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Two IGTP spin-off companies receive the European Commission’s Seal of Excellence

- Innovation, Research

Two spin-off companies of the Germans Trias I Pujol Research Institute (IGTP) Biointaxis and Time is Brain have received the Seal of Excellence from the European Commission. The two companies with IGTP participation have opted for financing from the Horizon 2020 Programme and the award puts them in an advantageous position when requesting funds from other funding bodies.

This European recognition is a distinction of quality awarded to projects presented to the Horizon 2020 Programme, which funds research and innovation in Europe, to help them find alternative financing. This distinguishes projects that are evaluated as meriting funding, but have not received it due to the budget limitations. It recognizes the value of the proposal and helps other organizations take advantage of the evaluation process of Horizon 2020.

Biointaxis (2017) is one of the few Catalan companies dedicated to the development of treatments for rare diseases. It developed from the research led by Dr Antoni Matilla-Dueñas, together with Dr Ivelisse Sánchez from the Neurogenetics Research Group of the IGTP, in order to promote translational research leading to treatments and new genomic technologies for rare genetic neurological diseases. The company's first project is focused on developing gene therapy for Friedreich's ataxia.

Time is Brain  (2020) is carrying out a project by researchers at the IGTP and doctors at the Germans Trias i Pujol Hospital, led by Dr Alicia Martínez-Piñero. They have developed a medical device to improve the prognostic for acute ischaemic stroke. The objective is to optimize the current clinical algorithm for this type of stroke to permit the medical staff to take the right therapeutic decisions for each patient, both before and after hospital admission. The company works to develop the medical device so it can advance towards transference to clinical practice.

Obtaining the Seal of Excellence of the European Commission recognizes quality, strength and viability of a company's projects and opens the doors to new funding opportunities.