NEWSLETTER OF THE INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH IN BIOMEDICINE€¦ · available p38 MAPK inhibitors. “Our lab results support a potential therapeutic use for p38 MAPK inhibitors in com-

NEWSLETTER OF THE INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH IN BIOMEDICINE

p4 ELMI comes to Barcelona

Federica wants girls to have fun with science

Fly model for cancerp4 p8p7 Science and fun

at Kids’ Day

in vivoSix top Barcelona research institutes form the Barcelona Institute

July 2015 | Issue 31

Angel Nebreda receivesERC Proof of Concept Grant

On 13 July, the European Research Council awarded ICREA Research Pro-

fessor and IRB Barcelona Group Leader Angel R. Nebreda one of 45 Proof of

Concept grants attributed in 2015. Nebreda is one of six awardees in Spain, five

of whom are based in Catalonia.

These grants are top-up funding to investigate commercial applications of

scientists’ frontier research results, and are available to scientists who already

hold ERC grants. Nebreda was awarded an ERC Advanced Grant in 2011 for his

project, ‘P38 Cancer.’

His Proof of Concept grant is entitled ‘P38 Cure,’ and

aims to investigate new breast cancer therapies based on

available p38 MAPK inhibitors. “Our lab results support a

potential therapeutic use for p38 MAPK inhibitors in com-

bination with chemotherapy drugs,” he explains.

The researchers will use patient-derived samples

of specific breast cancer subtypes for preclinical

validation of a new drug combination therapies with

potential benefit to patients.

The Proof of Concept grants, worth up to

€150,000, cover the costs of activities to verify the in-

novation potential of ERC-funded projects.

IRB Barcelona has joined the Centre for Genomic Regulation

(CRG), the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ), the

Catalan Institute for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2),

the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO), and the High Energy

Physics Institute (IFAE) for an ambitious joint endeavour. They have

come together to establish the ‘Barcelona Institute of Science and

Technology,’ which will pursue common scientific aims.

More on page 2.

Directors of the six Catalan centres that have come together to form the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology. (Photo: R. Vilalta).

Celebrating ten years of discovery

Monday, 26 October is a day you won’t want to miss. IRB

Barcelona will honour a decade of discovery in the biomedical

sciences with a special symposium. Activities will celebrate our

achievements and look forward to where the biomedical sciences

are headed over the next ten years. More on page 5.

CEP63 guarantees correct division of brain stem cells

In a joint study, researchers from the labs of Jens Lüders and Travis Stracker

have discovered that the protein CEP63 is crucial for the correct division of

brain stem cells. In its absence, mice reproduce Seckel Syndrome, a rare disease

that causes microcephaly and growth defects.

More on page 3.

in vivo July 2015 | Issue 31p2

Six top Catalan research centres have tak-

en a leap forward in their collaboration

by constituting ‘The Barcelona Institute

of Science and Technology.’

The centres involved are the Centre for

Genomic Regulation (CRG); the Institute of

Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ); the

Catalan Institute for Nanoscience and Nano-

technology (ICN2); the Institute of Photonic

Sciences (ICFO); the High Energy Physics In-

stitute (IFAE); and IRB Barcelona.

The Barcelona Institute seeks to foster in-

terdisciplinary research, to leverage its scientif-

ic impact, and position itself among the leading

European institutions. Together, the Institutes

rank fourth in the number of European Re-

search Council (ERC) grants received on the

basis of number of researchers (49 ERC grants

from 2007 to 2014).

“This new institution will allow the six

centres to launch more transversal scientific

projects and to achieve greater international

competitiveness,” says Rolf Tarrach, head of

The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology is born

New ties with RIMLS and Trento

The list of IRB Barcelona’s international

ties is growing. On 3 June, Director Joan

J. Guinovart, together with the Chair of Post-

graduate Training Raúl Méndez and Academic

Coordinator Patricia Nadal, travelled to Ni-

jmegen, Netherlands, to sign a collaboration

agreement on research and training with the

Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sci-

ences (RIMLS). RIMLS activities range from

research in molecular biology to the develop-

ment of tools for personalised medicine.

