In Vivo - Issue 21

in vivo January 2013 | Issue 21

NEWSLETTER OF THE INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH IN BIOMEDICINE

A life-changing experience

“Colon cancer metastasis: a test for patients at risk in a few years”

“Crazy about Biomedicine”. The name

An innovative approach has allowed Group Leader

of this new educational program launched in

and ICREA professor Eduard Batlle and associate re-

January by IRB Barcelona and the Fundació Catalunya–La Pedrera is also an apt description for the 24 high school students selected to participate in the year-long series of seminars and hands-on activities in the lab.

searcher Elena Sancho to look for answers to the puzzling question: what triggers a metastasis?

The research, which earned the front page of the November issue of Cancer Cell, focused on the mechanisms and “dangerous liaisons” which allow colon cancer to grow in distant organs, such as the liver and the lung.

“In about five years,” declared Sancho, “we will probably have a test on the market that identifies those patients at risk of metastasis”. Sònia Armengou reports on page 3.

Biostatisticians of the world unite for a Barcelona BioMed Conference

PHOTO: L.T. BARONE

Francisco Freixo and Benjamí Oller, both PhD students and Student Council members at IRB Barcelona, inaugurated the first class of the series inside the prestigious building of the La Pedrera, in the heart of Barcelona.

Captivated by the themes discussed in the engaging lectures, the students flooded the speakers with questions, leaving the organisers “pleasantly surprised.”

Julia García López has the story on page 4.

p2

First ”la Caixa” theses defended

p5

Core Facility manager

out: “We wanted to show

David Rossell was one of

how important it is to de-

the co-organisers of the lat-

velop new methodologies

est Barcelona BioMed Con-

and to convince scientists

ference, sponsored by the

that their approach should

BBVA Foundation, which

be guided by objective nu-

took place in December.

merical assessments.”

The organisers had two objectives, as Rossell points

Exchanges Pablo Martín at Caltech

p7

More details about the conference on page 5.

PHOTO: L.T. BARONE

First Students’ Day

p8

Spotlight Meritxell Teixidó, ‘shuttle creator’

First ”la Caixa” Foundation students at IRB Barcelona defend their theses and modifications in DNA to explain disease,” she explains, “that is, on the transcription phase.

But there’s a second step in protein synthesis, the translation phase. I will be working on modifications in RNA that could affect this.”

Among the experiences Eva takes with her, she emphasises the constructive relationship with her advisor, Lluís Ribas de Pouplana. “He knew when to encourage me, and when to take down my excessive enthusiasm. Provided it is Eva María Novoa has just received the highest mark for her thesis Evolution of the protein translation machinery and its applications to drug discovery and hugs her supervisor. (Foto L.T. Barone)

not a waste of time, he is always open to scientific discussion about his students’s new ideas. I really appreciate this aspect.”

A

fter four years, the first fruits of the

tional methods, and the characterisation of

”la Caixa”-IRB Barcelona Interna-

new enzyme functions. “The truth is that ev-

tional PhD Programme in Biomedi-

erything I did was a lot of fun,” admits Eva.

cine are ripe. Sean Doran, from Antoni Riera’s

The next step in her career will be at

Asymmetric Synthesis Lab, and Eva Novoa,

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She

from Lluís Ribas’ Gene Translation Lab, both

obtained an EMBO long-term fellowship to

discussed their theses in December. They are the

characterise RNA modifications in humans

first students to cross the finish line.

in a promising project. “So far scientists have

“If it had not been for the ”la Caixa” Foun-

One of the people who encouraged her to accept the position in Boston was precisely Lluís. “I could not waste this opportunity,” maintains Eva, who will move to the US with

.

her future husband, a pianist. “I will be surrounded by the best scientists and will experience a different way of doing science.”

been concentrating mainly on epigenetics

LUCA TANCREDI BARONE

dation scholarship,” explains Eva Novoa, “I probably would have left the country for my doctorate studies. Being offered a competitive economic support in a stimulating research centre was one of the main reasons that conviced me to continue my education here”.

The ”la Caixa” Foundation also provides a yearly amount of money specifically designated to fund training and travels. “This money was essential for me, it gave me the chance to fund

The new 2013 ”la Caixa”- Severo Ochoa / IRB Barcelona call for five PhD students now open

T

he new call for the ”la Caixa” - Severo Ochoa / IRB Barcelona International PhD Programme Fellowship is open. Talented students from across the world are invited

to apply to do their doctoral thesis work in one of the accredited “Severo Ochoa” centres of excellence in Spain, among which is IRB Barcelona.

my master tuition and the participation in some congresses, to pay for the scientific software I needed and for some books,” she says. “I hope

.

