In Vivo 11

in vivo July 2010

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July 2010

Issue 11

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Issue 11

NEWSLETTER OF THE INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH IN BIOMEDICINE

Staking out the future of the ERC IRB Barcelona hosted key players from the ERC to discuss the future of the organization in May Page 02

In Focus

Mingling with laureates

A close look at the research carried out at the IRB Barcelona Colorectal Cancer Laboratory

Five young IRB Barcelona researchers were selected to represent Spain at the Lindau Nobel Laureate meeting

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Investing in excellence Ten PhD students received their “la Caixa�/IRB Barcelona International PhD fellowship awards in July Page 03

A glimpse beyond the bench An opinion article about the alternative career paths available for researchers who want to pursue new challenges

On the Spot Nobel laureate Robert Huber, who visited IRB Barcelona in May to present his latest research work, talks about his experience after winning the Nobel Prize Page 04

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Family Day at IRB Barcelona

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Faces to Names: Interview with Angel R Nebreda

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Mission: discover your workplace

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A crossAtlantic connection

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Staking out the future of the ERC

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eyond a doubt, the introduction of the European Research Council, established under the EU’s FP7, has injected a breath of life into frontier research in Europe. With 7.5 billion euros to be awarded over a 7-year span, it has provided a direly needed resource for scientists engaged in research of excellence in Europe. The fact that more than 15,400 applications for its Starting and Advanced Grant schemes have been received so far, and that the 1000 th award has recently been granted, are clear indications that ERC has filled an important hole in European funding schemes.

Everything, however, is not a bed of roses. In July 2009 a high level panel published a review of the ERC’s structures and mechanisms which, while recognizing the outstanding achievements, provided strong recommendations to address “fundamental problems related to rules

ERC President Helga Nowotny discusses the current state of the ERC and future perspectives in Barcelona on May 28. Photo: N. Barbería

and practices regarding the governance, administration and operations of the ERC that are not adapted to the nature of modern ‘frontier’ science management.”

The scientific community and policy makers met to review the achievements of the ERC and to consider how it can develop in the future into the stable and performing institution that is desired.

‘ERC: From Programme to Institution’ was held at the ‘Institut d’Estudis Catalans’ (IEC) on May 28, organized by the Initiative for Science in Europe in collaboration with IRB Barcelona.

Reaching the frontier

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he ERC is a powerful mechanism to drive research of excellence and its establishment has brought with it huge potential and expectations. The first call in 2007 was met with a staggering 9,167 applications, only 250 of which were awarded funding. With such steep competition, what are the factors that make the difference? Which characteristics must a researcher have to tap into this resource? What role do universities, research institutes, regions and governments play and how can they contribute to chances for success?

Key players from the ERC, together with local and national science policy makers, as well as researchers who have received ERC grants met on May 27 at the Barcelona BioMed Forum ‘Reaching the Frontier: How to Achieve Success with the ERC’ to examine the factors that have enabled them to take advantage of this important resource.

IN FOCUS

A strong opponent in the battle against colon cancer

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he third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the Western world has a strong opponent. Researchers at the IRB Barcelona Colorectal Cancer Laboratory are hard at work to find new clues to fight cancerous growths in the colon. The lab’s breakthrough findings in colon cancer won group leader Eduard

Normal intestinal stem cells, which are crucial to help regenerate the walls of the intestine throughout a person’s lifetime, can become their worst enemy and lead to colon cancer when they accumulate specific mutations.