The agreement will allow IRB Barcelona

undergraduates and masters students to take

part in RIMLS’ “Molecular Mechanisms of

Diseases” Masters Programme, and in PhD

student placements that will familiarise stu-

dents from both institutes with the facilities

and technology available at the centres.

On 25 June, a separate agreement was

reached between IRB Barcelona and the Cen-

ter for Integrative Biology (CIBIO) of the

University of Trento in Italy aimed at pro-

moting PhD students exchanges among the

two institutes..

PRIZESROGER GOMIS, ICREA researcher and

head of the Growth Control and Cancer Metas-

tasis Lab, was been granted €240,00 over three

years by the charity Worldwide Cancer Research

to study a protein that confers tumour cells the

capacity to metastasise and resist treatment. Only

27 projects of the more than 700 presented ob-

tained funding.

EDUARD BATLLE, ICREA researcher and

head of the Colorectal Cancer Lab, received the

Premio Ciencias de la Salud from the Fundación

Caja Rural de Granada. The jury unanimously

chose to recognise Batlle’s study published in

Nature Genetics in February, which outlined the

development of a test that could identify cancer

patients at risk of relapse after surgery.

JOAN J. GUINOVART, IRB Barcelona Di-

rector and head of the Metabolic Engineering and

Diabetes Lab, received the 2015 Gaudí Gresol

Prize for Esteem and Excellence in the science

category. Presented by la Fundación Gresol in

Reus, the award recognises the merits and dedi-

cation of individuals with outstanding personal

and career development.

the European University Association and chair of

the Barcelona Institute’s Board of Trustees, which

also includes prominent international scientists,

Joan Massagué (Sloan Kettering Institute), Igna-

cio Cirac (Max Planck Institute), Miquel Salm-

eron (UC Berkeley) and Sergi Verdú (Princeton

University), as well as representatives from five

major foundations (”la Caixa,” Banc Sabadell,

Catalunya-La Pedrera, Cellex; and Femcat), and

from the Government of Catalonia.

Monsterrat Vendrell has been appointed Di-

rector of the Barcelona Institute and will take up

her responsibilities in September, once she has

handed over her duties as Director of Biocat and

of the Barcelona Science Park.

“From the interdisciplinarity of the six cen-

tres that comprise the Institute,” Vendrell affirms,

“we will consolidate a joint scientific initiative,

build a graduate training offer that responds to

current training challenges, and achieve the criti-

cal mass needed for efficient technology trans-

fer.”.IRB Barcelona Director, Joan J. Guinovart, and Dean of Radboudumc, Paul Smits, formalise a long-lasting partnership. (Photo: Radboudumc).

The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology was formally launched on 26 June 2015. From left to right in the photo, Director Montserrat Vendrell, Chair of the Board of Trustees Rolf Tarrach, and Vice-Chair Jaume Giró (Photo: R. Vilalta).

in vivo July 2015 | Issue 31p2

p3in vivo July 2015 | Issue 31

Work led by Ernest Giralt, group

leader of the Peptides and Proteins

Laboratory, and Meritxell Teixidó, Research

Associate in the same lab, provides details

on the passive diffusion of peptide shuttles

through blood-brain barrier (BBB). Their

study appears in the June issue of the Jour-

nal of the American Chemical Society

The researchers designed and synthe-

sised peptides consisting of four phenyl–

prolines, which showed high water solu-

bility and could transport cargoes, as they

confirmed by attaching nipecotic acid and

L-DOPA to the molecule.

Additionally, the group confirmed that

stereochemistry plays a significant role in

passive diffusion across the BBB. This may

open the door to the design of chiral and

membrane-specific shuttles with potential

applications in cell labelling and oncology.

