IRB Barcelona renews and reinforces partnership with Barcelona Supercomputing Center

No single research institute can effectively tackle the complexities

of molecular life sciences on its own. In order to carry out research

that will ultimately lead to benefits for human health, a multidisci-

plinary approach that draws on the knowledge and abilities of experts

working in different fields, and with access to different powerful

facilities and infrastructures, is essential.

IRB Barcelona and the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC)

have agreed to extend and expand their institutional partnership

agreement. The collaboration, established in 2008, has provided a

successful platform for interaction in which the two institutes share

resources and services in order to tackle some of today’s most compli-

cated questions in biocomputational research.

Groups participating in the Joint Research Programme include

Modesto Orozco, Patrick Aloy, and now Xavier Salvatella from IRB

Barcelona, and Victor Guallar and now Juan Fernández Recio and

David Torrents from the BSC.

NEWSLETTER OF THE INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH IN BIOMEDICINE

in vivoApril 2011 | Issue 14

02News from the Core Facilities

In focus

032nd PhD Student Symposium 05

A new Joint Health and Safety Service 07

At the “Recerca en Directe” science fair

The addition of three labs to the collaboration doubles the number of groups sharing resources to apply data-crunching power to solve questions about human health

New research in Eduard Batlle’s lab has

shed important light on the implication

of stem cells in cancer. The team has

discovered not only that the hierarchy

of colorectal cancer cells is similar to

that of healthy intestinal cells, but that

those cancer cells that resemble intestinal

stem cells may even cause relapse of the

disease. Story on page 2.

After completing her PhD in 2004,

Cristina Horcajada left academia for

the world of industry. She recently

took over the reigns of IRB Barce-

lona’s Innovation Department from

Jorge Domínguez. Find out why she

thinks tech transfer is crucial to IRB’s

future, and what’s in store for innova-

tion at the Institute on page 4.

Faces to names

in vivo April 2011 | Issue 1402

Intestinal cells are organized in a

hierarchical fashion, that is to say, one

cell type generates all other types after

successive stages of maturation and

differentiation. The work performed by

Anna Merlos-Suarez, together with other

members of IRB Barcelona’s Colorectal

Cancer Lab, headed by Eduard Batlle,

demonstrates that the cells that make

up the colon tumor have a very similar

hierarchical organization to those of the

healthy intestine.

They have also observed that within

the tumor, the cells responsible for re-

lapse are those that resemble intestinal

stem cells, the so-called tumor stem cells.

Thus, when cancer cells express a set of

In their latest experiments, Eduard Batlle’s team have made two significant

discoveries. The first is that in colon cancer – the second cause of death by

cancer – there is a similar cell hierarchy to that of healthy intestinal cells. The

second is that those cancer cells that resemble intestinal stem cells are the

ones responsible for relapse, which occurs in 40% of cancer patients. These find-

ings appeared online in Cell Stem Cell in March.

IN FOCUS

The excellence of a research institute can be gauged in part by the

quality of its scientific facilities. These structures provide critical

support for researchers and make a significant contribution to

outstanding science. Recent developments in IRB Barcelona’s core facili-

ties demonstrate they are keeping on top of their game by providing the

latest cutting-edge services and technologies to the scientific community.

On March 2 the Advanced Digital Microscopy Core Facility hosted

the first meeting of the Spanish Optical

Microscopy Network, followed by a special

2-day training course, the first of its kind in

Spain. The course covered the ins and outs

of application development with ‘Image J’, a

free software package for image processing

developed by scientists and programmers.

“The course aimed to teach microscopy

specialists and scientists how to develop

custom applications in line with their own image processing needs, using

practical examples,” says facility manager Julien Colombelli. His staff

were joined by image processing experts Timo Zimmerman (CRG) and

Kota Miura (EMBL). They are planning similar courses for the IRB

Barcelona community before the end of the year.

Arrays are basic tools for many fields of current science, but they are

expensive and cost is often a limiting factor when considering their use.

The Functional Genomics Core Facility now

has access to Affymetrix's ‘Gene Atlas’. “This

system offers three advantages over other

techniques,” says facility manager Herbert

Auer. “It’s cheaper, provides more updated

data allowing for a more complete analysis,

and is more sensitive, giving us about 25%

more information from the same analy-

sis.”.

Scientific core facilities keep on top of their game

in vivo02

genes specific of normal stem cells, the likeli-

hood of a relapse increases widely.

