PARC RECERCABIOMEgraveDICA BARCELONA

CONNECTEM CIEgraveNCIA I DIVERSITAT EN UN ESPAI CREATIU UacuteNIC Juny de 2018 NUacuteM 114 wwwprbborg GRATUIumlT

DESTACAT HIGHLIGHT

Editorial

Science in Parliament

The Spanish political classes have never be-en characterised by

their particular devotion to science technology and in-novation Between 1972 and 1995 the American Congress had the celebrated ldquoOffice of Technology Assessmentrdquo whose technical reports are still a benchmark for rigour and quality The Catalan Par-liament has CAPCIT but its impact and results are next to nothing Unlike the main de-mocratic parliaments around the world the Spanish Con-gress of Deputies has never shown the slightest intention to equip itself with a technical advisory body in science That is why the citizen initiative ldquoScience in Parliamentrdquo is more important than ever It is aimed at educating the po-litical classes as well as mo-tivating them and getting them involved in the cha-llenge of providing progress and prosperity for future ge-nerations We invite you to join in with this initiative and even offer yourself as a vo-lunteer to teach Spanish MPs (cienciaenelparlamento)

Jordi Camiacute

Les ciutats que volem

La classe poliacutetica espa-nyola no srsquoha caracte-ritzat mai per la seva

especial devocioacute a la ciegravencia la tecnologia i la innovacioacute Entre 1972 i 1995 el Congreacutes nord-americagrave va disposar de la celebrada Office of Techno-logy Assessment els informes tegravecnics de la qual encara soacuten una referegravencia de rigor i quali-tat Al Parlament de Catalunya hi ha el CAPCIT perograve la seva incidegravencia i els seus resultats srsquoacosten a zero Al Congreacutes dels Diputats drsquoEspanya ni tan sols hi ha hagut mai la inten-cioacute de dotar-se drsquoun ogravergan tegravec-nic assessor en ciegravencia tal com disposen els principals parla-ments democragravetics del moacuten Per aixograve eacutes meacutes pertinent que mai la iniciativa ciutadana laquoCiencia en el Parlamentoraquo di-rigida a fer pedagogia a la clas-se poliacutetica aixiacute com motivar-la i implicar-la en el repte de pro-veir progreacutes i prosperitat a les futures generacions Us convi-dem a que us adheriu a aques-ta iniciativa i fins i tot us oferiu de voluntaris per fer docegravencia als parlamentaris espanyols (cienciaenelparlamento)

Jordi Camiacute

La prevencioacute eacutes cosa de tots

Per commemorar el Dia Interna-cional de la Seguretat i la Salut en el Treball el 28 drsquoabril la Comis-sioacute Intercentres de Prevencioacute de Riscos Laborals del PRBB (CIPRL-PRBB) va iniciar una campanya de conscienciacioacute laquoLa prevencioacute eacutes cosa de tots comenccedila per turaquo en la qual cada mes es tractaragrave un tema diferent En aquesta campa-nya es revisaran normatives i pro-

cessos i es parlaragrave drsquoergonomia i drsquohagravebits saludables en el lloc de treball La campanya finalitzaragrave amb la convocatograveria drsquoun con-curs fotogragravefic a les xarxes socials sobre els hagravebits preventius en la nostra vida dins i fora de la feina La CIPRL-PRBB estagrave forma-da per prevencionistes de cada un dels centres de recerca del Parc per desenvolupar les acti-vitats de coordinacioacute necessagrave-ries per a la prevencioacute de riscos laborals

Prevention is everyonersquos business

To commemorate World Day for Health and Safety at Work on April 28th the PRBBrsquos Inter-centre Commission on Occu-pational Hazard Prevention (CIPRL-PRBB) has set up a new awareness campaign ldquoPreven-tion is everyonersquos concern Start with yourselfrdquo Each month a different topic will be addres-sed regulations and processes