(sp).

Deeper knowledge on blood-brain barrier shuttles

SCIENCE BITES

New protocol for an old technique Boc solid-phase pep-

tide synthesis requires a widely-used tech-

nique that includes anhydrous hydrogen

fluoride (HF) cleavage. Until now, there has

been no published protocol addressing issues

involving HF use. IRB Barcelona’s Markus

Muttenthaler and Fernando Albericio, and

Philip Dawson from the Scripps Research

Institute, have now provided this valuable

resource with an article in June’s issue of Na-

ture Protocols describing methods, setup and

safe handling of HF.

Can a denaturant stabilise DNA? Modesto Orozco has coor-

dinated a study published in Angewandte

Chemie in July that reported an unexpected finding: the combination of two extremely powerful denaturants can stabilise the struc-ture of DNA. The result opens up new pos-sibilities related to the biotechnological use of DNA and illustrates the complexity of the interactions modulating the structure of this molecule.

A review on Smads Maria J.

Macias, Pau Martín and Joan Massa-

gué published an article in the June issue of

Trends in Biocehmical Sciences in which they

analysed how genetic variations in Smads

may affect the structure, regulation, and

function of these proteins. They also pres-

ent a web application that highlights the se-

quence conservation and variability of Smad

proteins along evolution and in tumours, and

displays the Smads structures as 3D models

that can be rotated and zoomed in on.

Multifunctional repairers Protein synthesis requires the at-

tachment of specific amino acids to tRNAs.

Errors in this process are proofread by ed-

iting domains. A study published in May in

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sci-

ences, with the collaboration of Lluís Ribas,

reveals that some of these domains can act

on different tRNAs, thus correcting the mis-

takes made by different aminoacyl-tRNA

synthetases. (sp)

➲

Brain development and sperm production linked to CEP63

Chromosomes forming pairs during meiosis. Defects in CEP63 disrupt this process causing infertility, and can also lead to neuronal stem cell death in mice. (Image: M. Marjanovic)

➲

➲

➲

The CEP63 protein is involved in brain

development and male fertility. This

is the main conclusion of a joint study

published in Nature Communications by IRB

Barcelona group leaders Travis Stracker and

Jens Lüders, and first-authored by Marko Mar-

janovic, a Marie Curie postdoctoral researcher.

The study is also of relevance to Seckel

Syndrome, a rare disease involving mutations

in CEP63 gene and causing microcephaly and

reduced growth.

The researchers reveal how defects in

CEP63 affect key processes during brain devel-

opment by demonstrating that it is involved in

the correct division of stem cells in this organ

and that its depletion causes the death of brain

stem cells. The scientists also describe that the

p53 protein triggers cell death and that its re-

moval from developing embryos allows the

brain to develop to its normal size.

“This finding paves the way to study

whether p53 inhibitors could provide the basis

of a future treatment to prevent microcephaly

but it is still early to say,” says Travis Stracker.

Furthermore, they have discovered that CEP63

is associated with sperm production—an un-

known function of this gene until now.

Male mice lacking CEP63 show severe in-

fertility. “In many cases, fertility problems are

not widely understood and with this study we

have provided a different molecular perspective

to examine,” explains Jens Lüders. (sa).

p3in vivo July 2015 | Issue 31

in vivo July 2015 | Issue 31p4

More than 400 microscopy experts and users met at the 15th Eu-

ropean Light Microscopy Initiative (ELM) Meeting, an annual

microscopy conference held this year in Sitges on 19-22 May.

Advanced Digital Microscopy Core Facility manager Julien Colom-

belli and his CRG counterpart, Timo Zimmermann, organised the meet-

ing that brought together a community of people involved in using, devel-

oping or distributing Advanced Light Microscopy techniques for the life

sciences. “The distinctive feature of ELMI is that collaboration between

academics and companies is very strong,” explains Colombelli. “ELMI re-

volves around its annual conference, unique in its format because it dedi-

cates almost half of the time to hands-on workshops by companies offer-

ing their latest developments ‘beyond the usual coffee break exhibition.’