“These findings have diagnostic potential

because they can be used to identify patients

who are more susceptible to relapse,”

explains Batlle, “but also, in the long-term,

these results may be of therapeutic value

because they indicate that treatment should

be aimed at the tumor stem cells”.

The next step for the researchers is to

turn their attention to the nature of the genes

that promote relapse. This hierarchical struc-

ture containing stem cells and other kinds

of cells is not exclusive to colon cancer, it is

found in leukemia, glioma and breast cancer.

Advances made in this field could therefore

be applicable to other kinds of cancer..

A step forward in understandingthe role of stem cells in cancer

Julien Colombelli explains ‘Image J’ processing software during a course on March 3-4, 2011.

IMAG

E: A. MERLO

S

PHO

TO: N

. BARBERÍA

03in vivo April 2011 | Issue 14

Any leading researcher will tell you

that being successful in science is not

just a matter of getting results at the

bench – you also need to know how to do a

lot of other things: how to write good papers,

submit successful grant proposals, and not only

attend important scientific conferences, but

sooner or later, you’ll have to organize them,

too. PhD students at IRB Barcelona are well

aware of complementary skills they need for

their future, and are taking control. That’s why,

when not busy in the lab, they are hard at work

organizing the 2nd IRB Barcelona Internation-

al PhD Symposium, an event they run from

start to finish.

For this year’s event the students chose the

title ‘Life in Motion: Dynamics of Molecules

and Systems’ which aims to build on the topic

of the first PhD student symposium, held in

2009, called ‘Architecture of Life’. ‘Life in Mo-

tion’ is an open-ended theme that the students

hope will provide the basis for a wide-ranging

discussion on the importance of the dynamics

and motion of molecules at all levels in living

organisms.

Predocs bring life to the 2nd PhD student symposium

And the results are in...

Twenty-one hopeful future scientists ar-

rived at IRB Barcelona on the morning

of April 4 to take part in the selection

process for the 2011 edition of the “La Caixa”/

IRB Barcelona International PhD Programme.

The group, narrowed down from a pool of 283

students from across the world, spent two days

at the Institute participating in a slew of activi-

ties aimed at giving them a good look at some

of the science that goes on, as well as a taste of

what life is like for a student at IRB Barcelona.

After a brief introduction to the institute,

a quick look at some ongoing research projects

and tours of the facilities, candidates presented

their research, discussed their interests and ex-

perience with group leaders of the programmes

they hope to join, and then sat for individual

interviews. This process, though demanding,

is a crucial step for both students and IRB

scientists to determine whether they make a

good match.

It wasn’t all sweaty palms and hard work,

however. The organizers made sure there

was plenty of time for fun and relaxation. A

special cool-off session as well as meals in local

restaurants provided welcome opportunities for

current students to share experiences and advice

with the candidates in more informal settings.

Group leaders will soon make their deci-

sions and extend offers to ten successful candi-

dates, who will take up positions in their new

labs by September..

Picking the pick of the crop

Congratulations to the newly-elected (and returning) members of the PhD Student Council. Over the next year they will be working hard to organize student-run ac-tivities and liaise with IRB administration.

Know someone thinking of doing a PhD in the biomedical sciences? Tell them about the next IRB Barcelona Prospective PhD Student Recruitment Day, on Tuesday, May 3, 2011

What kind of things do you need to keep

in mind when organizing a great event? “One

of the single most important factors is to invite

the best speakers you can possibly get,” says

PhD student Irena Sevanovic who is head-

ing up the speaker selection sub-group in the

organizing committee. “We’re really happy

speakers will provide a range of perspectives

spanning disciplines and research fields and

we’re sure they will provide a lot of inspiration

and food for thought. In addition to sharing

their knowledge about their research, they will

also be able to share their insights and advice

of particular interest to students like us at this

stage of our careers on topics such as mobility,

training, and what life is like after a PhD.”

'Life in motion' will take place at the In-

stitut d’Estudis Catalans on November 17-18,

2011. PhD students and postdocs from around

the world are encouraged to attend. Participa-

tion is limited to 150, and there is a registration

fee of 50 euros. More information and online

registration (the deadline is October 3, 2011)

is available at the conference website: www.

irbphdsymposium.org.