Maruxa Martiacutenez-Campos

El dijous 31 de maig es va celebrar el congreacutes de re-cerca cientiacutefica infantil Re-

cerkids al PRBB i al Campus Mar de la UPF Durant aquest curs es-colar prop de 3000 nois i noies de 5egrave i 6egrave de primagraveria de 75 esco-les de Catalunya han dut a terme recerques cientiacutefiques entorn de la temagravetica de la salut I com a bons cientiacutefics uns 350 drsquoaquests estudiants van presentar els seus resultats en un congreacutes Els joves van exposar en for-mat de pogravester els seus treballs on han investigat quins aliments ajuden a prevenir el cagravencer per quegrave cal tornar a vacunar-se a 6egrave o quina eacutes la forma meacutes eficient

drsquoeliminar un fong Cada escola va defensar el seu pogravester davant les altres laquoLa primera vegada que ho hem explicat estagravevem una mica nerviosos perograve des-preacutes descobreixes el truc i ja trsquoho saps millorraquo expliquen el Max i la Clara de la Institucioacute Mont-serrat de Sants Els estudiants provinents de Sabadell El Prat Premiagrave o Vila-rodona (Tarrago-na) entre drsquoaltres van gaudir de tallers experimentals de la magrave del grup de recerca en Biologia Sintegravetica Translacional de la UPF Recerkids eacutes un programa im-pulsat per la Secretaria drsquoUniversi-tats i Recerca amb la col∙laboracioacute drsquoEduxarxa per fomentar vocaci-ons cientiacutefiques Enguany ha estat la 2a edicioacute on a meacutes del congreacutes al PRBB se nrsquoha realitzat un altre a la Universitat de Girona

Recerkids a conference for restless young minds

On Thursday May 31st the Conference for childrenrsquos scientific research Recer-

kids was held at the PRBB and in the UPFrsquos Mar Campus Over this academic year nearly 3000 boys and girls studying the last two ye-ars of primary education from 75 schools in Catalonia have carried out scientific research in the field of health And like good scientists about 350 of these students presen-ted their results in a conference

The young people exhibited the-ir work in poster format showing their research into which foods help prevent cancer why it is ne-cessary to get revaccinated at the end of primary school and the

most efficient way to eliminate a fungus amongst other topics Each school explained its poster to the others ldquoThe first time we talked we were a bit nervous but then you get used to it and you know it bet-terrdquo explained Max and Clara from the Institucioacute Montserrat in Sants The students from places like Sa-badell El Prat Premiagrave and Vila-Rodona (Tarragona) also enjoyed experimental workshops given by the UPFs Translational Synthetic Biology research group The Recerkids programme is promoted by the Ministry of Uni-versities and Research with the collaboration of Eduxarxa to en-courage scientific vocations This year marked the 2nd edition and in addition to the conference at the PRBB there was another at the University of Girona

Recerkids un congreacutes per a ments joves inquietes

Foto

de

Hon

do S

tudi

os -

Gen

eral

itat

de C

atal

unya

CC

BY-

NC

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will be reviewed and ergono-mics and healthy habits in the workplace will be discussed The campaign will end with a social media photo contest on preventative habits in our daily lives both inside and outside the workplace The CIPRL-PRBB is made up of health and safety experts from each of the parkrsquos research centres to coordinate the acti-vities necessary for preventing occupational risks

Ciegravencia wwwprbborg | juny de 2018 2

laquoEstudiant la histograveria escrita als nostres gensraquo

Les exposicions professionals i risc de MPOC

FRANCESC CALAFELL ndash LABORATORI DE GENOgraveMICA DE LA INDIVIDUALITAT - IBE (CSIC-UPF)

