News

Researchers discover macrophages’ key role in gut regeneration following radiotherapy and inflammatory bowel disease
The results obtained in an IDIBELL study open the door to therapies based on these cells to treat the adverse effects of radiation and improve inflammatory bowel disease.

The first joint Conference on Translational Medicine and Regenerative Medicine is held at the Bellvitge Campus
The aim of the conference was to promote interaction between the two areas in order to generate new synergies and nurture existing ones between the researchers at the Bellvitge Campus.
The event was structured around three roundtables and closed with a joint discussion in which new horizons and challenges of research in translational and regenerative medicine were explored.

The second RegenBell Symposium on stem cells and regenerative medicine takes place
After the good reception of the first edition in 2023, the second edition of the RegenBell Symposium was held this year on November 21 and 22.
The main objective of this conference is to establish a platform for discussion and ideaexchange between professionals in the subject.
Throughout all Thursday and Friday morning, 11 conferences were presented, 9 of them by guest speakers, 8 selected short talks, and 39 posters, all around stem cells and regenerative medicine.

The Marató 3Cat finances a P-CRMRC project in sexual and reproductive health
Jordi Guiu and Gabriel Capellá will carry out their research projects in sexual and reproductive health thanks to the funds raised by La Marató 2023.

Researchers describe a cellular map of the pancreas that will help design better treatments against pancreatic cancer and diabetes
Researchers from IDIBELL and the UB identify 15 new cell populations in the pancreas.
Led by Dr. Meritxell Rovira thanks to the CRIS Program of Excellence 2023, this new study will provide a better understanding of how pancreatic cancer develops.

A study describes how insulinomas, a rare type of pancreatic beta cell tumour, form
The cause is a change in the epigenetic pattern of the beta cells of the pancreas, which overexpress oncogenes and genes related to insulin production, thus altering their functioning. This change in pattern, a common factor in the vast majority of tumours, is due to the accumulation of different mutations in genes involved in the regulation of gene expression.

More than a hundred experts meet in Barcelona to discuss the latest advances in the treatment of onco-haematological diseases
M. Carolina Florian and Alessandra Giorgetti, group leaders of the Regenerative Medicine Program at IDIBELL, are part of the organizing committee.
The congress featured more than ten national and international speakers, and 135 participants.

M. Carolina Florian: pioneering stem-cell researcher featured in Nature
The ICREA Research Professor at P-CRM[C] recently demonstrated how to “hack” the immune system to slow down aging.

Dr. Meritxell Rovira, awarded with the “CRIS de Excelencia” Program to study pancreatic cancer
The scientist from P-CRM[C], IDIBELL and the University of Barcelona will lead a project aimed at identifying new early detection markers and developing personalized medicine strategies for this pathology.
The recognition granted by the CRIS Foundation against cancer aims to promote and consolidate the careers of researchers with an endowment of up to 1,250,000 euros.
In this call, grants totaling 11.4 million euros have been awarded to ensure that advances in research have a broader reach and impact the treatments received by patients.

BST and IDIBELL generate a bank of stem cells that can be used as precursors for cell therapy
Scientists led by Dr Anna Veiga and Dr Sergi Querol have generated seven pluripotent stem cell lines from umbilical cord blood, compatible with 20% of the Spanish population.
These induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are created from adult cells from umbilical cord blood and can be used to produce advanced therapy drugs and test them in clinical trials, for example in retinal regeneration, heart, or immunotherapies.

New step in understanding the influence of genes on cancer risk
Certain variations in our DNA, which had previously gone unnoticed, can have a significant impact on the development of cancer.
62% of the cancer susceptibility genes identified are completely new, which opens up new avenues of study in cancer research.

Researchers identify an immunomodulatory drug as a potential treatment for Parkinson’s disease
Astrocytes in the brains of Parkinson’s patients overexpress the inflammatory cytokine IL-6, which induces the death of dopaminergic neurons.
The results have been obtained thanks to obtaining induced pluripotent stem cells from Parkinson’s patients.