This breakthrough finding, published by Batlle a few years ago, led the laboratory to explore the connection between healthy and cancerous intestinal stem cells with the hope to unravel the keys that allow malignant cells

Batlle the ‘Banc de Sabadell’ Prize for Biomedical Research in June. The laboratory will soon be releasing new work on the mechanisms that allow cancer stem cells to regenerate and make tumors grow. The team led by Batlle is convinced that the answer lies in normal intestinal stem cells, also present in tumors.

to escape and regenerate the tumor. The team has recently found new answers that could one day open the door to new therapies to fight colon cancer. “Our new hypothesis is that tumors in the intestine grow thanks to cancerous stem cells that are adopting mechanisms of regeneration similar to those used by healthy stem cells,” says Batlle. “The ultimate goal is to unravel these similarities to find a new drug that blocks the capacity of

malignant stem cells to replicate.” If the lab succeeds in their quest, patients could one day benefit from this drug as a complement to chemotherapy to reduce the chances of relapse after surgery.

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Researchers at the Colorectal Cancer Laboratory have also been working against the clock to find the dark side of TGFb, a mol-

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Issue 11

Young scientists mingle with Nobel laureates Photo: R. Pache

Laureate meeting, attended by 670 young researchers from 70 countries.

Countess Bettina Bernadotte, president of the Council for the Lindau Nobel Laureate meetings, during the opening of the event.

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PhD students Francisco Barriga, Diana Martínez and Roland Pache, and postdoctoral fellows Zhanna Shcheprova and Amelie Stein were selected among 40,000 applicants from around the world to join this year’s

Photo: MB Hansen

ecule that is well known for its beneficial capacity to suppress tumor growth in the colon.

The five IRB Barcelona researchers found the presentations and speakers to be highly enriching. “Discussing the relevance of systems biology personally with Tim Hunt was a great opportunity,” says Roland Pache. He had the chance to conduct a video interview with the Nobel Laureate for a new Nature film series about young researchers talking about science with Nobel laureates.

Diana Martínez also made a video diary that

Apparently, this molecule could also be acting as an ally for cancerous cells to help the tumor grow. “TGFb is like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde,” exThe research on colon cancer carried out by Elena Sancho (left) plains research associate and Eduard Batlle (right) involves active collaborations with all the Elena Sancho. She says major hospitals in Barcelona. the team has found that all the lab experiments run in mice with real cancer cells from patients Colonoscopy, a life saver test indicate that TGFb in cancerous growths Colon cancer is relatively easy to cure can help the tumor grow and metastasize. when it’s detected in its early stages. The The long-term benefits of this finding, which will soon be released, are promising. “The development of new therapeutic agents against TGFb or its downstream effectors may have dramatic benefits for colorectal cancer treatment.

We are seeking future collaborations with pharmaceutical companies that are beginning to focus on this signalling molecule.”

problem is that many people fail to have routine colonoscopies and when tumors are detected it’s often too late. “If everyone had periodic colonoscopies colon cancer rates would diminish dramatically worldwide,” says Batlle, who recommends people over 50 have this test every three to four years as a preventive measure.

Nahia Barbería

Investing in excellence Photo: M. García

an you imagine sitting at the same table as the scientists who first identified the AIDS virus or having a chat with the scientists who discovered the green fluorescent protein? Thanks to the 60th Lindau Nobel Laureate meeting, which was held from June 27 to July 2, five young researchers at IRB Barcelona now know exactly how this feels.

Under the motto ‘Educate. Inspire.

Connect.’ the annual meeting between Nobel Laureates and new generations of scientists has been held in the German city of Lindau since 1950. While the meeting usually focuses on one of the three scientific disciplines of the Nobel Prizes - Physiology or Medicine, Chemistry or Physics -, this year’s event was interdisciplinary with Laureates and young researchers from the three fields.

was published on the official social media blog of the Lindau meetings, an online platform for science bloggers to write about their personal experiences and impressions of the event. More info at www.lindau.nature.com.

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en young scientists from IRB Barcelona’s ‘class of 2009’ received their “la Caixa”/ IRB Barcelona International PhD fellowship awards on July 6 in a formal act held in the CaixaForum Madrid involving the Minister of Science, Cristina Garmendia, Juan María Nin, Director General of “la Caixa”, and Jaime Lanaspa, Director of the “la Caixa” Foundation.

IRB Barcelona is one of four biomedical research centers in Spain selected by “la Caixa” to participate in this prestigious programme.

