baccalaureate research projects. It enables participating students to carry out their research in a ‘real’ lab environment and with the support of an experienced scientist.

An image from Xavier Fernandez-Busquets’ Nanomalaria joint unit has been selected as Image of the Month for April 2017 for the Pinacoteca de la Ciencia, a competition run by the Spanish Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (SEBBM).

The cryo-transmission electron microscope image of liposomes being assayed for the encapsulation of drugs targeted to red blood cells infected by the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum was a result of Xavier’s ongoing collaboration with artist Marc Cirera.

SEBBM’s Pinacoteca de la Ciencia, sponsored by Eppendorf, showcases the best photos sent by the society’s partners month by month.

This week IBEC is attending BIO-EUROPE SPRING, the premier partnering conference that brings together the “who’s who” from biotech, pharma and finance in Europe.

Taking place at the CCIB convention centre today, tomorrow and Wednesday, BIO-EUROPE SPRING will welcome more than 2400 attendees from 1400 companies from more than 45 countries.
IBEC’s Technology Transfer head Xavier Rubies will be there for the three days presenting the institute’s portfolio of patents and technologies to look for partners, attending company presentations and networking.

The Spanish Platform for Nanomedicine (NanoMedSpain), led by IBEC Director Josep Samitier, is participating once again in the Annual Conference of Technological Platforms of Biomedical Research in Madrid this week.

This year, NanoMed Spain has invited Pier Maria Fornasari, Director of Complex Structures at the Instituto Ortopedico Rizzoli di Bologna. He will represent the ‘Biofabrication for Regenerative Medicine’ joint proposal sent to the European Commission in response to their call for new FET Flagship initiatives for the next work program.

This week IBEC is taking part in the Youth Mobile Festival (YOMO) of the Mobile World Congress, the world’s largest gathering for the mobile industry, with an interactive stand about bioengineering for cardiac regeneration.

Members of the Biomaterials for Regenerative Therapies group, Soledad Pérez, Jesús Ordoño and Gerard Rubí, will explain the research carried out to regenerate the heart using biodegradable and bioactive materials. With the aid of a 3D pen, attendees will be able to replicate one of the techniques that are used for research in this area.

Today, the tenth international Rare Disease Day, IBEC is taking part in an event at the Hospital Sant Joan de Déu.

Organised by the Federación Española de Enfermedades Raras (FEDER), the Federació Catalana de Malalties Minoritàries (FECAMM) and the Plataforma de Malalties Minoritàries, and supported by GENCAT, CatSalut and the Parlament de Catalunya, the open conference will emphasize the importance of research in tackling rare diseases.

Josep Samitier will take part in a round table at the conference, during which he will present bioengineering applied to rare diseases.

On Friday last week MECHANO-CONTROL, the largest European project ever coordinated at IBEC, held its kick-off meeting at the institute.

Pere Roca-Cusachs’ project, which is funded by H2020’s FET Proactive programme, will focus on understanding and controlling how cells transmit and detect mechanical forces, with the aim of coming up with new therapeutic and diagnostic approaches for cancer and other diseases.

Saturday 11th February is the UN’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science, a chance for everyone to take a stand against gender inequality in research.

According to a study conducted in 14 countries, the probability for female students of graduating with a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and PhD in science-related field are 18%, 8% and 2% respectively, while the percentages of male students are 37%, 18% and 6% (UN).

At IBEC in 2016, female PhD students (38) outnumbered male (29), as did technicians (17 female and 11 male), but in other positions they lag behind.