This year, we introduced new scientific sessions, such as ‘Cancer and Bio-

Keeping up with the frenetic pace of microscopy development at ELMI 2015

Scientists have been using the fruit fly Drosophila as a genetic model

system in biology since the beginning of the 20th century, and yet it

keeps surprising us.

IRB Barcelona Group Leaders and ICREA Researcher Professors

Marco Milán and Cayetano González celebrated the vigour of research

with this emblematic model animal by organising the 26th Barcelona

BioMed Conference, in collaboration with the BBVA Foundation, on

Drosophila as a model in cancer. The event, held on 15-17 June at the In-

stitut d’Estudis Catalans in Barcelona, drew the participation of 150 inter-

national fly experts.

“Research on Drosophila and cancer is moving forward in a very spec-

tacular way,” comments Milán. This model organism has been used for

over a century to understand genetics and basic developmental mecha-

nisms. Nowadays, it is used to reproduce some of the most common hu-

man tumours, and researchers are confirming that the tumours in flies be-

have in a similar manner to analogous human cancers.

“The power of fly genetics allows us to rapidly and precisely dissect

the molecular mechanisms underlying unlimited tumour growth, meta-

static behaviour and malignancy to the host at the cellular level,” says Mi-

lán. He draws attention to three key elements discussed during the confer-

ence. “First, the fly is being widely used to perform drug screening and

identify functional targets for specific types of tumours,” he says. “The

combination of Drosophila genetics and chemical biology helps us to iden-

tify the most effective drugs with the lowest number of off targets.”

A second example where flies play a useful role specifically in cancer

research is a systemic problem often associated with cancer patients, called

cachexia. “Often times in the final stages of cancer, the organism succumbs

to this general state of weakness and fatigue. This is a very complicated

syndrome to study. Drosophila is already helping us to identify the mo-

lecular mechanisms underlying cachexia,” explains Milán.

Finally, Drosophila continues to open new paths for basic research in

cancer biology and in other fields. “The fly is one of the best known or-

ganisms nowadays. We can use it to study the role of the immune system

in cancer development, cancer-associated inflammation, the causal rela-

tionship between genomic instability and tumourigenesis, cancer metabo-

lism, and the relationship between diabetes and cancer,” concludes Milán.

“Research on flies keeps evolving and contributing to our understand-

ing of diseases. Drosophila will keep surprising us for the time to come!”

(ltb).

Fruit fly research summons cutting-edgescience to the Barcelona BioMed Conference

medical Imaging,’ in which IRB Barcelona Group Leader Jordi Casanova

was invited to speak. We wanted to focus on scientific fields that are chang-

ing together with the new opportunities that light microscopy offers.” The

conference was “a tremendous opportunity” to highlight that light micros-

copy and imaging is very strong in Barcelona, and a strategic line of techno-

logical development for IRB Barcelona and CRG, whose imaging facilities

collaborate closely.

“Today more than ever, technology development happens at a frenetic

pace,” says Colombelli. “No single institute can cope with it. The expertise

and resources required to master new technologies are so great that net-

working is essential. Collaborations with experts in specific techniques is

fundamental to get proofs-of-principle working, and before integrating the

technology in house. ELMI is an invaluable framework for that.” (ltb).

IRB Barcelona alumnus Mohammed Mahidur Rahman discusses fruit fly research with a colleague during the Barcelona BioMed Conference in June. (Photo: M. Minocri)

in vivo July 2015 | Issue 31p4

p5in vivo July 2015 | Issue 31

Since 2008, the ”La Caixa” Foundation has allowed IRB Barcelona to

recruit 61 talented PhD students from across the world. The most

recent are two students who will arrive this Autumn under the ”la

Caixa”- Severo Ochoa International PhD Fellowship Programme.