Carlos Sierra

Francesc Calafell eacutes un dels pioners al PRBB on ha estat des de la seva po-sada en marxa lrsquoany 2007 Va ser aquiacute

on coincidint amb la creacioacute de lrsquoIBE al 2008 srsquoorigina el laboratori de genogravemica de la in-dividualitat La raoacute del seu interegraves en aquest camp ve de lluny laquoSempre mrsquoha interessat la diversitat humana en tots els seus aspectes Em fascina el fet que no tots els humans som iguals i la diversitat genegravetica eacutes un aspecte meacutes drsquoaquesta diversitat com la linguumliacutestica la histograverica etcraquo explica Calafell El seu eacutes un grup petit perograve estan molt integrats amb els altres grups del seu entorn laquoSom meacutes una xarxa que un laboratori tenim moltes colmiddotla-boracions amb altres investigadors a lrsquoIBE i tambeacute hem col∙laborat amb grups de lrsquoIMIM per exemple Per tot aixograve ser part del PRBB eacutes tremendament positiuraquo puntualitza Calafell

Diversitat humana a diferents nivells

Els projectes de recerca del grup de Calafell abasten des drsquoestudis a nivell drsquoindividu fins a estudis poblacionals o de llinatges Les aplicacions de la seva recerca soacuten muacutelti-ples A nivell individual es pot fer servir per identificar cadagravevers en catagravestrofes aegraveries o en casos de desapareguts de la Guerra Civil mentre que a nivell poblacional es pot uti-litzar en genegravetica cliacutenica per entendre per quegrave en una poblacioacute determinada hi ha un impacte meacutes gran drsquouna malaltia genegravetica laquoIntentem saber drsquoon ve una determinada mutacioacute com srsquoha escampat Aixograve no ajuda a curar la malaltia perograve eacutes una informacioacute que interessa a les famiacutelies dels afectats que pot ajudar-les a no sentir-se culpables per haver transmegraves la malaltia a la seva descen-degravenciaraquo explica el cap de grup

Histograveria a traveacutes de la biologia

El cromosoma Y transmegraves nomeacutes de pare a fill pot ser una eina molt uacutetil per conegravei-xer els oriacutegens drsquouna poblacioacute les seves migracions o si un fet histograveric ha deixat petjada genegravetica en la poblacioacute actual tots ells exemples en els quals Calafell treballa El biograveleg srsquoha centrat en estudiar aquest cromosoma a regions com el Magrib Espa-

nya o el Mediterrani occidental en general zones amb una histograveria molt antiga i ben do-cumentada que pot ser contrastada amb la informacioacute proporcionada per la genegravetica Al Magrib van trobar que el 70 dels homes ac-tuals tenen la mateix variant del cromosoma Y lrsquoE-M183 i que a Espanya el 40 dels homes porten la variant R1b-DF27 del mateix cromo-soma Perograve sabem que en ambdues regions hi ha hagut diferents civilitzacions aixiacute doncs com explicar aquesta aparent homogeneiumltat genegravetica dins la poblacioacute laquoHi ha muacuteltiples raons per exemple no tots els homes trans-meten el cromosoma Y nomeacutes els que tenen fills I hi ha hagut homes molt poderosos que han tingut molts fills que van sobreviure i van tenir al seu torn tambeacute molts fills A meacutes hi ha diferents poblacions que soacuten indistingibles genegraveticament per tant la seva barreja no es veu en la poblacioacute actualraquo aclareix Calafell Perograve si Calafell hagueacutes de triar uns resultats impactants escolliria el cas drsquoEivissa laquoVam analitzar els SNP de tot el genoma (la varia-bilitat genegravetica) en meacutes de 1000 individus de tot el Mediterrani occidental i nrsquohi havia qua-tre que se separaven clarament de la resta Va resultar que aquests individus eren els uacutenics nascuts a Eivissa Vam analitzar 15 eivissencs meacutes i vam trobar el mateixraquo explica linvesti-gador Anagravelisis genegravetiques van mostrar que la causa daquesta homoge neiumltat era lrsquoaiumlllament i lrsquoescassa poblacioacute drsquouna illa petita laquoEivissa gairebeacute es va abandonar a meitat del segle xvi i va repoblar-se amb molt poca gent al segle xvii el resultat contrasta amb la imatge que tenim actualment drsquouna illa cosmopoli-taraquo conclou Calafell

