Five new projects have been awarded in the seventh edition of the BIST Ignite programme: OSTEOPRINT, FertEye, BreathCO2, MaptoFinAD, and SWITCH. The BIST Ignite Programme, supported by the Barcelona City Council, has invested in creating new multidisciplinary research projects in the BIST Community since 2016.
Leaders of the selected 2024 BIST Ignite projects at the BIST Forum, with representatives of the Barcelona City Council and BIST.
Five new research projects have been funded through the BIST Ignite programme, this year in its seventh edition. The selected projects, which were announced at the BIST Forum last month, have the potential to set a new standard for cancer research, stop the early stages of Alzheimer’s Disease, impact carbon mitigation strategies, make fertility assessments for women more precise, and improve treatments for conditions like epilepsy, anxiety, and chronic pain.
This year’s recipients are: BREATH-CO2, led by Alba Garzón Manjón (ICN2), Felipe Andrés Garcés Pineda (ICIQ), and Viktoria Golovanova (ICFO); FertEye, led by Aida Rodríguez Nuevo (CRG) and David Gomez-Cabeza (IBEC); OSTEOPRINT, led by Aránzazu Villasante (IBEC) and Ángel R. Nebreda (IRB Barcelona); MAPtoFinAD, led by Amayra Hernández-Vega (IBEC) and Thomas Surrey (CRG); and SWITCH, led by Anna Sadurní Parera (ICIQ) and Pau Gorostiza Langa (IBEC).
The projects will receive funding to ignite their new collaborations and are eligible to receive a BIST Ignite Award at the end of this “seed phase”, for additional funding to further advance their projects. Since it first launched in 2016, the BIST Ignite Programme has invested more than one million euros in ground-breaking multidisciplinary research through collaboration among groups from the seven BIST Community centres. In the last two editions, the BIST Ignite Programme has been co-funded by the Barcelona City Council.
OSTEOPRINT: Bioprinted models to study cancer drug responses
The OSTEOPRINT project aims to develop 3D bioprinted models that better mimic the complex tumor microenvironment of metastatic osteosarcoma in the lung. By integrating cutting-edge bioprinting technologies with a novel bioink formulation—which combines methacrylate-modified gelatin (GelMA), hyaluronic acid (HAMA), and decellularized lung matrix—the project seeks to develop a more accurate and physiologically relevant model to study cancer cell behavior and drug responses.
As a collaboration between IBEC and IRB Barcelona, OSTEOPRINT brings together expertise in tissue engineering and cancer biology. By reducing reliance on animal models, accelerating development of personalized therapies, and establishing high-throughput drug-screening platforms, the OSTEOPRINT team aims to set a new standard in cancer research, advancing the field of oncology with the potential of improving patient outcomes.
FertEye: Advancing fertility assessment through cutting-edge metabolic imaging
As the age of first-time mothers rises and the demand for assisted reproduction grows, the need for greater knowledge and more therapeutic options continues to increase. The FertEye team aims to address this need by developing a novel method to assess ovarian reserve, a key measure of fertility that reflects reproduction potential based on the quantity and quality of remaining eggs.
This method, which utilizes hyperpolarized nuclear magnetic resonance (HP-MR), offers a potentially more precise alternative for evaluating ovarian reserve. The study, a collaboration between CRG and IBEC, will benefit from expertise in the fields of biomedical engineering and reproductive biology, and has the potential to make fertility assessments for women more precise.
BREATH-CO2: Enhancing efficiency in electrolyers for carbon mitigation
Motivated by the urgent need for carbon mitigation strategies to combat climate change, the BREATH-CO2 project, a collaboration between ICIQ, ICN2, and ICFO, aims to enhance energy efficiency and production rates in electrolysers, which use electricity to split water (H₂O) into hydrogen (H₂) and oxygen (O₂).
The project will integrate spin-dependent catalysts into commercial electrolysers to enhance energy efficiency and production rates. Bringing together expertise in catalyst synthesis, characterization techniques, and electrochemical analysis, BREATH-CO2 aims to advance sustainable and efficient strategies to mitigate carbon.
MAPtoFinAD: From a Microtubule-Associated Protein to solid Fibers in Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s Disease can begin up to twenty years before symptoms appear, and significant efforts are underway to detect patients earlier, while the damage is still reversible. However, successful early intervention requires a better understanding of the cell biology at these early stages.
MAPtoFinAD will contribute to generating this deeper understanding through studying Tau, one of two proteins found to aggregate in Alzheimer’s Disease. The team aims to develop the first in vitro reconstituted model that mimics Tau’s behaviour in neurons.
The project will benefit from expertise in in vitro reconstitution of microtubule biology and motor-based transport (CRG) and the cell biology and physics of Tau aggregation (IBEC), ultimately aiming to stop the early stages of this devastating disease.
SWITCH: Photoswitchable neuroinhibitors based on natural steroids
GABAARs (Gamma aminobutyric acid type A receptors) play a key role in calming down the mammal central nervous system, and are commonly targeted with potentiator drugs for various therapeutic purposes. However, because GABAARs are widespread, targeting them with these drugs causes side effects, even with highly selective drugs. Because of this, they are not frequently used despite their efficacy. One solution to this problem is to use drugs with light-dependent activity (photopharmacology) in combination with on-demand, localized illumination. However, a suitable visible light-activated potentiator of GABAARs has been elusive so far for use in wildtype mammals.
SWITCH aims to meet this need by developing photoswitchable diffusible GABAergic potentiators. Leveraging the expertise in both synthesis and chemical biology, the SWITCH team will design and synthesize several analogs, characterize their photochemical properties, and test them in vitro and in small animal models. The research has the potential to open the way to treating muscle spasms, pain, anxiety, sleep disorders, and epilepsy without displaying systemic adverse effects.
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