The 2nd IRB Barcelona PhD Student

Symposium Committee members are Manuel

Alonso, Lara Barrio, Kader Cavusoglu, Eva

De Mol, Andrey Dyachenko, Sabine Klischies,

Jordi Lanuza, Laura Mendieta, Milica Pavlovic,

Selma Periera, Radek Pluta and Irena Seva-

novic..

with the lineup we’ve managed to put together,

which includes inspiring figures like Aaron

Ciechanover, the 2004 Nobel Laureate in

Chemistry, NMR specialist and MPI Director

Christian Grieseinger, and computational ge-

nomics expert at Cambridge University, Sarah

Teichmann. The combined expertise of our

in vivo April 2011 | Issue 1404

After completing her PhD at the Uni-

versity of Barcelona in 2004, Cristina

Horcajada (Barcelona, 1976) left

academia for the world of industry. Curious

about how to turn discoveries made into the lab

into applications that can help society, she took

a job in the biotech Emergent Biosolutions in

London. In 2009, she

returned to Barcelona

to help set up innova-

tion activities at IRB

alongside Jorge Domín-

guez. With Jorge’s

recent move to the

Research and Academic

Administration Department, Cristina has taken

over the reigns of the Innovation Department.

She speaks with us about the future of tech

transfer activities.

- Why do tech transfer? What’s the point?There is a big pool of scientific results coming

out of institutes like IRB Barcelona, some of

them with lots of potential to benefit society.

The role of tech transfer is to evaluate and

protect those discoveries and get them from the

bench to the bedside as quickly as possible. It’s

our opportunity and our obligation.

- How do you measure the success of a tech transfer strategy?It used to be number of patents that an insti-

tute filed, and then those which you managed

to license. Now, other factors are taken into

account, such as the number of jobs – direct

and indirect – that you put on the market

through your innovation activities. More and

more, innovation is being valued as a motor for

the economy.

- Where does IRB Barcelona stand?Our portfolio ranges from licenses for diagnos-

tic and therapeutic tools to software pro-

grammes to a spin-off company – with a couple

more in the works. It’s important to understand

Cristina Horcajada,Head of Innovation at IRB Barcelona.

FACES TO NAMES

❝The role of tech transfer is to evaluate and protect discoveries and get them from the bench to the bedside as quickly as possible. It’s our opportunity and our obligation.❞

❝Academia and industry function in different environments. The most fascinating part of my job is to help find ways to build bridges and strengthen ties between the two.❞

that putting a new product on the market is a

serious long-term process with lots of obstacles,

but with results that can be extremely rewarding

if everything goes okay. There are lots of hurdles

to overcome – from finding viable targets and

developing effective molecules, to succesfully

navigating the clinical trial and regulatory

process. It is a bit

like a relay race

and we have just

taken off from the

starting line. The

exciting thing is

that we are part

of it.

- One key piece of advice for researchers when it comes to tech transfer?If you have an idea that you think could be

turned into something, get in touch right away.

Don’t wait. We’ll sit down and go through

your project and we can help bring a different

perspective and see the potential for licensing or

commercialization. Researchers need to keep in

mind that the first step is to protect their idea.

Patenting will not interfere with publication in a

scientific journal – it’s a parallel process – but it

doesn’t work the other way around.

- Is tech transfer just for group leaders?Far from it. Younger researchers, especially PhD

students, should take every opportunity they

can to learn about the innovation process: what

a patent is, the different strategies for bringing

technologies to the market. Though they may be

focused on doing great research, they should be

aware of opportunities and know how the sys-

tem works. We plan to start innovation initiation

courses soon to help with this.

– Any regrets about leaving the bench?Not at all. I use my science every day – and I still

apply the scientific method – just in a different

way. Academia and industry function in differ-

ent environments. The most fascinating part of

my job is to help find ways to build bridges and

strengthen ties between the two..

One of IRB Barcelona’s goals is to pro-

mote the conversion of its research into

products and tools that will ultimately benefit

society. Modesto Orozco’s lab has taken this

mission to heart and recently established two

new collaborations with industry.

Three big pharma companies (Almirall,

Esteve, Palau Pharma) and the biotech

company Proteomika, have joined forces to

form the ‘Neogenius’ project, an association

that has received funding from the Spanish

government’s CENIT program, which aims to

promote public-private cooperation. Neo-

genius has selected Modesto Orozco’s lab at

IRB Barcelona to take part in this ambitious

drug discovery project. Modesto’s group will

contribute by applying their biocomputational

simulations methods.

