Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB)

The Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB) is a public institution engaged in basic and applied research at the unique interface between molecular and cell biology, computational and structural biology and chemistry, with experts in proteomics, genomics, biostatistics and advanced digital microscopy.

Research at IRB Barcelona is carried out by 23 groups, organized in 5 programs, which work together with the common goal of conducting multidisciplinary projects that address important biomedical problems that affect our society. Approximately 450 scientists and technical and administrative staff from 35 countries currently work at IRB Barcelona. The institute was created by the Government of Catalonia and the University of Barcelona (UB) in October 2005 and is located at the Barcelona Science Park.

www.irbbarcelona.org

Excellence and recognition awards

In 2017: joined the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST).
In 2015: awarded with the “Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence” seal by the Ministry of Research, Development and Innovation of Spain
In 2014: awarded with the “Human Resources Excellence in Research” seal by the European Commission.
In 2012: awarded with the “Narcís Monturiol” award by the Government of Catalonia.
Awarded 10 European Research Council (ERC) grants.

Director of the center

Francesc Posas

Degree in Biological Sciences by the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB).
PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology by the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB).
Group Leader for 19 years at the Health and Experimental Sciences (CEXS) Department, Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) - Barcelona, Spain
European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) member
Award of the Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA) Academia Researcher for University Professors and of the "Carmen and Severo Ochoa" award for Research in Molecular Biology.

Renowned researcher

Marco Milán

Degree in Biology by the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM).
PhD by the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM).
Staff scientist at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) - Heidelberg, Germany
Professor at the Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA).
Leader of the Development and Growth Control Laboratory at IRB Barcelona.
Coordinator of the Cell and Developmental Biology Programme at IRB Barcelona.

The project

Unravelling tumorigenesis and its pathways with Drosophila as a model organism

Did you know that researchers have been working with fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) for more than a hundred years as a means to model and study human diseases? Probably the similarities between humans and fruit flies is something that was not going through your head when you thought about cancer research. But fear not! If you would like to find out how this is achieved and discover why and how we use this little animal for biomedical research, join us! In this project, we will show you how we use Drosophila as a model to study the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying tumor development in epithelial tissues. Are you in?

More about the project