News
The epigenome differentiates the different human populations
What makes us different? What differentiates us from our neighbors, our friends or strangers from distant countries? For years we know that there are genetic differences among different human populations that contribute to their appearance and to a different susceptibility to disease. These small genetic differences between healthy individuals are called “polymorphisms”. The group of […]
Annual Report 2012
In 2012 the IDIBELL has positioned itself as a reference in healthcare innovation having driven a system of innovative public procurement in the field of health, in which the contractor and the bidder share the risks of the application of a new technology. The model, common in other countries, leverages the high purchasing capacity of […]
Patented a molecule that opens the door to develop new drugs against immune rejection
Researchers of the research group in Human Molecular Genetics of the Biomedical Research Institute of Bellvitge (IDIBELL), led by researcher Mercedes Pérez, have patented a peptide (a molecule consisting of a sequence of amino acids) that inhibits the immune response activated by the enzyme calcineurin which could serve to develop new more specific immunosuppressive drugs […]
Learning a language depends on good connection between regions of the left hemisphere of the brain
Language is a uniquely human ability. The average person’s vocabulary consists of about thirty thousand words, although there are individual differences in the ability to learn a new language. It has long been believed that language acquisition depends on the integration of the information between motor and auditory representation of words in the brain, but […]
Discovered a future therapeutic target for lung cancer treatment
One of the goals of research in cancer genetics and molecular biology is to get an “on demand” treatment, ie studying the alterations in a tumor can decide which the best drug is: maximum effect and minimal toxicity. Two recent examples in this field are the findings that lung cancer patients carrying mutations in EGFR […]
Dual effect of an antibiotic opens the door to find a drug against a very aggressive childhood cancer
An antibiotic that is currently used in veterinary named thiostrepton inhibits two transcription factors related to the appearance of Ewing’s sarcoma, a cancer that affects children and young people. It is a proof of concept done in cell lines and in mice. Although it is expected that the same molecule cannot be used directly in […]
The human papilloma virus multiplies the risk of oral cancer
HPV 16, one of the more aggressive types of HPV is present in over 30% of patients with cancers of the oropharynx and in less than 1% of healthy people HPV antibodies in blood HPV, responsible for more than 5% of cancers Early detection for better prognosis
Adults with eating disorders have a poorer prognosis if they suffer hyperactivity
A study with 191 patients reveal that symptoms of hyperactivity due to the deficit of attention and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are associated with more impulsivity and more severity, and probably a worse prognosis in patients with eating disorders. ADHD in adults is poorly investigated and, although several studies have reported associations between this disorder and […]
Brain epigenome changes from birth to adolescence
Experience of parents with their children and teachers with their students demonstrate how kids change their behaviours and knowledge from childhood to adolescence. Until now, little was known of the causes that could lead to these changes. Today, an article published in Science in collaboration with the group of Manel Esteller, Director of Epigenetics and […]