In the media
The “Corporación Catalana de Medios Audiovisuales” has published a report on the RiPCoN project, in which IRB Barcelona’s Structural Bioinformatics and Network Biology is participating. Headed by Patrick Aloy, this lab is conducting a computational study of the interactions between the coronavirus and human cells with the aim to identify drugs already on the market or under development that can tackle the spread of the virus. The goal is to identify an antiviral treatment and, in the long-term, a possible vaccine.
In addition, various media have reported on the efforts made by IRB Barcelona to conduct mass screening for the disease.
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Several media channels have reported on the fundraising campaign launched by IRB Barcelona to fund its four research projects on COVID-19.
Link to: eldiario.es
Link to: Cope
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Several media have reported on the platform set up by IRB Barcelona, the Center for Genomic Regulation (CRG) and the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) for mass testing for COVID-19, which seeks to contribute to halting the spread of the virus. In this regard, the labs at IRB Barcelona will conduct sample analysis to detect infected individuals during lockdown and also when confinement measures are progressively relaxed.
The director of IRB Barcelona, Francesc Posas, has expressed his satisfaction at being able to adapt the activity of his centre to support society at a time when mass detection is crucial for controlling the spread of the virus...
Several media have reported on the collaboration of Nostrum Biodiscovery, a company cofounded by IRB Barcelona researcher Modesto Orozco, with Grifols and IrsiCaixa. This spin-off company from IRB Barcelona will contribute to research into COVID-19 by providing data that will facilitate the intelligent design of drugs in silico for the treatment of coronavirus.
The company has issued a press release to announce this collaboration and the appointment of its new CEO, Ezequiel Mas del Molino. Nostrum Biodiscovery thus begins a new period marked by an ambitious growth plan in which it will strengthen its present in the European and US markets.
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Several media have reported on the collaboration between IRB Barcelona and Amazon. In this regard, IRB Barcelona’s Structural Bioinformatics and Network Biology Laboratory, headed by ICREA researcher Patrick Aloy, is collaborating with the American giant in the development of a tool based on Chemical Checker technology. This new tool aims to rapidly process the large volume of articles on COVID-19 and extract results that could be relevant in the search for a treatment.
The Structural Bioinformatics and Network Biology Lab is also participating in the European project RiPCoN, devoted to the identification of the human proteins that the virus uses for its...
Several media channels have reported on the award of European Research Council funding to various projects being undertaken in Catalonia. Among these projects is that of Eduard Batlle, head of the Colorectal cancer Lab at IRB Barcelona. His research will focus on the hidden cells of the primary tumour that begin to spread before surgical intervention and that can remain undetectable for months or years until they seed a new tumour.
Batlle will study the distinct mechanisms through which these cells evade the immune system and invade another organ.
Link to: ABC
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Several media have published an interview with Patrick Aloy, head of the Structural Bioinformatics and Network Biology Lab at IRB Barcelona, in which he talks about a study being done by scientists at the University of California. This study analyses the physical interactions of the coronavirus in order to understand how this virus “sequesters” our proteins to ensure its survival. This research aims to find drugs that can act against these proteins. In this regard, the researchers at the University of California have found 70 compounds, including around 30 drugs authorized by the US Food and Drug Agency(FDA).
Aloy explains that the strategy to look for pharmacological targets...
The EFE Agency has published an interview with Gloria Pascual, associate researcher in the Stem Cells and Cancer Lab at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona). In the interview she talks about the discovery made by Joan Massagué regarding the origin or metastasis.
The researcher explains that the study demonstrates what has been suspected for years, namely that “the metastatic process is highly influenced by environmental conditions within the tumour encountered by cells and does not depend so much on the acquisition of a specific mutation”.
Pascual adds that the final goal of research into metastasis is the discovery of...
Various media have reported on studies addressing COVID-19 to be undertaken by several research centres in Catalonia. Among the groups involved is IRB Barcelona’s Structural Bioinformatics and Network Biology Lab, headed by Patrick Aloy. IRB Barcelona is one of eight research centres chosen by the European Commission to study new approaches to treat and diagnose COVID-19 and thus halt the spread of the virus.
Furthermore, NostrumBiodiscovery, cofounded by IRB Barcelona researcher Modesto Orozco, is collaborating with the Barcelona Supercomputing Center–Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS) in another EC project. In this regard, the project aims to use cutting-...
Several media outlets have reported on research in which IRB Barcelona’s Microtubule Organization Lab, headed by Jens Lüders, has participated. This study has identified NCAM2 as a pivotal protein in the development of the hippocampus and cortex, both key brain structures for cognitive learning. According to the scientists, this protein is a crucial factor for the formation of the neuronal circuits in the brain and its deficit alters its function in the central nervous system.
Link to: Europa press
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