Each year they fund a total of 40 young scientists (10 at IRB Barcelona), who come from across the world to carry out high-level training in the life sciences over a four-year period.

Students are selected on the basis of their scientific merit, creativity, and interest in research themes developed at the participating institutions. This year’s group at IRB Barcelona were chosen from among 272 applicants, and took up their positions in the autumn of 2009, joining an increasingly dynamic PhD community, which currently stands at more than 150.

“Initiatives like the “la Caixa” one reflect an enormous commitment to supporting and fostering scientific excellence in Spain,” comments fellowship winner Eva De Mol from Belgium. “The generous grants allow us to focus completely on our research work so that we can make the most of the training opportunities that IRB Barcelona has to offer.”

Tanya Yates

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ON THE SPOT

Barcelona BioMed Seminars

“One of the advantages of the Nobel Prize was that it became easier to get research funding”

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cientists at IRB Barcelona had a top guest this spring. Biochemist and Nobel laureate Robert Huber (Munich, 1937) came from the Max Planck Institute on May 14 to give a lecture on the potential of intracellular protein degradation as part of the ‘Barcelona BioMed Seminars’ series.

Huber has been a member of the IRB Barcelona External Advisory Board since its creation.

Huber’s outstanding contribution to science won him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1988, thanks to a discovery that changed forever the way scientists look at life.

“We were the first to unravel the 3D structure of a protein that plays a crucial role in photosynthesis, the most important chemical process on earth.”

in the long run. Perhaps one of the best advantages was that it became easier to get research funding and very bright PhD students.

The first year or two after winning the prize it was pretty stressful though. People placed very high expectations on me, they treated me like I was a scientific hero. I wasn’t!”

- How did your life change after you won the Nobel Prize?

“I wouldn’t say it affected my life too much

- Did the Nobel laureate distinction come as a complete surprise?

“I realized we were going to win the Nobel

Prize in the spring of 1988, when the chairman of the Chemistry Committee asked me out of the blue for passport photographs of myself and my colleagues Johann Deisenhofer and Hartmut Michel. That was the only way to get photos in the pre-Internet era! Lucky for us, we were given the prize only three years after the publication of our discovery—the time lapse is usually much longer, sometimes it can even take a lifetime to get it.”

- How did you start out in biochemistry?

“It was back in the early sixties, a time when crystallography was still in its infancy. While doing my doctoral thesis I managed to unravel the structure of an insect hormone called ecdysone, which turned out to solve the question of hormonal regulation in insects. Back then insects were still regarded as hormoneless! I worked on this project with Adolf Butenandt, who had won the Nobel Prize for his discovery on human sex hormones.”

- What keeps you going?

“Research work can be very frustrating at times, but passion keeps you hooked. Scientists are like sailors exploring unknown seas. You’re always hoping to discover new islands.”

Anna Alsina

An alternative glimpse beyond laboratory work stages abroad, and, final-

ing communication skills or knowledge of

ly, head a research group.

legal, financial and marketing aspects.

There is, however, a

Career reorientation is definitely a chal-

whole world waiting out

lenge, but is it worth it? It can definitely be,

there that is equally or

not only because of the many employment

even more exciting than

opportunities but also the ongoing chances

work in a lab, and you

for self-development. Among the alterna-

don’t have to abandon

tive career options, we can enter, for instance,

research to enter it. Sci-

the complex - and often poorly understood

inding myself among the speakers in the

entists can make a great contribution to the

- world of technology transfer, science com-

second edition of the ‘Career Progres-

‘outside world’. We can offer our knowledge

munication, the integral management of in-

sion in Science’ event to present alternatives

of research and of the singularities so charac-

creasingly complex European projects, cor-

to benchwork was a pretty surprising experi-

teristic of our colleagues, and also the critical

porate sales structures, and the management

ence. Until recently, I had never considered

and evaluation capacity that we have devel-

of biotech companies.

career options outside the laboratory.

oped in response to the innumerable occa-

The ‘Career Progression in Science’ event, held on June 3, was organized

by IRB Barcelona and the Barcelona Science Park. Jorge Domínguez (right) left his lab duties in 2009 to become head of Innovation and Strategic Projects at IRB Barcelona.