Dr. Ángel Raya’s group receives funding from La Marató 3Cat dedicated to cardiovascular diseases
Stem Cell Potency group, lead by Dr. Ángel Raya at the P-CMR[C] and IDIBELL, together with three other research teams from IDIBELL, have been awarded by La Marató 3Cat Foundation.

1st RegenBell symposium on Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine
We are pleased to announce the First RegenBell symposium on Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, which will take place on November 27-28th at the Institut d’Estudis Catalans, downtown in Barcelona. The primary goal of the symposium is to establish an inclusive and collaborative platform for scientists interested in Regenerative Medicine.

Researchers outline the mechanisms that control the conversion between fetal and adult intestinal stem cells
Deciphering the functioning of some transcription factors in the formation of the intestine has been the objective of the team led by Professor Kim Bak Jensen, from the Novo Nordisk Foundation of Stem Cell Medicine (reNEW), in which Dr. Jordi Guiu has also participated.

A heart stem cell-based model reveals why the same mutation affects two siblings with heart disease differently
Thanks to the model, the IDIBELL team detected that one of the siblings had an additional genetic variant responsible for the greater severity of the pathology. These models offer the possibility of exploring each patient’s pathology and designing an individualized approach.

New study identifies an epigenetic signature associated to the rare genetic disorder GATA2 deficiency
The results show that patients with this disorder have abnormal genetic and epigenetic patterns, which could contribute to the development of diverse clinical manifestations, such as compromise the ability of blood cell production.

M Carolina Florian new ICREA Research Professor
Dra. M Carolina Florian, group leader at IDIBELL, has been appointed as an ICREA Research Professor. ICREA, the Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies, offers permanent, tenured positions to the most talented and extraordinary scientists and academics to come and work in Catalonia. Over the years these positions have become a synonym for global academic excellence.

The first meeting of the Working Groups of the project GENERATION OF HUMAN INDUCED PLURIPOTENT STEM CELLS FROM HAPLO-SELECTED CORD BLOOD SAMPLES (HAPLO-IPS)
The project aims to create a collaborative network for induced pluripotency stem cells (iPS) homozygous for the most frequent HLA haplotypes generation.

A drug that boosts the regeneration of stem cells extends life expectancy in mice
The work focuses on endogenous blood stem cell rejuvenation as a possible strategy to regenerate tissues and improve the health and life expectancy of the elderly.

It starts a project to create a collaborative network for the generation of stem cells compatible with a high percentage of the population
The project aims to create a collaborative network for induced pluripotency stem cells (iPS) homozygous for the most frequent HLA haplotypes generation.

A study describes a new way to generate insulin-producing cells
Researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, in collaboration with Meritxell Rovira from IDIBELL, the P-CMRC, and the UB show that a recently identified molecule stimulates the formation of new insulin-producing cells in zebrafish and in mammalian tissues.

New mural in tribute to Dr. Anna Veiga
The mural is located in the CEIP Pinedo of Valencia and is a piece by the artist Marta Lapeña. This is the mural number 27 of the project with which the UPV and Las Naves are filling the Valencian educational centers with science and art, in feminine.

Begins the exchange program between IDIBELL and SZBL
It begins the selection of candidates to carry out a doctoral program in Regenerative Medicine between the SZBL and the IDIBELL. The program will run mainly at SZBL and will have a minimum six months stay at IDIBELL.

Joint SZBL-IDIBELL PhD Exchange Program (2022 Call)
SZBL and IDIBELL launch their joint PhD Exchange Program call for 2022, with the aim of fostering collaboration in research between both institutions in the field of Regenerative Medicine and providing exceptional training in the field for graduated students by promoting mobility and allowing interaction with outstanding researchers.

The generation of a stem cell-derived neurofibroma model opens the door to new treatments development
Neurofibromas are tumors of the peripheral nervous system, which develop in people with a hereditary disease, and they are the main cause of death among those people.

Nanopolymer treatment prevents the formation of protein aggregates in neurons derived from Parkinson’s patients
One of the hallmarks of Parkinson’s disease is the abnormal accumulation of the α-synuclein protein that causes neuronal death responsible for motor impairments. Dendrimers are highly branched polymers that decrease α-synuclein accumulation in dopaminergic neurons derived from patient stem cells.