Modesto’s group has also established a

strategic collaboration under the Ministry

of Science and Innovation’s INNPACTO

program. The partners from industry and basic

research (AntibodyBcn, Immunostep, Infinitec

Activos, CSIC and IRB Barcelona) will work

together on a project, called “EpiTag”, whose

goal is to obtain peptide tags. .

Two new collaborations bring research back to society

PHO

TO: N

. BARBERÍA

SARAH SHERWOOD

05in vivo April 2011 | Issue 14

When 10 cells are more than enough

What if, instead of using thousands or millions of cells, you could just use 10 for measuring gene expression? Herbert Auer's Functional Genomics Core Facility has recently presented a new expression profiling method, Pico Profiling, which is suitable for the expression analysis of very small populations of cells, as small as 10. Published in the December issue of PLOS Biology, this new technique provides a novel workflow for expression profiling when cell numbers are limited..➲ A close up view of an amino

acid transporterSome inherited metabolic disorders, such as

aminoacidurias, and many human tumors, involve the defective transport of amino acids. The latest issue of PNAS describes the crystal structure of one of these amino acid transporters for the first time at 3 Å resolution. Led by Manuel Palacín at IRB Barcelona, the team of researchers responsible for this finding has completed the picture of the conformational states of secondary transporters, demonstrating that they share the same functioning principles..

Learning how take care of DNAAs an expert in the field of DNA damage and repair, Group Leader Travis Stracker

was invited to write a review on everything there is to know about a molecule that plays a critical role in this process, the MRE11 complex. Cells must avoid damage to their DNA in order avoid becoming cancerous and activate a DNA Damage Response (DDR) to clean up any mistakes. The protein complex MRE11 is key part of the intricate DDR system and helps to recognize double-strand breaks in DNA. The article appeared in Nature reviews in February..

A Faculty 1000’s 'Must Read'The latest work published by Cayetano González’s lab has been selected by the Faculty

of 1000 (a society of post-publication peer review) as a 'Must Read' reference article. The paper, whose first author was postdoc Jens Januschke, looked at the distribution of centrosomes during stem cell division in Drosophila neuroblasts and identified a new marker on daughter centrosomes in this model organism. The paper was published online on March 15 in Nature Communicactions..

➲

➲

➲

SCIENCE BITESIn good hands with the Joint Health and Safety Service

Have you ever considered

how important backstage

people are when putting

on a theater play? They are always

there making sure everything runs

smoothly. IRB Barcelona is sup-

ported by similar groups of people

and these have recently grown with

the addition of the Joint Health and

Safety Service.

Research institutions are

required by law to have a health

and safety service. IRB Barcelona

is no exception to this and from its

early days has relied on the knowl-

edge and experience of the PCB’s

Sandra Barreda, an expert special-

ized in workplace safety in research

organizations. As IRB Barcelona has

expanded over the years, however,

its needs for workplace safety have

grown – something shared by other

institutes in the PCB as well as the

PCB itself. Recently, IRB Barcelona,

the Institute for Bioengineering of

Catalonia (IBEC) and the PCB de-

cided to combine forces and create a

joint health and safety service. Work-

ing together they will be able to share

resources and materials, thereby

reducing costs, and provide extended

and better coverage.

Sandra Barreda will continue

at the helm of this new service,

and has been joined by prevention

technicians, Anna Vilches and Jordi

Martínez. Together, they will be re-

sponsible for “ensuring occupational

safety, industrial hygiene, ergonomics

and performing applied psychosoci-

ology,” says Sandra. “Those are big

words that simply mean that we are

here to make sure that the workplace

meets safety and hygiene standards

and to ensure that everyone works

comfortably and with the least

amount of stress possible.”

Sandra explains, “This restruc-

tured service will be able to provide

wider coverage. One of the biggest

advantages of being a joint initiative

is that the procedures we draw up

can be used in all three organiza-

tions.” Anna Vilches, safety techni-

cian, adds, “We deal with all kinds

of things because of the nature of

our environment, from the design of

internal procedures, the formulation

of emergency evacuation plans and

planning health check-ups to light

and air quality, burns, and on rare

occasions even explosions!”

The group is currently focusing

on fine-tuning their training pro-

gramme, which includes courses on

risk prevention to integrate security

at all levels in the insitution. The next

installment of the course will be held

in April.

The hard work of this service

is paying off: a look at the records

shows that the number of accidents

is falling, which goes to show that we

are in good hands!.