F

In the field of biomedical research, those

sions on which we have been evaluated.

‘Stay hungry, stay lean’, a recommendation I recently read regarding scientific excel-

of us with a vocation for research are taught

Stepping out of the lab to find alternative

lence, is a highly appropriate motto for the

from our final years at university that we have

career paths can be a rewarding experience

alternative career opportunities that were

to join a research lab, train, get a PhD, publish

if one knows how to take advantage of the

brought to the table on June 3.

as many good papers as possible, spend sev-

training opportunities available to strengthen

eral years or seemingly infinite postdoctoral

the weak points a scientist may lack, includ-

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Jorge Domínguez

VIEWPOINT

Family Day at IRB Barcelona

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hat did you do at work today, dear? For many, this may be a common dinner-table question with a relatively straightforward answer. Not necessarily so, however, for IRB Barcelona researchers who often find themselves having to explain the Western Blot they did or the metagenomic data they analysed. On July 1 IRB Barcelona opened their doors for ‘Family Day’ and provided a unique opportunity for mothers and fathers, grandmothers and

grandfathers, aunts and uncles to come to the lab to take a look for themselves. After an introduction to today’s biomedical research, expertly delivered by IRB Barcelona Director Joan J Guinovart, scientist volunteers led guests on an adventure through some of the activities currently going on at the Institute. This time, instead of just explaining those Western Blots, our researchers actually got to demonstrate them. Here’s what some of our guests had to say:

Rosa Montsant Age 60

Joan Guiu Age 66

Vicenta Bertrán, Francesc Bernadó Ages 72 and 74

Enriqueta Pallarès Age 71

“I was amazed by the passion

“I have visited my son Marc be-

“We went on the tour about the

“In my family we’ve had the mis-

of the scientists we met. They

fore, so I already knew a bit about

structure of proteins and were

fortune of seeing the devastating

explained the difficult work

his work. I think it’s very impor-

surprised about the scale of the

effects of cancer from very close.

they do with such wonderful

tant for us to have the oppor-

things researchers study. We could

My sister died from uterine can-

enthusiasm. Who ever knew

tunity to see how our sons and

never have imagined that so much

cer metastasis a few years ago. I

that a tiny fruit fly could be so

daughters spend their days. Sci-

information could be packed into

wanted to get a first-hand view

important for human health?

ence requires a lot of dedication

such a small thing. It was fascinat-

of the research efforts directed to

I’ll never look at a fly the same

and sacrifice, and activities like

ing to see the technologies scien-

find new strategies to fight this

way again!”

this help us to understand this.”

tists use to see the unseeable.”

terrible disease.”

A winning dove

Stockpiling awards Photo: A. Stein

A

zebra dove, photographed by surprise in Hawaii by IRB Barcelona postdoctoral fellow Amelie Stein, made it to the 2010 EMBO Journal cover in April. The photograph, which captures in astonishing detail the blue skin around the bird’s eyes, was selected by the jury as one of the best submissions in the non-scientific section of the 2010 Cover Contest. Bioinformaticist Stein has been an amateur photographer since 2007.

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our IRB Barcelona scientists

acid structures and the dy-

were recently on a winning

namic properties of macro-

streak and saw their research work ac-

molecules and their interac-

knowledged by several prize-award-

tions. Pau Bernadó, research

ing institutions.

associate at the Biomolecu-

IRB Barcelona Oncology Pro-

lar NMR Group, was also

gramme coordinator and group leader

awarded the SBE Biophysics

Eduard Batlle was awarded in June

Prize for Young Investiga-

the ‘Banc de Sabadell’ Prize for

tors for his pioneering work

Biomedical Research for his break-

on complex macromolecular

through studies on the onset of colon

interactions.

cancer and its progression from initial

Chemists and molecu-

stages to the formation of aggressive

lar pharmacologists at the

tumors (read story on page 2).