On 7 July, the four IRB Barcelona PhD students chosen in 2014 after an

international selection process received their certificate in a ceremony held

at the CaixaForum in Barcelona. The event saw the participation of the 52

PhD students at the 18 research centres with the “Severo Ochoa” Distinction

of Excellence (in 2014), and was attended by Secretary of State for Science,

Carmen Vela.

The fellowships are awarded to students with outstanding academic re-

cords and great potential. The four students from IRB Barcelona come from

the UK, Poland, Germany and Spain and work in the fields of chemistry,

bioinformatics and developmental biology. .

Stop what you’re doing and sign up now to save your seat for

the IRB Barcelona 10th Anniversary Scientific Symposium and

Alumni Reunion. It’s an event you won’t want to miss.

On Monday, 26 October, IRB Barcelona researchers and staff

will step out of the lab for the day and head to the CCCB to cel-

ebrate a decade of discovery in the biomedical sciences with a special

scientific symposium. Activities are designed to celebrate achieve-

ments in areas of IRB Barcelona research and look forward to where

the biomedical sciences are headed over the next ten years.

Internationally renowned speakers in fields related to IRB

Barcelona science will discuss their latest research, together with

selected alumni speakers who will present projects they have been

working on since leaving IRB Barcelona. Key figures in IRB Bar-

celona’s history will also discuss the contributions the institute has

made to the research landscape in Barcelona and beyond, followed

by a round table conversation with figures from leading European

and North American research institutions on how to ensure excel-

lence in research. A final interdisciplinary session will bring together

high-profile representatives from the worlds of science, cuisine, and

football – three areas for which Catalonia is known worldwide – for

a lively discussion on high-impact leadership.

Check out the full programme and register before 5 October via

the IRB Barcelona webpage.

A once in a decade eventCelebrating the 2014 ”la Caixa” graduate students

From left to right, Craig Donoghue, Elzbieta Szulc, Lada Murcia, and Jürgen Walther on 7 July at the CaixaForum in Barcelona about to receive their certificate. (Photo: L.T. Barone)

p5in vivo July 2015 | Issue 31

EXPLORA for Orozco and Ribas. The Spanish Ministry of Economy

has awarded Group Leaders Modesto Orozco and Lluís Ribas (also an

ICREA Researcher) €58,000 and €55,000 respectively within the National

Programme for Fostering Excellence in Scientific and Technical Research

‘Explora Ciencia.’ The goal of this programme is to promote ‘heterodox and

radical innovative’ approaches to basic science or technology development

that represent a significant step forward in knowledge.

ELIXIR accelerates with Horizon 2020 funding. The sustainable

European infrastructure for biological information, supporting life science

research and its translation to medicine, agriculture, bioindustries and soci-

ety, ELIXIR, has been awarded 19 million euros from the EU to sustain its

implementation over the next four years. From September 2015, ‘ELIXIR-

EXCELERATE’ will fast-track the development and deployment of es-

sential data services. The Spanish node of the infrastructure comprises 10

research centers and organisations, including IRB Barcelona.

Informatics in the BIB. IRB Barcelona has joined the Bioinformat-

ics Barcelona Association (BIB). The association includes 25 organisations,

including universities, research centres, hospitals, large scientific facilities,

companies, and others, and a further 23 organisations are in the process of

joining. BIB seeks to set in motion advanced research initiatives in knowl-

edge and tech transfer and aims to implement programmes to train special-

ists. BIB is also supported by the Government of Catalonia and the ”la

Caixa” Foundation.

Epilepsy European project engages Iproteos. The European project

ECMED (Extracellular Matrix in Epileptogenesis) aims to design, validate

and bring into practice new innovative therapeutic strategies to further the

development of treatments and diagnostic approaches for of epilepsy. Co-

funded within the H2020 framework programme, it will last for three years

with a budget of 3.5 million euros. The biotech company Iproteos, a IRB

Barcelona spin-off, is the only Spanish partner of the consortium.