The PCB, IRB Barcelona and IBEC formed a Joint Health and Safety Service team in March. (l to r) Jordi Martínez, Sandra Barreda and Anna Vilches

in vivo April 2011 | Issue 1406

How many times have you asked

yourself what you ought to do

to combat the effects of ageing?

Scientists believe that in a few years’ time

we may be able to turn back the clock on

some of problems often associated with age-

ing, such as neurodegenerative diseases like

Alzheimer’s, deteriorating memory function

and even changes in our physical appear-

ance. On March 21-23, Barcelona hosted

the Biomed Conference “Mitochondrial

Autophagy”, organized in collaboration

with the BBVA Foundation, which brought

together researchers from across the world

to discuss the latest breakthroughs in au-

tophagy, a process that could be likened to cell

cleansing and recycling, and its relations with

diseases that are especially associated with the

passage of time.

People in developed countries have almost

tripled their life expectancy in the last 100

years. Although this increase is one of the

most significant changes in our evolution,

it has brought with it consequences associ-

ated directly with ageing. Scientists such as

Ana-María Cuervo, who presented her latest

research on autophagy at the conference, work

on identifying the keys behind efficient cell

function. “In our lab we are studying a group

of 2500 people over the age of 100 to figure

Ana-María Cuervo presented her latest work at the Barcelona BioMed Conference on Mitochondrial Autophagy, March 21-23, organized in collaboration with the BBVA Foundation.

PHO

TO: I CASTEAN

EDO

The elixir of youth

out what makes them different from the rest of

us mortals.”

One of the problems with ageing is that

cell cleaning mechanisms start to behave er-

ratically and cell function is impaired as an

organism gets older. This defect eventually

kills them. We now know that an increase

in the cleansing function extends the life of

worms, and in mice can make aged livers work

as if they were young again. We are on the

edge of a new era in which science has the key

to allowing us not only to live longer but also

better..

IN BRIEF

Director Joan Guinovart joined the

Catalan Royal Academy of Phar-

macy on November 3 and was elected new

member of the Institute for Catalan Studies

on December 13. Also in recognition of his

scientific career, adjunct director Joan Mas-

sagué received the Gold Medal Award of the

Queen Sofia Spanish Institute on November

19. Both directors were also appointed mem-

bers of the Council of Notables of University

of Barcelona Alumni on November 3 and

were named among the 500 most influential

Spaniards by El Mundo newspaper..

Shower of awards

Chemistry group leaders at IRB

Barcelona Ernest Giralt and Xavier

Salvatella saw their efforts pay off on

November 12, when the manuscript on

protein interactions they had been editing

for months was published by Wiley. The

book, entitled Protein Surface Recognition:

Approaches for Drug Discovery, provides

new perspectives on the design of molecu-

lar therapeutics, as well as theoretical and

practical information for researchers inter-

ested in exploiting this emerging paradigm

in drug discovery..

Chemistry editors

The first session of the IRB Barcelona

Biophysics Journal club was called to

order on March 23. This new initiative, spear-

headed by Group Leader Xavier Salvatella,

aims to provide an opportunity for in-house

scientists at all levels to discuss interesting

papers published in the field of biophysics in

an informal and constructive setting. They

will take place monthly in the Felix Serratosa

room, and Xavier will moderate the sessions.

There’s no need to register, those interested

should just show up and be ready to dis-

cuss..

A new Journal Club

As part of the launch of the International

Year of Chemistry, Spanish Education

Minister Ángel Gabilondo paid a vist to the

Barcelona Science Park on February 7, and

stopped in on the laboratory of IRB Barcelona

Group Leader Ernest Giralt to learn about his

group’s latest work on peptide chemistry. Ac-

companied by representatives from the PCB,

IRB Barcelona, the University of Barcelona

and the Catalan Government, Gabilondo ex-

pressed his support for current projects these

institutes are undertaking to encourage young

people to take up careers in the sciences..

Education minister visits IRB

Fresh off his visit with Education Min-

ister Gabilondo, Ernest Giralt has been

awarded the ‘Novartis Chemistry Lecture-

ship’. This prize is given in recognition of

his work in the field of peptides as thera-

peutic agents, and will provide him with

the opportunity to give lectures in different

Novartis research centres all around the

world. His tour will include stops in Shang-

hai, Cambridge, Massachusetts and other

destinations in Europe. The first lecture will

be held in Basel, Switzerland on April 18,

2012..

