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As part of the 14th Science Week which is being held this year from the 13th to the 24th of November, the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) participates in a series of scientific dissemination activities organized by the Barcelona Science Park (PCB): open house sessions “Come and do an Express Doctorate!” and the cycle of scientific workshops “Engage in Research!”, in which those attending can learn about and perform some of the experiments currently being conducted at the laboratories.
The open house sessions at PCB are scheduled twice daily on the 17, 19 and 24th of November at 10.00h and 15.30h. Attendants will have the opportunity to hear firsthand from a doctoral student how a doctorate thesis research project is carried out. The researcher will first explain what the thesis is about and then the attendants will visit the IRB Barcelona laboratories and the scientific services where the doctoral student has been working on his or her project. The visit is organized as a game in which the visitors have “to hunt” for clues.
The topic of the project being presented during these open house days is “How is gene activity studied? Identifying the genes involved in cancer!” and it focuses on the study of differences in the behaviour of malignant and benign tumour cells from the point of view of their genetic activity. This presentation is an adaptation for the public of various research projects and will be presented by Carme Cortina and Elisa Espinet, researchers in the Colorectal Cancer Laboratory, led by Eduard Batlle, at the IRB Barcelona. The activity is being run in collaboration with researchers from the Scientific and Technical Services of the UB and the Transcriptomics Platform of the PCB. Those wishing to attend should book their place in advance.
The experimental workshops “Do research!” will be held on four consecutive Saturdays, on the 7, 14, 21 and 28th of November, from 11.00 to 13.00 h at "La Pedrera de Caixa Catalunya" (Passeig de Gràcia, 92). There will also be midweek workshops, aimed at the school and college community, on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10.00 to 12.00h which will be held at the OpenLab of the PCB (Torre R, Baldiri Reixac,4).
These workshops will address a wide range of topics, including how a crime suspect is investigated on the basis of various DNA samples, the use of fruit flies in studying certain diseases such as cancer, and a look at the different stages of drug development, with the opportunity to take part in the synthesis of a drug for treating Parkinson’s disease. Those wishing to participate must book their place in advance as the number of places is limited. The activity benefits from the input of researchers from IRB Barcelona, the Combinatorial Platform of the PCB and the Faculty of Psychology of the University of Barcelona.
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).