Institute also had a winner

The Spanish Biophysics Society

in May. Programme coor-

(SBE) also gave its two annual prizes to

dinator and group leader Ernest Giralt trav-

two IRB Barcelona researchers in July:

eled to Greece to receive the 2nd Dimitrios

Group leader and computational biol-

Theodoropoulos Memorial Lecture Award,

ogy expert Modesto Orozco received

a prize given by the European Peptide So-

the Bruker Prize for his exceptional

ciety, for his crucial contributions to peptide

contributions to the study of nucleic

chemistry.

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FACES TO NAMES Angel R Nebreda. Group Leader, IRB Barcelona Signalling and Cell Cycle Laboratory

“The main problem with cancer is that it goes unnoticed and when it’s detected it’s often too late” ANNA ALSINA

iochemist and new IRB Barcelona group leader Angel R Nebreda (Spain, 1961) has lived most of his research life as an expatriate, spending many years at the National Institutes of Health (US), the Cancer Research UK and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (Germany). Tired of living abroad, he moved back to Spain in 2004 to lead a group on cancer research at the Spanish National Cancer Center. Nebreda joined IRB Barcelona in July to run the Signalling and Cell Cycle Laboratory. His research will mainly focus on unraveling the role of the protein kinase p38 MAPK in lung, colon and breast cancer, exploring the rewiring of tumor cells, and finding the connections between inflammation and tumors.

- What’s the link between cancer and inflammation?

“Inflammation in the organism is a necessary and natural response to help the body overcome external attacks. Even in the early stages of cancer, inflammatory cells help to fight tumors. The problem is when inflammation becomes recurrent and leads to chronic diseases such as colitis or hepatitis, where an excessive inflammation can facilitate the path for cancer cells to proliferate quicker and develop a tumor.”

- Can a healthy body have cancer cells?

“It’s likely that any person over the age of forty has a number of cancer cells in the body, but our immune system knows how to fight and destroy them.”

- Is cancer a silent killer?

“Our organism has a great capacity to keep

06

Photo: S. Armengou

B

A focus on African frogs African clawed frogs follow Nebreda wherever he goes. His new research group will be using this aquatic species with short claws to unravel the mysteries of the cell cycle and its connections to cancer. “Xenopus laevis is one of the best systems available for biochemical studies because it has up to 20,000 oocytes and their maturation period is extraordinarily quick,” he says. Nebreda started to use this species in cancer research with Nobel Laureate Tim Hunt in the nineties. working even when things go wrong internally. When we were doing experiments to track down cancer cells in the lung we were surprised to see that mice had a completely normal behavior and showed no symptoms of disease. When we performed an autopsy we realized that their lungs were totally riddled with tumors. The main problem with cancer is that it goes unnoticed and when it’s detected it’s often too late. That’s why prevention and early detection are crucial.”

- There have been a lot of preventive efforts against smoking but there are people who die of lung cancer that have never smoked.

“Smoking is clearly a direct cause of lung cancer, but there are other factors that can lead to it such as exposure to carcinogens in the air, or inherited genetic mutations. A person with a genetic predisposition has a high risk of developing lung cancer before turning sixty five.”

- A group of scientists in the United States recently warned against fraudulent treatments using stem cells. What’s your advice?

“It’s a fact that there are centers offering stem cell treatments that have no clear benefit. There are also many experimental therapies though that are not strictly a fraud but that have not been proven to be completely safe or that have very low probabilities of success. If a person is dying and there’s no turning back, it’s a survival instinct to want to try something even if the probability for it to work is only 1%. The latest advances in research have brought about unthinkable therapies and treatments. It’s not that common yet, but in the US there are companies that are already freezing people when they die hoping that maybe in fifty or a hundred years they will be resuscitated. There are many things being done today that thirty years ago would have been considered science fiction.”