Ernest around the worldIN BRIEF

Sscientists from across IRB Barce-

lona gathered on Friday, April 1

to celebrate a new initiative: the

Group Leader seminar series. Cayetano

González, head of the Cell Division

Laboratory in the Cell and Developmen-

tal Biology Programme, kicked things

off with a presentation of his latest work

to a packed auditorium. After a brief

introduction by Marco Milán, who dug

up some amusing and (mildly) compro-

mising photos of his longtime colleague

at various stages in his career, Tano took

to the podium to give an overview of his

career as a researcher and his pursuit of

Drosophila as an easy-to-use model to

study cancer.

The Group Leaders seminars are part

of the regular Barcelona BioMed Plenary

Seminar Series and will take place on

the first Friday of each month. Their

aim is to provide an opportunity for the

IRB Barcelona community to hear what

researchers in other groups are up to and

to help set the stage for internal collabo-

rations. After the seminars, Group Lead-

ers and Facility Managers will have the

opportunity to meet for discussion over a

finger-food lunch.

The next talk, scheduled for May 27,

will be given by Manuel Palacín..NURIA NORIEGA

A new forum

07in vivo April 2011 | Issue 14

Lorena Ramirez and Ana Igea, research

assistants in Angel Nebreda’s lab

packed up their test tubes and headed

to Gaudi’s “La Pedrera” building in Barce-

lona’s city center to take part in the Recerca en

Directe science fair on April 5-7. Organized

by the Barcelona Science Park in collaboration

with the CatalunyaCaixa’s social program, the

fair showcases some of the research projects

current going on in the city’s many research

centers. The ultimate goal of the event is to

bring today’s research closer to society and

to promote scientific vocation among young

adults.

Over three days, Lorena and Ana wel-

comed more than 1,400 visitors and showed

Recerca en directe takes science to the streets

them some of the experiments they do every

day in their labs. Groups of 5-6 teenagers at

a time heard explanations of their research

on breast cancer and then got to roll up their

sleeves, put on gloves, and get to work. They

were given cell culture plates containing two

cell lines and were asked to remove the culture

medium and stain the cells’ nuclei in order to

distinguish which ones were cancerous and

which were not. “Most of them got it right”

Ana explains “although sometimes they

weren’t quite sure why. We explained to them

that cancerous cells divide more rapidly and

that’s why they can see more nuclei stained in

the dishes.”

Recerca en Directe is an annual event

Visitors learned how to distinguish cancer cells from healthy ones at the IRB Barcelona stand at the Recerca en Directe science fair, held in “La Pedrera” on April 5-7.

which provides a great opportunity for scien-

tists to show the public the fascinating and fun

side of science and to emphasize the contribu-

tion it makes to our quality of life..

Great results for marathoner runners

F or the third year straight, on Sunday, March 6, members of

the IRB Barcelona running club hit the streets for the Barce-

lona Marathon. After a grueling 42.2 km through the streets of the

city, seasoned marathoners Adelaida Díaz, Roman Kessler, Ashraf

Muhaisen – as well as newcomers Kyra Campbell and Claudio

Diema – crossed the finish line in style and grace. In doing so, they

raised funds for Medicos Sin Fronteras.

Check out their times – and videos of them at the finish line –

on the running club’s new webpage on the IRB Barcelona intranet.

http://intranet.irb.pcb.ub.es.

The 2011 IRB Barcelona marathon team: Claudio Diema, Adelaida Díaz, Kyra Campbell, Ashraf Muhaisen, Roman Kessler and Jorge Domínguez (undercover).

IRB Barcelona women hit the pitch

Tuesday, March 8 marked the 100th anniversary of Interna-

tional Women’s Day, and women at IRB Barcelona decided

to celebrate in style. As the clock struck 4pm, twenty-one female

scientists hung up their lab coats, put on their football boots and

hit the pitch to take part in a special all-women’s game.

As a scientist and keen football player, match

organizer Rubí Zamudio thought the occa-

sion would provide a great opportunity

for women working at

the institute to meet

and have some fun. As

a woman, it was her

particular way to celebrate the

theme of the day: 100 years of

women’s achievements and en-

suring a pathway to decent work

for all, based on equal access to

education and training in science

and technology..

follow us...!we’re now on

A research institute of excellence in a sunny place away

from France were the main criteria in Najate’s search for

a new position. She found her ideal job in the Develop-

ment and Growth Control Laboratory at IRB Barcelona.