Pau Rubio

Un projecte de recerca internacional liderat per lrsquoISGlobal ha vinculat lrsquoex-posicioacute a pols biologravegica gasos fums i

pesticides amb una major incidegravencia de ma-laltia pulmonar obstructiva crogravenica (MPOC) En aquest estudi publicat a Thorax es van seleccionar 3343 participants de 12 paiumlsos entre 1991 i 1993 i sersquols va fer un seguiment 20 anys despreacutes Els participants exposats a pols biologravegica tenien un 60 meacutes de risc de

patir MPOC en comparacioacute amb els no ex-posats mentre que en el cas dels gasos i fums el risc era un 50 meacutes alt Entre els exposats a pesticides lrsquoincrement del risc arribava fins al 120 En general el 21 dels 96 casos de MPOC detectats en el seguiment es van as-sociar a aquestes exposicions professionals laquoPel que sabem aquest eacutes el primer estudi que demostra un efecte de lrsquoexposicioacute a pols biologravegica sobre la incidegravencia de MPOC drsquouna manera prospectiva en una cohort de pobla-cioacute generalraquo afirma Jan-Paul Zock investiga-dor de lrsquoISGlobal i autor principal de lrsquoestudi

Occupational exposure linked to increased COPD risk

An international research project led by ISGlobal has linked exposure to biological dusts gases fumes and

pesticides with a higher incidence of chro-nic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) In the study published in Thorax 3343 participants from 12 countries were analy-sed between 1991 and 1993 and then again 20 years later The results showed that par-ticipants exposed to biological dust had a

60 higher risk of COPD compared to those with no exposure while for gases and fumes the risk was 50 higher For participants ex-posed to pesticides the risk was up to 120 higher Overall the results showed that 21 of the 96 cases of COPD detected during follow up were associated with occupational exposure ldquoTo our knowledge this is the first study to prospectively demonstrate the effect of exposure to biological dust on the inci-dence of COPD in a cohort from the general populationrdquo says Jan-Paul Zock ISGlobal re- searcher and lead author of the study

Un estudiant de magravester i dos de doctorat formen el grup

NOTIacuteCIA CIENTIacuteFICA SCIENTIFIC NEWS

PERFIL DE GRUP GROUP PROFILE

ldquoStudying the history written in our genesrdquo

Francesc Calafell is one of the pioneers of the PRBB where he has been since it opened its doors in 2007 It was the-

re that coinciding with the launch of the IBE in 2008 the Genomics of Individuality labo-ratory was set up Calafellrsquos interest in this field is long-standing ldquoI have always been interested in all aspects human diversity I am fascinated by the fact that each human is different and genetic diversity is another as-pect of this variety as are language history and so onrdquo explains Calafell His group is small but they coordinate closely with other groups in their environment ldquoWe are more a network than a lab we collaborate a lot with other IBE researchers and have worked with groups at the IMIM for example This is one of the reasons being part of the PRBB is tre-mendously positiverdquo Calafell points out

Human diversity at different levels

The grouprsquos research projects range from in-dividual-level to populational-level studies This research has many applications At the individual level it can be used to identify corpses after an air catastrophe or people who disappeared during the Spanish Civil War while at population level it can be used in clinical genetics to understand why in a given population there is a higher impact of a specific genetic disease ldquoWe try to find out where a certain mutation comes from and how it has spread This does not help cure the disease but the information is in-

teresting to the families of those affected and helps them not feel guilty about transmitting the disease to their offspringrdquo explains the group leader