A total of 5 doctoral fellowships are available for the academic year 2013-2014 at the Institute. The deadline for the application is Wednesday, 27 February 2013.

that this money will keep supporting future PhD students who unfortunately are facing higher academic tuitions.”

Eva embarked in 2008 on a research programme focused on designing new drugs for malaria. “There is an old saying that goes ‘never bite off more than you can chew’. I’m proud that I did bite off quite a lot during the course of

Countdown to the next PhD Student Symposium

T

he brand new webpage for the next IRB Barcelona PhD Student Symposium has been launched this month. The Symposium, the third in the series, will take place in November in Bar-

my doctorate work, but without losing the main

celona at the La Pedrera, one of the most

focus,” says Eva.

monumental buildings in Barcelona.

“My advisor committee warned me at the beginning that drug design can easily go wrong and that I should not put all my eggs in one basket,” recalls Eva. So, among the fields Eva ventured to explore were genome evolution — research which resulted in a publication in Cell last year —, the development of new computa-

02

in vivo

January 2013

| Issue 21

As usual, a team composed of PhD students at IRB Barcelona is in charge of all the organisational aspects, from the choice of themes and selection of speakers to all logistics.

More information here: http://www. irbbarcelona.org/irbphdsymposium/.

SCIENCE BITES

➲

Identifying new cancer targets with the help of the fruit fly

A study published by Marco Milán’s group in PNAS describes how a normal cell turns cancerous in experiments performed in the wing of the fruit fly. The researchers have produced an inexpensive and effective model that will allow the scientific community to scrutinise the genes and molecules involved in each step of this process. Given that the vast majority of genes in Drosophila are conserved in mice and humans, the results obtained may also lead researchers to perform similar studies in other clinically relevant models.

.

➲

H

ow do colon cancer cells manage to

with advanced cancer (stage III) never develop

grow in organs as distant and dif-

metastasis. This finding is related to whether or

ferent as the liver and lung and trig-

not the stroma has been modified by TGF-beta.

ger a new tumour, a metastasis? Three years of

On the contrary, those patients with moderately

study and an innovative approach has allowed

advanced cancer (stage II) who have modified

the group headed by Eduard Batlle, ICREA re-

stroma are at high risk to develop metastasis

searcher at IRB Barcelona, and Elena Sancho,

after surgery. This means that, if armed with a

research associate , to begin not only to offer an-

diagnostic test that analyzes the genetic signature

swers but also to propose new diagnostic tools

of the stroma, doctors may be able to identify

and new therapeutic targets to stop the disease

patients at risk of developing metastasis.

from advancing. Published in Cancer Cell in

Elena Sancho explains that “in about five

November and recommended by scientists of the

years, we will probably have a test on the mar-

‘Faculty of 1000’ as being of special significance

ket that identifies those patients at risk of me-

in its field, the study reveals that tumour cells al-

tastasis, thus allowing doctors to fine tune their

ter the healthy environment around them, called

treatment regimes.”

the stroma, to ensure their survival and coloni-

12,000 3D-protein interactions at your service

sation of receptor organs.

Interactome3D (interactome3d.irbbarcelona. org) is a new web resource that has been developed by IRB Barcelona scientists Roberto Mosca, Arnaud Ceol and Patrick Aloy. It offers the possibility to anonymously access and add molecular details of protein interactions and to obtain the information in 3D models.

For researchers, atomic level details about the reactions are fundamental to unravel the bases of biology, disease development, and the design of experiments and drugs to combat disorders.

Nature Methods accredits the platform on the basis of its high reliability and precision.

.