- What’s your opinion on the Spanish government’s plans to reduce research funding?

“Funding cuts on research are always negative, especially in a country like Spain where the public budget for science is lower than in many other countries such as the US, Japan, Germany or England. Science in Spain has seen a great improvement in the past years.

The consequences can be really bad. It would be a shame to take a step backwards.”

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Issue 11

IN BRIEF

Mission: discover your workplace

Simplifying science

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IRB Barcelona scientist Lluís Ribas de Pouplana translated his benchwork into plain language to give a ‘microconference’ for all audiences at the 4th edition of ‘Festa de la Ciència’. Held on June 12-13 at the Ciutadella Park, the event was organized by the Institute for Culture of Barcelona and included more than 60 outreach activities.

Moving under one roof Researchers at IRB Barcelona won’t need to get out of the building and cross the street anymore for internal collaborations. The research groups led by Lluís Ribas de Pouplana and Ramon Eritja moved their labs from the Helix to the Cluster building this summer, where all the other IRB Barcelona laboratories and core facilities are located. The Administration offices also expanded this summer to include the first floor, where the ITS department and new meeting rooms are now located.

A new editing initiative The IRB Barcelona English Editing Service launched a new initiative for the research community in June. Tanya Yates now offers regular walk-in sessions where researchers can bring their scientific papers, theses or research proposals and discuss good editing practices. For more information, email Tanya at tanya.yates@irbbarcelona.org.

hy do we use flies in the labs? What does Impact Factor mean? What are the Core

Facilites for? How is cancer metastasis studied?

How do drugs work in a cell and how are they designed? For scientists, the answers to these questions are clear but they may not be that simple for administrative staff.

The mission that the IRB Barcelona Direc-

(From left to right) Clara Caminal, Cristina Horcajada and Sònia Armengou during the first session of ‘Mission: Discover your Workplace’.

torate has entrusted us with is to provide nonscientific personnel the opportunity to discover

lona on our society. The second session, fo-

the beauty of biomedical science and to make

cused specifically on science, was devoted to

them aware of their contribution to the success

the cell, a common theme that runs through

of the research carried out at IRB Barcelona.

each and every lab. It was organized with the

Under the slogan ‘Mission: discover your

invaluable help of researchers Ernest Giralt,

workplace’, we have already organized two ses-

Oscar Martorell, Maria Tarragona and Delia

sions, each of which was attended by more than

Zafra.

forty people. The first session took place on

The attendees were very enthusiastic and

April 27. As it was the initial talk, we presented

participative, asking many questions and cre-

the Institute, the scientific programmes, and the

ating a dynamic atmosphere. The thematic

different types of labs and their composition.

sessions will continue in the autumn with

We also outlined the research cycle – starting

new exciting topics. If you wish to join us,

from basic questions and moving on to the new

contact irbdescubre@irbbarcelona.org.

treatments that reach patients - as well as the

S. Armengou/ C. Caminal/ C. Horcajada

impact of the science performed at IRB Barce-

NEWS FROM THE PARK

A new managing director

T

he Barcelona Science Park (PCB) has a new face in management. Maria Terrades was appointed new PCB managing director in May. Besides her duties at the Park, Terrades will also be serving IRB Barcelona through her role as a member of the Board of Trustees, the governing body of the Institute.

Holder of a degree in Economics and Business Sciences from the University of Barcelona and a PDD from IESE Business School, Terrades started out in Price Waterhouse and three years later moved on to Sarriopapel & Celulosa. Over more than 17 years, she has held several positions

of responsibility in AGBAR (a company with a turnover of 3,000 million euros and 14,000 employees), during the most recent period undertaking management duties for Treasury and Finances. Terrades has taught the subject of Budgeting and Budgetary Control on the masters course in Corporate Finance and Accounting Management organized by IDEC at the Pompeu Fabra University, and has participated as a speaker in several meetings held by the Institute for International Research (IIR).