History through biology

The Y chromosome transmitted only from fathers to sons can be a very useful tool for understanding the origins of a population its migrations or if a historical event left a genetic footprint on the current population Calafellrsquos work touches all of these fields The biologist has focused on studying this chromosome in regions such as the Maghreb Spain and the Western Medi-terranean in general areas with an ancient and well-documented history that can be compared with the information provided by genetics In the Maghreb the group has found that 70 of men today have the same variant of the Y chromosome E-M183 whi-le in Spain 40 of men carry the R1b-DF27 variant of that chromosome However we know that many different civilizations have existed in the two regions so how can we explain this apparent genetic homogeneity within the population ldquoThere are many reasons For example not all men pass on the Y chromosome only those who have sons And there have been very powerful men who had many sons that survived and who in turn had many sons In addition there are different populations that are ge-netically indistinguishable meaning their mixture is not obvious in the genes of the current populationrdquo clarifies Calafell But the most memorable results for Cala-fell would be the case of Ibiza ldquoWe analysed SNPs throughout the whole genome (the genetic variability) of more than 1000 indi-viduals from the western Mediterranean and four were clearly separate from the rest It turned out that these individuals were the only ones born in Ibiza We analysed fifteen more people from Ibiza and we found the same againrdquo Genetic analyses showed this was lack of diversity was due to the isolation and small population of this little island ldquoIbi-za was almost abandoned in the middle of the 16th century and then repopulated with very few people in the 17th century These results contrast strongly with the image of a cosmopolitan island that we have nowadaysrdquo concludes Calafell

7 marccedil de 2011 | wwwprbborg 3 juny de 2018 | wwwprbborg Ciegravencia

NOTIacuteCIES CIENTIacuteFIQUES SCIENTIFIC NEWS

Noves perspectives sobre el panorama genegravetic de lrsquoespectre autistaMari Carmen Cebriaacuten

Prop de 3000 famiacutelies afectades pel trastorn de lrsquoespectre autista (TEA) van participar en un estudi interna-

cional realitzat per investigadors de trenta institucions entre els quals hi havia Roser Corominas de la UPF i lrsquoIMIM Els resultats publicats a la revista Science inclouen una llista de gens alterats i regions reguladores drsquoexpressioacute gegravenica en pacients que soacuten ob-jectius potencials per desenvolupar teragrave- pies futures La recerca eacutes innovadora per dos mo-tius En primer lloc explora lrsquoimpacte de les variants genegravetiques heretades dels pa-res I en segon lloc es centra en les altera-

cions estructurals eacutes a dir els canvis en seg-ments llargs drsquoADN com ara eliminacions duplicacions insercions o inversions Els investigadors van utilitzar la tegravecni-ca de sequumlenciacioacute completa del geno-ma que va permetre identificar variants estructurals que no srsquohavien detectat amb altres tegravecniques per la seva petita mida o per la seva ubicacioacute en regions no codificants Els autors estimen que les variants estructurals que acaben drsquoiden-tificar contribueixen a lrsquo11 dels casos de TEA mentre que els coneguts ante-riorment representaven 19 laquoUn dels principals reptes amb aquesta tegravecnica eacutes la interpretacioacute de lrsquoimpacte funcional de les variants identificades Les eines bioinformagravetiques sofisticades com les utilitzades en aquest estudi i les anagravelisis

funcionals a gran escala soacuten essencialsraquo afirma Corominas

New insights into the genetic landscape of the autism spectrum

Nearly 3000 families affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) participated in an international

study by researchers from thirty institu-tions including Roser Corominas from the UPF and IMIM The results publis-hed in the journal Science include a list of altered genes in patients as well as gene expression regulatory regions that are po-tential targets for future therapies The research has two novel aspects Firstly it explores the impact of genetic va-riants inherited from the parents Secondly

it focuses on structural alterations in other words the changes in long DNA segments such as deletions duplications insertions or inversions The researchers used whole genome sequencing to identify structural variants that had not been detected with other techniques due to their small size or their location in non-coding regions The authors estimate that the newly identi- fied structural variants contribute to 11 of ASD cases while previously known variants only account for 19 ldquoOne of the main challenges of this technique is interpreting the functional impact of the variants identified Sophisticated bioin-formatics tools like those used in this study and large-scale functional analy-ses are essentialrdquo says Corominas