IN BRIEF

The startup, GenomeCore, dedicated to create a computation-

al platform to manage the genomic information of its clients and

whose CEO and founder is IRB Barcelona alumnus Òscar Flores,

has joined Wayra, the Telefonica Group accelerator. For a year,

GenomeCore will participate in Wayra’s acceleration programme,

which includes financing, advice and logistical support.

Alumnus start-up gets Wayra nod

in vivo July 2015 | Issue 31p6

As In Vivo readers will know, IRB Barcelona friend Carlos

Romero is spending his summer training to swim across the

Strait of Gibraltar in September. Through his initiative, Nadar-ContraCorriente, he will raise funds for IRB Barcelona research in can-

cer and metastasis. It turns out that Carlos has lots of friends, and they

are joining in to help him out, in whichever

way they can.

“La Gran Nadada Popular”

Collaborators at the City

Hall and sports complex of Car-

los’ hometown, Sant Esteve Ses-

rovires, came together on 6 June

to organise a community swim-

along, where neighbours were

invited to the municipal pool,

opened especially for the day, to

swim 18.5 km – the distance of the Strait – in symbolic support of Car-

los. Four hours and 2,864 lengths later, 129 swimmers (ranging in ages

from two to 68, and including IRB Barcelona researcher Marco Milán

and his daughter Alba) had logged a distance of more than 71 km – the

equivalent of to Africa and back four times.

Helpers were on hand to sell NadarContraCorriente t-shirts, gener-

ously provided by Gili Industrial, and to hand out sweets, donated by

Chupa Chups, two local businesses, and raised 640 euros.

“Butifarrada en Martorell”

Friends at Les Vinyes restaurant in the neighbouring town of Mar-

torell, also pitched in with their support and or-

ganised a typical Catalan sausage

barbecue party on 17 July. With the

help of the Martorell town hall, the

square adjacent to Les Vinyes was

prepared with long lines of tables

and chairs as well as a stage for mu-

sicians Roger Fuster y Joan Farrés to

serenade the happy diners on a warm

summer night.

If you’re curious to know more,

check out the blog at www.nedarcontracorrent.org by Fran

Fernández (yet another friend!), and make sure you stay tuned for the

minute-by-minute updates as Carlos hits the water in Cadiz sometime

during the week of 21 September. (ss).

Swimming and sausages in support of science

TECH TRANSFER NEWS

FCRI PRESENTATION OF COLO-

STAGE & NOSTRUM BIODISCOVERY

Two promising IRB Barcelona projects, Co-

lostage (Eduard Batlle) and Nostrum Biodis-

covery (Modesto Orozco) were presented at

the Science-Business Forum, organised by the

Catalan Foundation for Research and Innova-

tion (FCRI) and EY Foundation in April. The

Forum aims to bridge biomedical research and

industry and make entrepreneurs aware of the

business opportunities that biomedical science

presents. Ten academic and 12 business proj-

ects rooted in biomedicine, were presented to

an audience of businessmen and investors.

BIO PHILADELPHIA 2015 On 15-18

June, IRB Barcelona headed to Philadelphia

for the BIO International Convention, a ma-

jor gathering of the international biotechnol-

ogy sector. A delegation of 37 companies and

seven research institutions was led by Biocat,

the organisation that coordinates and pro-

motes the life sciences sector in Catalonia.

TTS EUROPE & ENTENTE HEALTH

On 28-29 April, IRB Barcelona participated

in the 9th edition of TTS Europe 2015 and the

final conference of the ENTENTE Health

project on best practices in healthcare technol-

ogy transfer. TTS is a high-level international

meeting, held this year in Spain for the first

time, which aims to foster better understand-

ing between all stakeholders in the biotech-

nology, biomedical and healthcare communi-

ties on the critical need for efficient transfer of

early innovative research to commercialisable

product technology.