➲

Dangerous liaisons

The report

scientists that

the

TGF-beta molecule

❝We need to look at the soil, not at the seed. TGF-beta is the fertiliser that changes the earth in which the tumour seed grows.❞ Eduard Batlle, IRB Barcelona

also show that metastasis can be prevented by eliminating the TGFbeta signal in the stro-

is the key. When tumour cells release TGF-beta,

ma. Mice with aggressive colon tumours were

the cells in the tumour microenvironment pro-

treated with a TGF-beta inhibitor that is already

duce interleukin-11 (IL11), thus causing a series

in clinical trials for other illnesses. The scientists

of genetic changes in the cancer cells that allow

observed that the tumours of these animals did

them to survive in a foreign organ. “This study

not metastasise. “Our results in mice show that

has shown us that, instead of looking at the seed,

patients with activated TGF-beta and who are in

we need to be looking at the soil. We can predict

the initial phases of the disease may benefit from

if a plant will grow if the ground, or substrate, in

taking a TGF-beta inhibitor”, explains Alexan-

which the seed is planted is fertilised. TGF-beta

dre Calon, postdoctoral fellow in Batlle’s lab and

is the fertiliser that changes the earth in which

co-author of the study with Elisa Espinet.”

.

the tumour seed grows”, explains Batlle. The sci-

First epigenomes of Chronic Lymphatic Leukemia described

In the Cancer Cell article, the researchers

SÒNIA ARMENGOU

entists have observed that about 15% of patients

Modesto Orozco, Josep Lluís Gelpí and Romina Royo, all working in the IRB Barcelona/Barcelona Supercomputing Center Joint Programme in Computational Biology, have contributed to the identification of the epigenetic changes in the cells that are associated with the development of Chronic Lymphatic Leukemia. The large consortium tackling the study of this disease has published in the last 18 months three papers in Nature and Nature Genetics that help to map out genetically the mutations associated with one of the most common forms of leukemia in adults.

.

Elena Sancho, Eduard Batlle and Hans Clevers during the press conference at the Barcelona BioMed Conference last November. Elena and Eduard presented their article in Cancer Cell. (Foto L.T. Barone)

in vivo

January 2013

| Issue 21

03

A day to remember for 24 future scientists, “crazy about biomedicine”

“A

n enormous curiosity makes me wonder about things that I still do not know about my own

body. At school we have studied how it works,

but I still have a lot to learn.”

These words from Nerea Martín, one of the 24 high school students selected to participate in the course “Crazy about Biomedicine,” perfectly reflect the spirit of a new educational program launched in January by IRB Barcelona and the Fundació Catalunya–La Pedrera. Indeed, what the participants have plenty of is curiosity and eagerness to learn. The goal of this project is to give these first-year baccalaureate students the chance to explore the exciting world of biomedicine and challenge their inquisitive minds. More than 400 students from schools all over Catalonia applied for the programme.

Through the course’s practical and theoretical sessions, the participants will have the opportunity to take a step back from their textbooks and experience what science is all about. Working alongside researchers from the Institute, they will learn what the latest questions in biomedicine are – and also see how scientists are figuring them out. “This is a hands-on course that will let them explore what working in a lab is really like. Hopefully, through inquiry-based learning, they’ll discover how exciting science can be,” says Joan J. Guinovart, IRB Barcelona director.

The opening session of the course took place on 12 January at La Pedrera, with talks by PhD students Francisco Freixo and Benjamí Oller.

Though the topics were complex, by the end the young participants were bombarding speakers

Francisco Freixo captivated the 24 brilliant students during his 2-hour lecture on microtubules and cytoskeleton in the inaugural class of the Crazy About Biomedicine course at La Pedrera. (Foto L.T. Barone)

with insightful questions. Even during the coffee break, the 16-year-old students huddled together over lively conversations about microtubules, peptides and antibodies. “We were truly pleasantly surprised by their level of knowledge and interest,” says course organiser Sarah Sherwood.

“They are proving to be a highly motivated bunch and it’s clear they will take advantage of the opportunity they have before them.”

Initiatives such as this one are meant to help boost interest in science among youngsters, thereby combating the worrying decline in scientific vocation across Europe. As Salvador García, Director of Knowledge, Education and Research at the Fundació Catalunya-La Pedrera, told the participants during the opening ceremony:

.

“Maybe in 10 years you will remember today as the day that you chose to follow a degree in science and led you to become a researcher.”

JULIA GARCÍA LÓPEZ

EXCHANGES

“Caltech? After all, not too different from IRB Barcelona”

Among the best bioinformatics Challenging the world’s best computational researchers to demonstrate the power of their methods to exploit genomic information to extract predictive and clinical indicators that are reliable and verifiable. This was the objective of IMPROVER (Industrial Methodology for PROcess VErification in Research) launched in May by IBM Research and Philip Morris International (PMI) R&D. In the first challenge, “Diagnosis Signature,” the team led by David Rossell and Patrick Aloy (IRB Barcelona) and Anaxomics Biotech achieved fourth place, in a competition that saw the

.

participation of 54 groups, mainly from Europe and the US. The IMPROVER project was announced in Nature Biotechnology.