acumulat per sobre de lrsquoedat cronologravegica augmenta un 6 el risc de morir en un periacute-ode de tres mesos despreacutes de patir un atac Lrsquoedat biologravegica es va determinar a partir de marcadors epigenegravetics mdashcanvis en els gens causats per factors externsmdash concretament la metilacioacute de lrsquoADN Segons Carolina So-riano principal investigadora de lrsquoestudi laquolrsquoedat biologravegica es correlaciona molt beacute amb lrsquoedat cronologravegica perograve aporta infor-macioacute extra sobre lrsquoestat funcional de la per-sona Per tant eacutes millor predictor de mor-talitat a tres mesos fins i tot sense tenir en compte altres factors externs la gravetat de lrsquoictus o lrsquoestat funcional previ del pacientraquo

Lrsquoedat biologravegica prediu millor la mortalitat per ictus que la cronologravegicaRosa Manaut

E l risc de morir despreacutes drsquoun ictus isquegravemic incrementa si lrsquoedat bio-logravegica que ve marcada entre drsquoal-

tres factors pels hagravebits de vida o el lloc de residegravencia eacutes superior a lrsquoedat marcada per la data de naixement Aquesta eacutes la principal conclusioacute drsquoun estudi amb 600 pacients atesos a lrsquoHospital del Mar per un ictus isquegravemic Segons els resultats obtinguts per inves-tigadors de lrsquoIMIM i publicats a la revista Scientific Reports cada any drsquoedat biologravegica

Biological age is a better predictor for death following a stroke than chronological age

The risk of dying after an ischemic stroke increases if the biological age marked among other fac-

tors by lifestyle and place of residence is higher than the chronological age deter-mined by birth date This is the main con-clusion of a study involving 600 ischemic stroke patients at the Hospital del Mar According to the results obtained by IMIM researchers and published in the journal Scien- tific Reports for each year of biological age

above chronological age there is a 6 increase in the risk of dying in the three months after a stroke In the study biological age was deter-mined using epigenetic markers mdash changes in genes caused by external factors mdash speci-fically DNA methylation According to Caro-lina Soriano the principal investigator on this study ldquoBiological and chronological age tend to correlate very well but biological age provi-des us with additional information on the pa-tientrsquos functional state It is therefore a better predictor of mortality within a three month period even without taking into account other external factors the severity of the stroke or the patientrsquos previous functional statusrdquo

La llum blava a la nit pot incrementar el cagravencer de mama i de progravestataMarta Solano

U n estudi internacional liderat per lrsquoISGlobal ha trobat que persones exposades a nivells meacutes alts de

llum blava emesa per exemple per les bom-betes LED i pantalles de telegravefon poden tenir entre 15 i 2 vegades meacutes risc de patir cagraven-cer de mama i de progravestata respectivament comparat amb la poblacioacute menys exposada Aquesta recerca publicada a la revista Environmental Health Perspectives inclou dades de meacutes de 4000 persones entre 20 i 85 anys en 11 regions espanyoles Lrsquoexposi-cioacute a la llum artificial a lrsquointerior va deter-minar-se mitjanccedilant quumlestionaris perso-nals mentre que els nivells a lrsquoaire lliure a Madrid i Barcelona van avaluar-se a partir drsquoimatges nocturnes preses per lrsquoEstacioacute Espacial Internacional laquoLrsquoAgegravencia Internacional de Recerca so-bre Cagravencer de lrsquoOMS ha classificat els tre-balls de torn de nit com a probablement canceriacutegens Hi ha evidegravencies que apunten a una associacioacute entre lrsquoexposicioacute a la llum

artificial a la nit la disrupcioacute del ritme cir-cadiari i els cagravencers de mama i progravestataraquo explica Kogevinas investigador de lrsquoISGlo-bal i coordinador de lrsquoestudi