Intrigued by cell growth, Najate Benhra (France, 1983) completed her PhD thesis in Roland Le Borgne’s

group at the Institute of Genetics and Development in Rennes (France), where she

studied the molecular basis of asymmetric cell division in the external sensory organs

of Drosophila. Now in Marco Milán’s lab, Najate has joined a stimulating project on

the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate cell proliferation and survival,

using the Drosophila wing epithelium as a model tissue.

Rima Chaudhuri (India, 1982) moved from Calcutta,

her home town, to Georgia in the US to do her under-

graduate studies in 2000. After completing her PhD in drug

discovery and design in Chicago she joined Modesto Oro-

zco’s lab in February to do her postdoc training. She will be

working on three projects: two on drug discovery, a field she

knows well, and the one on systems biology. “I’m very excited because I’ll get to work

in a new field, which will allow me to build up my skill set,” Rima explains. After her

postdoc she plans to work in the pharmaceutical industry.

Roland Pache (Germany, 1980) and Amelie Stein (Germany, 1981) have been

at IRB Barcelona since the early days of the

Institute. They met while studying in Tübingen

and then arrived together to do their PhDs in

Patrick Aloy’s lab. Amelie defended her thesis

last June and Roland is about to submit his in

April. Their postdoc training is to take them to

Tanja Kortemme’s lab in San Francisco. Roland and Amelie were part of the Organiz-

ing Committee of the First IRB Barcelona PhD Student Symposium, an event in which

Tanja was an invited speaker. “It’s a shame we won’t be here for the next symposium,”

they agree. Although looking forward to new experiences in San Francisco, they say

they will miss Spanish ham and the good friends they made in Barcelona.

NEW AT IRB BARCELONA

Why is Mark Twain’s quote “The hu-

man race has only one really effec-

tive weapon and that is laughter”

important? In this era of evidence-based medicine,

laughter is probably the most effective weapon for

doctors to use to strengthen our quality-of-life:

laughing boosts oxygen flow in our blood, gives

our muscles a workout, reduces stress and increases

our immune system response. Laughter also brings

people together.

But what about people who find themselves in

situations so difficult that they may have forgotten

how to laugh? The remedy for this might be closer

than we think. It could, in fact, be hiding behind the

red noses and big, floppy shoes worn by two people

that you have surely come across in the corridors of

IRB Barcelona.

PhD students Helena González, from Travis

Stracker’s lab, and Oriol Marimón, from Miquel

Pons’ lab are clowns in white coats. Convinced that

clowning can bring about peace, they collaborate

with an international cooperation group called Pal-lasos en Rebeldía (Clowns in Rebellion). In their off

time, they travel to far off places such as Palestine

and Burkina Faso to clown around with an army of

dreamers to bring the physiological, psychological

and long-term social benefits of humor to conflict-

affected communities. Now that’s something to

smile about!.

When they are not at the bench, Helena González and Oriol Marimón volunteer as clowns to lift the spirits of people in places of conflict.

SPOTLIGHT

ON THE MOVE

In vivo, issue 14. Published by the Institute for Research in Biomedicine. Office of Communications & External Relations. Barcelona Science Park. Baldiri Reixac, 10. 08028 Barcelona, Spain. www.irbbarcelona.org. Editors:

Nahia Barbería and Sarah Sherwood. Contributors: Itziar Castanedo, Nuria Noriega, Tanya Yates. Graphic Production: La Trama. Legal deposit: MU-519-2011. This document has been printed on

recycled paper. To subscribe or unsubscribe from in vivo email info@irbbarcelona.org. © IRB Barcelona 2011.

Laughter really is the best medicine

ITZIAR CASTANEDO

Marco Archinti (Italy, 1978) has recently crossed

the street and from the Cluster to the Helix building.

After working as a postdoc in cell proliferation and can-

cer, first at the Institute for Stem Cell Research in Milan,

Italy, and then in Jens Lüders’ Microtubule Organiza-

tion Laboratory at IRB Barcelona, he has now stepped

into the biotechnology industry to take up a position at ERA Biotech. Marco’s

research project in biotech will take him back to the times of his PhD, when he

worked on plant protein intracellular trafficking and storage. At ERA Biotech,

Marco will help to develop recombinant protein technologies for human and

animal health industries.