At the IGTP TODAY
The Regulatory Genomics Group at the IGTP and the IJC has developed a new method to make checking whether samples that have had RNA sequenced are from related individuals. They have shown that it can be used on large data sets of RNA sequencing information to check if samples are from related individuals or not, or to reconstruct family trees.
The Centre for Comparative Medicine and Bioimage (CMCiB) now forms part of the Working Group on European 3Rs Centres. This literally puts it on the map, for European 3Rs Research and it has been included in the Norwegian NORECOPA website, which is currently the largest resource on European 3rs Research available. The Working Group is preparing the setting up of a European 3Rs Center Network to promote and facilitate ethical research.
Two students have been awarded INPhINIT grants by “la Caixa” Foundation to complete their PhDs on the Can Ruti Campus. Emma Koehorst, has been working on Myotonic Dystrophy in the Neuromuscular and Neuropaediatric research group led by Gisela Nogales at the IGTP since last September. Ifeanyi Ezeonwumelu has started working at the IrsiCaixa on novel therapeutic strategies for HIV with Dr Ester Ballana Guix in the HIV Pathogenesis Group, led by Dr José A Esté.
This July the Government of Catalonia officially approved the Plan for Prevention and Control of Hepatitis in Catalonia, which aims to facilitate the adoption and implementation of measures to reduce the number of cases and the morbidity and mortality associated with this infection. This is in line with the goal of the WHO, which aims to eliminate hepatitis C by 2030. The plan is the result of healthcare and public health professionals, experts, representatives of scientific societies and organizations and patients and families associations all working together.
The paper "Human pancreatic islet 3D chromatin architecture provides insights into the genetics of type 2 diabetes" published in Nature Genetics on Friday is the result of work carried out by an International team that includes Dr Lorenzo Pasquali and Mireia Ramos-Rodríguez of the Endocrine Regulatory Genomics Research Group at the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute and the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute. Pasquali's group has provided their tool, the Islet Regulome Browser, which allows non-bioinformaticians to visualize and use all the data collected in this study. The work brings personalized medicine for type 2 diabetes a little closer.
The Ministry of Health presented the grants for the 2018 and 2019 calls of the Strategic Plan for Innovation in Health (PERIS) on Tuesday. In this year's round the Germans Trias neurologist Natalia Pérez de la Ossa received a grant for the project for pre-hospitalization healthcare for patients with acute stroke. The doctor Daniel Fuster was also awarded a grant for the second edition, which he received at the same ceremony.
Principal investigators from the nine areas of research on the Can Ruti Campus met together to discuss topics of concern in the current research environment. During the day, researchers enjoyed inputs from the IGTP research community and external speakers and were able to take advantage of the many moments available for networking and sharing.
This is the third round of evaluations the IGTP-HGTP Biobank has undertaken to ensure and certify the quality of its services. The Biorepository Proficiency Testing Program is a voluntary external evaluation programme, with members from several countries. Once again, the IGTP-HTP Biobank has been awarded the certificate, opting to apply every two years.
Cardiogenic shock is a possible complication of serious heart attack involving an associated mortality rate of approximately 50% of all cases. The combination of this new tool with existing methods renders precise and patient-specific decision-making possible. The research is being led by Dr. Antoni Bayés at Germans Trias and the Proteomics Unit of the CRG and UPF, under Dr. Eduard Sabidó
Manremyc, a spin-off of the IGTP specialised in the development of a probiotic against tuberculosis, has opened a funding round through Capital Cell, the first on-line investment platform in Europe specialized in biomedicine. The objective of the campaign is to reach 250,000 euros, with a minimum investment requirement per person of only 600 euros. Up to now, the company has secured 35% of the investment, which includes participation from the Reig family, main shareholders in the pharmaceutical company Reig Jofre.