Blue light at night linked to increased cancer risk

An international study led by ISGlo-bal reports that people exposed to higher levels of blue light at night

have a 15 and 2-fold greater risk of deve-loping breast and prostate cancer respecti-vely compared to people with less exposu-re Blue light is emitted by LED light bulbs and many tablet and phone screens The research published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives in-cludes data on more than 4000 people aged between 20 and 85 from 11 regions in Spain Indoor exposure to artificial light was determined through personal questionnaires while outdoor levels in Madrid and Barcelona were evaluated based on nocturnal images taken by the International Space Station

ldquoThe WHOrsquos International Agency for Re-search on Cancer has classified night shift work as probably carcinogenic There is evi-dence pointing to an association between

exposure to artificial light at night disruption of the circadian rhythm and breast and pros-tate cancersrdquo explains Kogevinas ISGlobal researcher and coordinator of the study

Madrid de nit Imatge de la NASA Madrid by night Image by NASA

Ciegravencia wwwprbborg | maig de 2011 4Ciegravencia wwwprbborg | juny de 2018 4

ENTREVISTA INTERVIEW

laquoEacutes inevitable tota la recerca seragrave oberta i avaluada daltra maneraraquo

MICHAEL EISEN ndash UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY

Maruxa Martiacutenez-Campos

Diu que el sistema drsquoavaluacioacute de la recerca mdasha traveacutes del factor drsquoimpacte de les revistesmdash no eacutes just Podrien funcionar les xarxes socials com a forma drsquoavaluar els treballsEacutes uacutetil tenir maneres noves drsquoavaluar la impor-tagravencia o lrsquoegravexit drsquoun article Perograve les xarxes soci-als no resolen el problema perquegrave aleshores es pot convertir en un concurs de popularitat i de fet eacutes probable que les coses meacutes interessants i importants siguin impopulars No volem subs-tituir la tirania dels articles per la tirania de les masses El sistema actual estagrave trencat perograve in-ternet no solucionaragrave aquests problemes de forma magravegica Lrsquouacutenic recurs real que importa eacutes la visioacute reflexiva o lrsquoanagravelisi drsquoun cientiacutefic i hem de trobar una manera drsquoaconseguir-los

Perograve aixograve eacutes el que fa la revisioacute per parells oi Una anagravelisi reflexiva per dos o tres companysSiacute ho eacutes perograve teacute tants problemes Per des-comptat necessitem un sistema per filtrar perquegrave hi ha molta laquociegravenciaraquo que no ho eacutes real- ment I necessitem un camiacute perquegrave els cientiacute-fics puguin comunicar els seus punts de vista sobre un document Perograve he llegit blogs on els cientiacutefics parlen dels seus treballs i de vega-des expliquen i posen el seu treball en context molt millor que en els articles cientiacutefics No seragrave fagravecil trivial o gratuiumlt Haurem de pensar-hi molt experimentar i comenccedilar a construir un sistema nou en parallel al que existeix Crear un sistema drsquoavaluacioacute pos-terior a la publicacioacute que sigui complet on es valorin tots els treballs publicats

Fer que la gent utilitzi aixograve seria la part meacutes complicadaPerograve el canvi eacutes inevitable No hi ha dubte que el moacuten va cap a un lloc on tot estagrave dispo-nible i es valora drsquouna manera nova La pre-gunta eacutes hi arribarem per la via correcta o a traveacutes drsquoaquesta manera aleatograveria i sinuosa Lrsquouacutenic camiacute per avanccedilar eacutes que els financcedila-dors es posin darrere drsquoaquest nou sistema Han comenccedilat a fer-ho perograve no nrsquohi ha prou

