The Catalan Minister of Health, Boi Ruiz, has inaugurated the new Laboratory of Metabolism and Cancer of IDIBELL. The opening ceremony, held on May 11th, was attended by the mayor of L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Nuria Marin, and representatives of IDIBELL partner institutions (Bellvitge University Hospital, Catalan Institute of Oncology and the University of Barcelona) as well as various health and research authorities.
The new Laboratory of Metabolism and Cancer is a space of over two hundred square meters that have the most advanced equipment. The work of the laboratory and equipment have cost around 400 thousand Euros, which have been financed with funds of the call for 2011 subprogram of science and technology in science and technology parks (INNPLANTA), through the Consortium Biopol ‘H, the business park of L’Hospitalet de Llobregat in the field of the biomedicine and health sciences.
Relevant researcher
The laboratory is led by Dr. George Thomas, one of the world’s most important researchers in the area of metabolism and cancer. Dr. Thomas joined IDIBELL at the end of 2011 from the University of Cincinnati, where he headed the Institute of Metabolic Diseases.
Together with Dr. Thomas, the Group of Metabolism and Cancer of IDIBELL is composed by Sara Kozma, also from Cincinnati, and Albert Tauler, researcher at the University of Barcelona, an IDIBELL’s partner.
George Thomas has been recognized by the scientific community as an innovative leader in the field of signal transduction and cell growth control. The American researcher studies have revolutionized our understanding of signal transduction pathways and processes leading to the emergence of many diseases. The work of Dr. Thomas’ group has allowed the development of new cancer drugs, some of which are being applied to clinical care and others are being tested in clinical trials.
The hiring of George Thomas has been the result of a process of more than two years of negotiations. Finally, the arrival of the investigator has been possible by funding from the Health Institute Carlos III of the Spanish Government, through the program of accredited health research centres.