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The newspaper "El Periódico" has reported on an IRB Barcelona research project on Friedreich’s ataxia disease, funded by the patient and family association, the Babel Family, and the Asociación Granadina de la Ataxia de Friedreich (ASOGAF). The disease is caused by a defect in a gene, frataxin, which results in reduced levels of this protein in the body, particularly affecting the brain, spinal cord and muscles.
The project aims to develop an injectable frataxin treatment that can reach the brain, "like the injection of insulin for diabetics", explains Ernest Giralt, head of the Design, Synthesis and Structure of Peptides and Proteins Laboratory at IRB Barcelona and coauthor of the study with research associates Meritxell Teixidó and Macarena Sánchez.
Link to El Periódico
About IRB Barcelona
The Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) pursues a society free of disease. To this end, it conducts multidisciplinary research of excellence to cure cancer and other diseases linked to ageing. It establishes technology transfer agreements with the pharmaceutical industry and major hospitals to bring research results closer to society, and organises a range of science outreach activities to engage the public in an open dialogue. IRB Barcelona is an international centre that hosts 400 researchers and more than 30 nationalities. Recognised as a Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence since 2011, IRB Barcelona is a CERCA centre and member of the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST).