L

ife for a PhD student can sometimes seem like free climbing. But

there’s nothing like climbing the Grand Canyon, as Pablo Martín Gago from Antoni Riera’s Lab did during his sixand-a-half month stay at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), in Pasadena, California.

In Gregory Fu’s Lab, Pablo studied nickel-catalyzed stereoconvergent crosscoupling reactions, which, he explains,

in vivo

|

2013 onIssue Pablo 04 Martín Gago climbing January the Grand Canyon one of21 his excursions during his stay at the California Institute of Technology (USA). (Foto C. B. Bissemba)

“Tricky probabilities” gather world experts in Barcelona in December

L

ong live bioinformatics, a fundamental

it is, to develop new mathematics and new

high probability that in a room two people

tool to guarantee reproducible advanc-

methodologies. But we also wanted to spread

will celebrate their birthday on the same date,

es in science. David Rossell, together

a philosophy: scientists need to adjust the way

or that you will observe patterns in a huge da-

with Donald Berry (University of Texas MD

they interpret their data. In addition to evaluat-

tabase. We have to able to discriminate when

Anderson Cancer Center, USA) and Omiros

ing them in a purely intuitive manner, their ap-

these patterns are random and cannot be repro-

Papaspiliopoulos (Universitat Pompeu Fabra,

proach should be guided by objective numerical

duced and when they are due to a scientifically relevant factor.”

Spain) organised the latest BioMed Confer-

assessments. And an important means to do so

ence, on Bayesian Methods in Biostatistics and

is to make use of Bayesian methods, a set of sta-

The feedback received by the organisers of

Bioinformatics in collaboration with the BBVA

tistical tools that allow you to consider a high

this conference has been especially enthusias-

Foundation. He is convinced that only by “be-

number of hypotheses, each of which with little

tic, and some participants compared it with the

ing able to navigate wisely the huge amount of

data. For example this is the case when we are

most prestigious world congresses in the field.

data available today can we make sense of them

looking at whether the expression of our 20,000

When asked for a challenge for bioinfor-

and find out which relevant fraction is truly

genes is associated to a disease, or whether a pair

matics, David does not hesitate: “We need to

useful for scientific advancement.”

of genes will interact directly. In these cases,

make the transition from the 20th century, with

combining knowledge from multiple sources

small volumes of data, to the intensely data-rich

greatly aids the statistical analysis.”

science of the 21st century.”

An obvious field where biostatistics can play a powerful role is personalised medicine.

“In this field, it is common to be faced with

Probabilities are “tricky,” admits the sci-

huge databases, including the expression of

entist, and it is often easy to be misled by our

thousands of genes, patients’ clinical histories,

intuition, especially if we have to take into ac-

genetic anomalies, etc,” says David, head of the

count the combined probability of dif-

Bioinformatics and Biostatistics Unit at IRB

ferent events. “In day-to-day life as

Barcelona. “The hope is to be able to use the

in science, many events that look

collection of these data to discover the disease

extraordinary

subtype or prognosis for the next patient.”

The same happens with epidemiology, an-

are

actually

statistically ex-

other of the many topics covered in this espe-

pected,” warns

cially interdisciplinary Barcelona BioMed Con-

David.

ference. “When you have to make a prediction

the relatively

.

LUCA TANCREDI BARONE

From left to right, Omiros Papaspiliopoulos, David Rossell, and Donald Berry, the three organisers of the Barcelona BioMed Conference on Bayesian Methods in Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, held on 17-19 December. (Foto J. Cosialls, Diario Médico)

“Like

about the way a disease, say the flu, will develop, or if it will ever become pandemic, statistics becomes an objective, rational tool for policy making,” explains David.

When preparing the conference, the organisers had a clear idea in mind. “We wanted to show how useful it is, and how important

are “extremely powerful tools for the construction of carbon–carbon

found a very warm group of friends to explore California and the sur-

bonds in asymmetric synthesis.” At IRB Barcelona he studies the

roundings with. And the fantastic weather there was clearly a plus!”

polar-π interactions between aromatic amino acids, which are funda-

Besides learning to play baseball and beginning to appreciate

mental in determining both the architecture and function of peptides

Mexican food, Pablo is taking home important experiences. “At least

and proteins.

twice a month, the main pharmaceutical companies come to the cam-

“The stay enriched the asymmetric synthesis we do here,” admits

pus to hire. You constantly feel an environment of positive competi-

this chemist from Salamanca, “and I had the rare opportunity to stay

tion. People help you, but you are pushed to do your best. I also

long enough to develop a project which will end up in a publication.”

have to say that I noticed how Caltech is not too different from IRB

Pablo, whose thesis is due in June, found a very stimulating envi-

.