INNOVATION WORKSHOP SERIES

On 9 June, Marc Ramis Castelltort, CEO at

Tech & Business Innovation, led an interactive

workshop for 20 IRB Barcelona members on

how to transfer academic results to the private

biomedical sector. The seminar, ‘Technology

transfer: turning academic results into busi-

ness opportunities,’ is part of a workshop se-

ries organised by the Innovation Department.

The city of La Palma will host the

‘100xCiencia’ forum on 7-8 October

2015. Organised by the 20 centres with

the Severo Ochoa Seal of Excellence, the

event will convene scientists and jour-

nalists to celebrate Spain’s frontier sci-

ence and debate the impact of science

in the media and society. Registration at

www.100xciencia.com.

“100xciencia" to celebrate Spain’s frontier science

p7in vivo July 2015 | Issue 31

The traditional visit that IRB Barce-

lona staff’s kids pay every other year

to the Institute’s labs was extended

this year to welcome the families of our

neighbours at IBEC.

On 26 June the two institutes celebrated

a joint Kids’ Day receiving a flood of more

than 120 children of all ages who, after enjoy-

ing a science clown show, split into groups

for some hands-on science fun. IRB Barcelo-

na kids visited three stands where they could

play and learn with colourful chemistry, fruit

flies and bacteria. After a refreshing pause,

they toured through Ernest Giralt’s lab to see

what a scientific laboratory really looks like.

Activities wrapped up with a chance to

learn more about pH, draw pictures of re-

searchers, and taste ice cream made the sci-

entific way – with liquid nitrogen!

Check out a video of this special day at

https://youtu.be/WB2L3AvKfMU

Mini-scientists for a day

A new lab lookIRB Barcelona labs have a new look!

Corporate blue panels and mosaic designs

now provide a welcoming entrance to each

lab. The goal of the redesign was to provide a

clear and easily recognisable institutional look,

and to give continuity to the disconnected

spaces assigned to IRB Barcelona within the

Barcelona Science Park. Magnetic grey panels

provide plenty of space to hang posters, and

signs hung above each lab clearly indicate

who’s inside. No excuses for not finding your

collaborators now!.

Spending the summer with science

When you think about summer camp, does ‘science’ come to mind? For students in

the Catalunya-La Pedrera Foundation’s ‘Joves i Ciència,’ programme, it certainly

does.

Each June, 50 selected high-school students have the chance to travel to MónNatura Pyr-

enees, located in the impressive setting of Vall d’Àneu in northern Catalonia, for a unique

experience, participating in a real scientific research project. Like every year, IRB Barcelona

researchers were there to accompany them, guiding them through principles of biomedical re-

search. They cloned genes and expressed and purified proteins as part a project geared toward

understanding what happens in Alzheimer’s disease and design new drugs that could treat its

symptoms. It was a challenge that the kids were truly up for.

“The classes really put me to the test,” admits Irene, a student from Barcelona, “but at the

same time, they convinced me of my passion for the biosciences. The experience gave me an

idea on what a career in science is really like.”

Many of the students who have participated in past editions of ‘Joves i Ciència’ have gone

on to distinguish themselves at competitive universities, and to position themselves well to

receive grants to study at leading

laboratories.

Most importantly, the camp al-

lows the teenagers to share experi-

ences with people like themselves,

passionate about science. They form

lasting friendships and, who knows,

maybe valuable scientific collabora-

tions in the future. (hg).