Pancreatic beta-cell boost in mice paves way for future diabetes treatments
A research team from IDIBELL, CRG and UB has uncovered the role of a gene that is critical to boosting the number of insulin-producing cells during the early development of the pancreas. The findings could bolster diabetes research efforts and eventually lead to new replacement therapies for the disease.

Identified an early neuronal dysfunction in Parkinson’s that could help early diagnosis
Researchers from IDIBELL and the University of Barcelona (UB) have described that neurons derived from Parkinson’s patients show impairments in their transmission before neurodegeneration.

CRISPR/Cas9 Human Embryo Genome Editing for the Study of Genes Related to Early Embryo Development
Dr. Anna Veiga is leading the project CRISPR/Cas9 human embryo genome editing (GE) for the study of genes related to early embryo development.

P-CMR[C] researchers define a new mechanism of aging in a bone marrow stem cell in women
To equilibrate the gene expression between XX females and XY males, one of female X chromosomes is inactivated. Researchers from IDIBELL Regenerative Program has discovered that this inactivation is affected in bone marrow aged stem cells.

The group led by Dr. Alessandra Giorgetti receives a grant from the GESMD to study myelodysplastic syndrome
The research group led by Dr. Alessandra Giorgetti, leader of the research group “Biology of Hematopoietic Stem Cells and Leukemogenesis” of IDIBELL, and professor at the UB, has received a grant of € 15,000 from the GESMD (Spanish Group of Myelodysplastic Syndromes), a group of which Giorgetti is an active member.

The team led by Dr. M. Carolina Florian receives a European grant of 2 million euros to study bone marrow rejuvenation
With this project, Dr. M Carolina Florian, aims to improve the survival and quality of life of elderly patients undergoing chemotherapy. The project will study the regeneration of bone marrow tissues after cancer therapy and will seek new strategies to enhance it.

The P-CMR[C] organize an open session to present the results of the EoI Call for Collaborative Projects
We are organizing a scientific session with all the awarded projects, where all participant groups will present the research performed and the collaborations born thanks to these projects.

Jordi Guiu, the new group leader of the Regenerative Medicine Program
Jordi Guiu joins to P-CMR[C] as group leader and opens the Cell Plasticity and Regeneration group

Artificial intelligence, a new tool against leukemia
Dr. M. Carolina Florian (Program of Regenerative Medicine, IDIBELL, Spain) and Prof. Medhanie Mulaw (Ulm University, Germany) will receive more than 800.000 euros from the “La Caixa” Foundation to apply deep learning to investigate leukemia in the elderly

P-CMR[C] scientists find a compound that extends life span in mice
Regenerative medicine scientists at IDIBELL in collaboration with partners at Ulm University (Germany) have demonstrated that inhibition of Cdc42 with CASIN can pharmacologically extend lifespan.

The P-CMR[C] launches its website
The Program for advancing the Clinical Translation of Regenerative Medicine of Catalonia (P-CMR[C]), which aims to group research on stem cells in Catalonia, now has its own space in internet.

Anna Veiga will study embryonic development through human embryo genome edition
The team of Dra. Anna Veiga, who leads the study, will optimize the CRISPR/Cas9 technique to modify the human embryo genome

Ángel Raya and Antonella Consiglio awarded with the City of Barcelona Award
Two researchers from IDIBELL and P-CMR[C], have been awarded in this edition of the City of Barcelona Awards, in the Life Sciences category

State of ‘hibernation’ keeps haematopoietic stem cells young
An international team led by researchers from Ulm and Barcelona has now discovered special niches in the bone marrow that protect haematopoietic stem cells from ageing processes

The New Program for Regenerative Medicine in Catalonia Has Officially Launched
The new Clinical Translational Program for Regenerative Medicine in Catalonia (P-CMR [C]), propelled by the Center of Regenerative Medicine in Barcelona (CMR[B])…