PCB

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Issue 11

SPOTLIGHT

NEW AT IRB BARCELONA Camille Stephan-Otto (Mexico, 1978) has been work-

A cross-Atlantic connection

I

RB Barcelona has made a training connection across the Atlantic this summer. Biology student Stephanie Lin is one of two students to come from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She will spend three months working in the Gene Translation Laboratory as part of the MISTI program, an MIT internship initiative to work abroad during the summer.

ing with formulas and statistical parameters for a few weeks.

She recently moved from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York to IRB Barcelona to work as a senior research officer at the Biostatisticts/Bioinformatics Unit. Her mission will be to help IRB Barcelona researchers to come up with new hypotheses by performing genetic regulation and next generation sequencing analyses. A biomathematician by training, Camille started out doing her doctoral work on the origin of life and evolution. She decided to enter the field of biomedicine because she was looking for more tangible results. “One of the advantages of mathematics in daily life is that they help you order your thoughts and see the logical side of things more clearly. Using math in a creative way in biology is the real challenge,” she says.

- Why did you choose Spain?

“The programme also offers internships in Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan and Mexico but I chose Spain because I had never been to Europe before and I was really impressed by the biomedical research at IRB Barcelona. It’s really blooming.”

Photo: N. Barbería

- What is your mission at IRB Barcelona this summer?

“I’m working with PhD student Tanit Guitart to develop a model for mitochondrial diseases.

I’ve never worked with fruit flies before and really enjoy exploring these tiny insects under the microscope.”

- What was your reaction when you found out about your internship acceptance?

“I was a bit nervous but really excited about the idea because I had been looking for this internship opportunity for over a year.”

- What’s your career dream?

“I want to combine research and medical practice to treat infectious diseases such as malaria, toxoplasma and viruses. I really love the idea of working closely with patients, and hope to become an infectious diseases specialist.”

Biotechnologist Carlos Bertoncini (Argentina, 1977) recently left the University of Cambridge and joined Xavier Salvatella’s lab as a postdoctoral fellow to work on a very ambitious project: discovering how protein aggregates lead to neuronal death in diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Holder of a Marie Curie Grant, he says that his decision to come to the Institute was influenced by the fact that “this is one of the few places in Europe that has all the techniques and facilities I need under one roof.” He’s settling nicely into the city and does not plan yet to return to Argentina, at least for a while.

Chemical physicist Federica Battistini (Italy, 1982) has recently joined Modesto Orozco’s group as a postdoctoral researcher. Several years ago she moved from her hometown of Milan to Sheffield to pursue her doctoral studies and now with her PhD under her belt, she has decided to come to work at IRB Barcelona. Federica’s task will be to refine a model that predicts where and why nucleosomes, the structures that organize and package DNA within the cell, are formed with the goal of gaining a better understanding of how the genome is organized. Although Federica will be working mainly at the computer, she will also need to maintain close collaborations with laboratories to test the predictions obtained from her model.

ON THE MOVE Observing science from backstage at the Cell Division Laboratory as a lab manager has inspired Nuria López (Spain, 1981) to pursue a scientific career. A technical engineer in chemistry by training, she has recently left IRB Barcelona to take up a position as a PhD student at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia. Nuria will be working for the first time on the virulence factors of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a pathogen that can cause fatal infections in cystic fibrosis patients.

Published by the Institute for Research in Biomedicine. Office of Communications & External Relations. Barcelona Science Park. Baldiri Reixac, 10. 08028 Barcelona, Spain. www.irbbarcelona.org. Editor: Anna Alsina. Associate Editor: Sarah Sherwood. Contributors: Sònia Armengou, Nahia Barbería, Clara Caminal, Jorge Domínguez, Cristina Horcajada, Tanya Yates. Design: Aymerich Comunicació. Printing: Puresa. Graphic Production: La Trama. Legal deposit: B-1730-2010.

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