Barcelona as far as infrastructures go. We are very lucky here.”

ronment. “People spent a lot of time in the lab, and even outside the

LUCA TANCREDI BARONE

campus we spoke about science all the time. But, fortunately, I also

in vivo

January 2013

| Issue 21

05

IN BRIEF

High school teachers kindle passion for science

Science week at the PCB On 22 and 24 November, the Barcelona Science Park (PCB) organised a number of science dissemination activities to celebrate the 17th Science Week. Helena González and Oriol Marimón guided a group of high school stu-

I

dents through a 2-hour tour in which they had to do an ‘Express PhD’. The activities focussed on the topic: “How do we identify the genes involved in cancer?”, presented

by Francisco Barriga, researcher in IRB

f you ask any high school science teacher

Drosophila melanogaster” on 30 November – 1

for their wish list of things that would make

December, 2012.

their job easier, most would concur: more

Over the two-day course, 18 teachers from

direct links between the classroom and the re-

across Catalonia attended lectures and learned

search laboratory.

first hand from IRB Barcelona scientists Jordi

These days, scientific discoveries are hap-

Casanova, Marco Milán and Cayetano González

pening at an incredible pace, but the knowledge

how they are using the fruit fly as a model to

Under parental supervision

and techniques that arise from this research of-

understand how organisms develop, and what

Families

ten take too long to trickle down through the

goes wrong in diseases like cancer.

Barcelona’s Colorectal Cancer Lab.

of IRB Barce-

curriculum and into a teacher’s textbook. What

They also had a chance to roll up their

lona members

is needed is a fast track – a direct link between

sleeves and try their hand at the molecular biolo-

visited

the

teachers and scientists to bridge this gap and get

gy, genetics and microscopy techniques used ev-

Institute

them up to speed on what is really happening in

eryday by IRB Barcelona researchers, all under

for the sec-

the world of research. Direct contact with prac-

the guidance of the expert hands of PhD student

ond edition of

tising researchers also has another clear benefit:

instructors. A tour through online resources for

‘Family Day’

it gives teachers a chance to rekindle their pas-

Drosophila research provided an important tool

on 8 November. As usual, a group of keen

sion for science so that they can do what is most

that the teachers will be able to take back directly

volunteers guided the group of curious

important – pass it on to their students.

into the classroom.

the

relatives to discover how each one of their

With this in mind, IRB Barcelona, in col-

A final round table session where PhD stu-

family members contributes to successful

laboration with the Fundació Catalunya-La

dents provided perspective on their career choic-

research. IRB Barcelona director Joan J.

Pedrera’s “Professors and Science” programme,

es and motivations left the teachers with plenty

Guinovart welcomed them with an inspir-

organised the second edi-

of food for thought and examples to take back

ing speech.

tion of the course “On

to their classrooms to inspire the next genera-

the Fly: A Practi-

tion.

A helping hand for kids in

cal

Course

for

need As per tradition at IRB Barcelona,

Teachers on De-

during the annual holiday party at the end

velopment

.

in

of the year, a raffle was held to raise funds for the “Casal dels Infants del Raval” in Barcelona, a non-profit institution devoted to helping children, young people and families at risk of social exclusion. 158 more tickets than last year were sold, amounting to a record 2,160€. We express our thanks to all IRB Barcelona providers who donated gifts offered in the lottery.

Two teachers dissecting embryos during a practical session of the ‘On the Fly’ course. (Photo S. Sherwood) Further up, Begoña Cánovas intrigues participants with her explanations during the Family Day. (Photo L.T. Barone)

GRANTS & PRIZES Alzheimer’s grant The Alzheimer’s Association, the largest non-profit funder of Alzheimer’s research, has awarded 100,000$ to a 2-year project led by Natalia Carulla, research associate in the Pep-

06

in vivo

January 2013

tides and Proteins lab, to study the

Batlle’s Colorectal Cancer Lab to

doctoral fellow in the Growth

toxicity of the amyloid-β oligomer.

explore the regeneration and trans-

Control and Cancer Metastasis

plantation of organs and tissues.

