26/05/2016 - Press release
When bringing to market any new drug efficiency and safety are essential. R+D Departments in pharmaceutical companies spend lots of efforts to make sure the new compounds meet the highest standards. In the process, large amounts of useful information are produced, that traditionally end up buried in the archives of pharmaceutical companies. Committed to avoiding duplicating processes, wasting time and resources, 13 pharmaceutical industries, 7 academic institutions and 5 SMEs launched the eTOX project. The result of the project will be a comprehensive database with toxicity studies for thousands of drugs (or drug candidates) and a collection of original software applications for toxicity prediction.
1/03/2016 - Press release
A study published in the prestigious journal Scientific Reports from the Nature group demonstrates, for the first time and using computational tools, that polyunsaturated lipids can alter the binding rate of two types of receivers involved in certain nervous system diseases. The work was led by members of the Research Programme on Biomedical Informatics at the IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute) and Pompeu Fabra University as well as researchers from the University of Tampere (Finland), and also involved scientists from the University of Barcelona. Using latest-generation molecular simulations, which are like “computational microscopes”, the researchers have demonstrated that a decrease in polyunsaturated lipids in neuronal membranes, as seen in Parkinson's and Alzheimer's sufferers, directly affects the binding rate of dopamine and adenosine receptors.
Més informació "Regulating neuronal membrane lipids could be the key to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's"
11/01/2016 - Press release
Research just published in the journal Plos Genetics has found that gaining new genes during evolution is a much more frequent event than previously thought. It has been seen that there are hundreds of genes that might be unique to humans, and something similar occurs in chimpanzees. Some of these genes will be useful for the organism in question and the rest will disappear in time. The work was led by Mar Albà, an ICREA researcher at the Mar Institute of Medical Research (IMIM) and Jorge Ruiz-Orera, from the same group, together with researchers from Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) and the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG). For some time it was thought that all new genes originated from other genes, for example, from duplications of already existing genes. But recently it has been seen that some, the so-called de novo genes, originate in genomic regions that previously contained none. According to Mar Albà “This work shows that the formation of DNA motifs, through the accumulation of random mutations, would have been a determining factor in the emergence of new genes.” DNA motifs are elements that activate gene expression.
03/11/2015 - Press release
A new integrated computational method helps predicting adverse drug reaction—which are often lethal—more reliably than with traditional computing methods. This improved ability to foresee the possible adverse effects of drugs may entail saving many lives in the future. The study that is being conducted by researchers from IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), Pompeu Fabra University, and the company Chemotargets, within the framework of the European eTOX project, was chosen for the cover of the journalChemical Research in Toxicology. Most computer tools employed today to detect possible adverse effects of compounds that are candidates for new medicines are based on detecting labile fragments in the drug's structure. These fragments can potentially transform to form reactive metabolites, which can have toxic properties. This is what is known as idiosyncratic toxicity and is a big headache for the pharmaceutical industry, as it tends to be detected in late development stages of the drug and even when it is already on the market, often causing the drug to be withdrawn.
18/09/2015 - General information
Some time ago it was believed that new genes originated, at least partially, from other genes; for instance, from the duplication of existing genes. But recently it has been seen that there are certain genes, those called de novo genes, that originate in genomic regions that didn’t contain any genes previously. A study published in arXiv.org, led by Mar Albà, the coordinator of the Group on Evolutionary Genomics from the Research Programme on Biomedical Informatics (GRIB) from IMIM and the UPF and an ICREA Professor, and with the collaboration of scientists from different centres at the PRBB (Barcelona Biomedical Research Park), has revealed there are hundreds of de novo genes originated in humans, many of which where unknown until now. Some of these genes are coded through small proteins that are expressed in the brain or in germinal cells.
04/12/2012 - Press release
Bioinformaticians at IMIM and UPF have used molecular simulation techniques to explain a specific step in the maturation of the HIV virions, essential in understanding how the virus replicates. These results, which have been published in the latest edition of PNAS, could be crucial to the design of future antiretrovirals.The work has been carried out using GPUGRID.net, a voluntary distributed computing platform leveraging GPU accelerators to deliver “virtual supercomputing” performance.
Més informació "Crucial step in AIDS virus maturation simulated for first time"
12/09/2012 - General information
The project- based on a collaboration agreement between the Barcelona Science Park (PCB) and the companies SOM Biotech and Metasbio– will enable the discovery of new therapeutic applications of previously existing drugs (repurposing), especially in areas of great medical need and market potential, such as the central nervous system, oncology and orphan diseases.
21/06/2012 - General information
"Connect, partner and innovate". This is the slogan for the twentieth edition of the BIO International Convention, held 18 to 21 June 2012 in the city of Boston (Massachusetts, United States). BIO is the most important international business meeting in the biotechnology arena. This year, it will bring together more than 15,000 delegates from 65 countries, more than 900 exhibitors and 1,800 companies. In addition to the exhibition area, it also features a Business Forum for partnering meetings, which in 2011 generated more than 21,000 one-to-one meetings.
Més informació "GRIB participated at BIO Boston 2012, the top biotechnology convention in the world"
21/05/2012 - General information
After one week of intensive training, the closing event of the INBIOMEDvision Training Challenge successfully took place in Barcelona. This training gathered together two teams of 5 PhD students with different nationalities and scientific backgrounds (chemists, medical doctors, informatics, mathematics, biologists etc.) to work on two case studies related with health sciences during one week at the Monastery of Les Avellanes (Lleida, Spain).
27/04/2012 - Press release
Yesterday, Thursday 26 April, saw the conclusion in Barcelona of the first edition of GRIB EXPO, a symposium organised by the Research Programme on Biomedical Informatics (GRIB), a joint research group of the IMIM (Hospital del Mar Research Institute) and Pompeu Fabra University (UPF). The aim of the EXPO was to bring Biomedical Informatics closer to the clinical sector and to industrial innovation, with a view to promoting the open exchange of ideas and cooperation.
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