More than 120 young scientists-to-be from IRB Barcelona and IBEC families discovered what scientists get up to during their days at work. (Photos: L.T. Barone)

A newly-redesigned IRB Barcelona lab. On the right, students from the Joves i Ciència programme learn about Alzheimer’s. (Photo: H. González)

p7in vivo July 2015 | Issue 31

In vivo, issue 31. Published by the Institute for Research in Biomedicine. Office of Communications & External Relations. Barcelona Science Park. c/Baldiri Reixac, 10. 08028 Barcelona, Spain. Web: www.irbbarcelona.org

Facebook: www.facebook.com/irbbarcelona - Twitter: @IRBBarcelona Editorial committee: Luca Tancredi Barone (ltb), Sarah Sherwood (ss) (editors), Sònia Armengou (sa). Contributors: Helena

González (hg), Sílvia Pineda (sp). Graphic Production: Grupo Sifu. Legal deposit: B 19148-2014. This document has been printed on recycled paper. To subscribe or unsubscribe from in vivo,

e-mail: [email protected]. © IRB Barcelona 2015.

After doing his PhD in An-

toni Riera’s lab in July, Alex de la Fuente (Barce-lona, 1987) left IRB Bar-

celona to become business

development manager for

GP Pharm, a Barcelona-based company spe-

cialised in oncology and urology therapies. His

background in medicinal chemistry — his thesis

was on the synthesis of aminosugars for possible

medical applications in lysosomal storage dis-

eases — was key to landing his new job. “If you

understand how a drug works and is produced,

you can answer most of your clients’ technical

questions,” he notes. Alex wanted a job out-

side the lab, and this one gives him the chance

to learn new things, such as regulatory aspects,

patents, laws and business in an international

setting. “I learnt a lot at IRB Barcelona. I had

a good time and met a lot of friends, but I also

learnt to be a good scientist. I think this is why

they trusted me here,” he concludes.

Meet our cheerful new His-

topathology Core Facil-

ity manager, Neus Prats (Ibiza, 1963). After study-

ing Veterinary Medicine in

Córdoba (“I was the first

woman native of Ibiza to receive this degree!”),

she moved to Barcelona to do a PhD in Veteri-

nary Pathology. For 11 years she did research and

taught in the UAB’s Histology and Pathological

Anatomy Department, and also collaborated with

a contract research organisation for private and

public biomedical research centres. In 2001, Neus

joined the pharmaceutical company Almirall, as

head of Pathology and Predictive Toxicology. She

joined IRB Barcelona in June. “I like to work in

a multidisciplinary ground-breaking team,” she

says, “and welcome the opportunity to support

your research with our histopathological services.

I received a very warm welcome from IRB Barce-

lona. I like how well the Institute is organised, and

I am looking forward to adding my grain of salt.”

How can you combine your passion for science, learning and

children? This was what bioinformatician Federica Lombar-

di, postdoctoral fellow at IRB Barcelona, asked herself when

she left IRB Barcelona in May. Together with her partner, also a scien-

tist, she decided to found LABCLUB, a “travelling

multilingual school of science, technology and na-

ture.”

What’s the goal of LABCLUB?

We want to promote interest in science among

kids and at the same time boost their English skills

through fun workshops. We are inspired by the

so-called ‘maker culture.’ Basically, it’s a modern

version of ‘Do-It-Yourself,’ but with technology.

It’s like a hobby: we believe in a cut-and-paste

approach to technologies, and we like using and

learning practical skills and applying them to exist-

ing designs.

What motivated you to start it?

I am especially sensitive to the issue of women in science, and in my

field, there are very few women. I want to teach girls that programming

is fun! Among the many things we do in our workshops, we build small

robots with LEGO pieces, and use ‘squishy circuits’ to light up the eyes

of little animals we make with pizza dough. We

play with Scratch, a simplified programming lan-

guage for kids. We also have microscopy work-

shops, where kids observe cells and then draw the

organelles they see, or maths workshops, where

we talk about platonic figures and show them

what a methane molecule – a perfect tetrahedron

– looks like.

Can you see LABCLUB being your future?

We are working on it! The response we have

received so far has been overwhelming. Plus, it’s

really fascinating to observe children as they learn.

(ltb) .

“We need to teach girls how to programme”

SPOTLIGHT

Former IRB Barcelona postdoc Federica Lombardi has started a company to inspire children to be passionate about science.

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