Lab, has received 60,000€ from the

Colon cancer marathon TV3’s La Marató Foundation has awarded a 300,000€ grant to Eduard

| Issue 21

Metastasis in colon cancer Jelena Urosevic, a post-

Fundación Olga Torres to develop a project on the identification and characterisation of genes associated

No ordinary day for students

Students sharing their latest scientific results with one another during Students’ Day (Foto L.T. Barone)

S

November 29. No experiments in the

lab, no papers to read, no meetings with their Group Leaders. Instead they grabbed their notebooks and headed to the Barcelona Sci-

highlight talks, intercalated by coffee breaks

dents’ Day. The event provided

and poster sessions, which gave students

a full day of talks, presenta-

plenty of time to showcase their research

tions, poster sessions and other

projects and discuss their science.

opportunities for scientific and

The schedule was rounded out by a

social exchange, all geared to-

cross-generation round table where partici-

wards letting students know

pants discussed different aspects of life as a

about the exciting research

scientist, from the keys to success in science

they are working on, as well

to the effect that science can have on your

as possibilities for their careers

relationships with others. Opportunity for

and life after their degrees.

more informal exchange continued well into

Former PhD student, Olivera Vujatovic, from Ferran

tudents at IRB Barcelona woke up to a different kind of day on Thursday,

ence Park’s auditorium for Stu-

the evening with a lab-wide Cool-Off session.

Azorín’s lab and now at the

Students’ Day was organised by the PhD

Centre for Genomic Regulation, kicked

Student Council and was the first of what

things off with a keynote lecture on how her

will become a regular fixture in the IRB Bar-

experience at IRB Barcelona has been useful

celona annual calendar.

for her postdoc. Students from across the

.

SARAH SHERWOOD

research programmes followed with short

Training to transfer

R

esearchers at IRB Barcelona who

and skills necessary to help make the jump.

want to get their business savvy on

“It’s an important skill set,” says Cristina, “and

are in luck. In November, the Inno-

one that we can’t assume that young scientists

vation team launched a new series of training

have. With these sessions we hope to give our

Ki Woo Kim, of the School for Ecol-

activities geared towards increasing awareness

researchers the one-up in an area that has such

ogy and Environmental Systems, Kyungpook

about the potential for technology transfer at

huge potential. In the end, it’s in all our inter-

National University, visited IRB Barcelona’s

the Institute, and providing the know-how to

est. It helps our researchers, it helps the institu-

Functional Genomics Core in November. The

get started.

tion and in the long run it helps society.”

Korean government sent the scientist on as-

Scouting visits

The first session, “From the idea to the

This first session provided the broad

sigment to collect information on how to set

product at IRB Barcelona,” was held on No-

strokes about the process of technology trans-

up a successful core facility, how to optimally

vember 20, and attracted a healthy group of 40

fer and future meetings will bring in experts to

incorporate it into the organisational structure,

future innovators.

focus on specific themes, such as intellectual

and on how to promote effective interactions

Through the sessions, Cristina Horcajada

property protection, market research and busi-

with researchers on one side and with private

and her team aim to instill within research-

ness development. The next appointment will

companies for technology development on the

ers at IRB Barcelona a keen awareness about

be scheduled for before the summer.

other. Core Facility manager Herbert Auer em-

the potential of their basic research results to translate into innovation, and the knowledge

with metastasis in colon cancer.

INNPACTing research Fernando Albericio has received 380,000€ of funding from the INNPACTO programme that fosters

.

SARAH SHERWOOD

.

phasised the importance of taking good care of the working conditions for the personnel.

collaboration with private indus-

Barcelona adjunct director, Joan

who got the “Valdés-Salas” Prize for

tries. Together with PharmaMar and

Massagué, who received the 36th

Applied Biomedicine; and to Ipro-

UAM, they will develop antibody-

Lluís Carulla Prize of Honour for

teos, a spin-off of IRB Barcelona and

drug conjugates of marine origin.

2012, for “his institutional leader-

the University of Barcelona, award-

ship, scientific rigour and work

ed the “2nd RedEmprendia Univer-

ethic;”to group leader Roger Gomis,

sity to Business Spin-off Prize 2012.”

Congratulations to IRB

in vivo

January 2013 | Issue 21

07

SPOTLIGHT

NEW AT IRB BARCELONA

PHOTOS ON PAGE: L.T. BARONE

Tiago Oliveira Botelho (Lisbon, 1979) is the new

Meritxell Teixidó, the molecular key hunter Crossing the impenetrable Blood Brain Barrier

I

magine yourself facing the Great Wall of China.

Another barrier, equally impenetrable, protects our

Industrial Liaison Officer, and he joins the Innovation team.

His passion for business began after his degree in applied science, when he patented a method for a biodegradable plastic. Before coming on board the Institute, he was a researcher at the Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology, Porto, at the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Lisbon, and at the University of Barcelona, where he did a PhD in biotechnology. He worked for a year in the company Salupharma Biosimilars, where he was research project manager and business developer.

“I came to IRB Barcelona to help convert ideas into money,” he states enthusiastically.

brain from intruders. Just as the Great Wall, the

Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) is also lined with doors that only those who have the right key will be able to enter.

The goal of Meritxell Teixidó, research associate in Ernest Giralt’s Peptides and Protein Laboratory, is to find those precious keys.

Stem cell expert Enza Lonardo (Naples, 1980) joined Eduard Batlle’s Colorectal Cancer Lab in November with a postdoctoral fellowship. “I began studying plant stem cells for my undergraduate thesis, then moved

“98% of the potential therapeutic molecules against

on to mouse embryonic stem cells for my PhD in Naples;

diseases of the central nervous system cannot cross the

for my first postdoc at CNIO in Madrid I studied stem

wall, and therefore they never hit the target,” explains

cells in pancreatic cancer, and now I am going to study these cells in colon cancer,” she

the researcher. “We develop peptides with the capacity

summarises. “I chose IRB Barcelona because of the positive feedback I have always re-

to open the doors of the barrier and act as shuttles when

ceived on its scientific level, the quality of its seminars and its research freedom.”

attached to a therapeutic molecule. The idea is that the shuttle helps the active molecule enter the brain.”

She has been working with peptide shuttles to cross biological barriers for almost ten years. “I really love what I do. It is important to have a good atmosphere in the lab.

A smile makes everything flow better and fills the working area with positive energy that fosters creativity.”

Besides with energy and a good mood, how do you develop these peptide shuttles?

Genetist Ivan Burkov (Novosibirsk, 1986) is going to face an important scientific challenge with Raúl Méndez and Roger Gomis as a Marie Curie COFUND postdoc fellow: he will study for the first time the role of the CPEB4 protein in cancer metastasis. Ivan studied in Akademgorodok, the “Academic city,” 20 km south of the Siberian capital. He loves art, music (he is a DJ), and extreme sports.“I wanted to expand my scientific hori-

One option is look for them in nature. Certain natural

zons,” he says, “and turned down Yale and ETH Zürich. IRB Barcelona is very competi-

toxins affect the brain, which means that they are able to

tive, scientifically and geographically. Plus, the topic of my research is more stimulating.”

cross the BBB. We can reduce their toxicity and transform them into shuttles. Another option is a combined use of peptide libraries and mass spectrometry techniques to find candidates that can cross the barrier.

Once you have found a possible shuttle, what do

ON THE MOVE

you do with it?

After developing and optimising the peptide shuttle, we work in collaboration with other labs or companies which have a therapeutic molecule that they want to bring into the brain. This is a technology with a great future and IRB Barcelona has substantial potential to develop it. For sure, there are groups in the Institute with molecules that

.

can be used to treat neurological diseases, but which can’t enter the brain. We can collaborate with them to make it possible.

After three years as a research associate in the Metabolic Engineering and Diabetes Therapy Lab, Joaquim Calbó (Barcelona,

1974) has transferred his expertise to the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), where he takes up the post of Scientific Project Manager. “I am going to manage European projects coordinated

by CRG,” he explains. “At IRB Barcelona I learnt to manage and coordinate research on the metabolism of glycogen, and I was looking forward to making a leap in my career. I am excited to have the opportunity now to help the researchers for an entire scientific institution.” The first large-scale

JULIA GARCÍA LÓPEZ

European project he faces is called Infrastructure for Systems Biology Europe (ISBE).

In vivo, issue 21. 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 Editors: Luca Tancredi Barone and Sarah Sherwood. Contributors: Sònia Armengou, Julia García López. Graphic Production: La Trama. Legal deposit: MU-29-2012.

This document has been printed on recycled paper.

To subscribe or unsubscribe from in vivo, email: info@irbbarcelona.org. © IRB Barcelona 2013.