Com ha canviat lrsquoacceacutes obert (OA) des dels inicis de PLoSOA no eacutes ni tan sols el problema principal ara No eacutes tan temible i negatiu com solia ser crec que la majoria dels cientiacutefics consideren lrsquoacceacutes obert com inevitable drsquouna manera o drsquouna altra Totes les grans editorials ara te-nen revistes OA i tots els principals financcedila-dors demanen que els articles que financen srsquoalliberin abans drsquoun any o menys Final-ment tindrem tots els articles disponibles de forma gratuiumlta a lrsquoinstant la qual cosa seragrave excellent Ara la batalla important seragrave tren-car el vincle entre la publicacioacute i lrsquoavaluacioacute el concepte que un cientiacutefic que ha publicat un article a Nature eacutes millor que un altre que ha publicat en un altre lloc sense tenir en comp-te el contingut drsquoaquests dos documents

La mala conducta cientiacutefica sol estar vinculada a lrsquoestregraves de publicar en revistes drsquoalt nivell aquest nou sistema eliminaria aquest problemaSempre hi hauragrave una petita quantitat de sociogravepates que tenen mala conducta Perograve

la majoria de persones que cometen frau cientiacutefic drsquouna manera calculada ho fan per-quegrave en certa manera es veuen recompen-sats per publicar en aquestes revistes drsquoalt perfil Si eliminem el valor desproporcionat que es dona a les publicacions segurament hi hauragrave menys raons per cometre frau

ldquoChange is inevitable all research will be available and assessed in a new wayrdquo

You say the system of evaluating research mdash via the impact factor of journals mdash is not fair Could social media work as a way of assessing papersItrsquos useful to have new ways of assessing how important or successful a paper is But so- cial media doesnrsquot solve the problem becau-se it can become a popularity contest and in fact the most interesting and important things are likely to be unpopular So we donrsquot want to replace the tyranny of the papers with the tyranny of the masses The current system is indeed broken but the internet is not going to magically solve these problems The only real resource that matters is the thoughtful view or analysis of a scientist and we have to find a way to capture that

But thatrsquos what peer review does right A thoughtful analysis by 2 or 3 peersIt is but it has so many failings Of course we do need a filter system because there is a lot of ldquosciencerdquo out there that isnrsquot re-ally science And we need a way for sci-entists to communicate their views about a paper But I read blogs where scientists talk about their papers and sometimes these put their work in context better than the papers themselves It wonrsquot be easy trivial or free Wersquoll have to think hard experiment and start building a new system in parallel to the existing one Create a post publication

PERFIL PROFILEMichael Eisen eacutes professor de la Universitat de Califogravernia Berkeley on diri-geix un grup de recerca sobre lrsquoevolucioacute de la regulacioacute gegravenica Eacutes un dels principals defensors de lrsquoacceacutes obert a les publicacions cientiacutefiques i va co-fundar la revista Public Library of Science (PLoS) lrsquoany 2000 Tambeacute eacutes as-sessor de Science Commons Preguntem a Eisen pare de dos adolescents sobre el passat el present i el futur de les publicacions cientiacutefiques

Michael Eisen is a Professor at the University of California Berkeley where he heads up a research group on the evolution of gene regulation He is a leading advocate for open access scientific publishing and he co-founded the Public Library of Science (PLoS) in 2000 He is also an adviser to Science Commons We asked Eisen a father of two about the past present and future of science publications

assessment system that is comprehen- sive where all published papers are as-sessed

Getting people to use this would be the trickiest parthellip But change is inevitable Therersquos no doubt that the world is going towards a place where everything is available and assessed in a new manner The question is will we get there the right way or via this random winding path The only way forward is for funders to get behind this new system They have started to do so but not enough

How has Open Access (OA) changed since the beginnings of PLoSOA is not even the main issue now Itrsquos not the scary negative thing it used to be I think most scientists see it as inevitable in one way or another All the big publishers now have OA journals and all major fun-ders ask for the papers they fund to be free a year or less after their publication Even-tually all papers will be instantly freely available which will be great Now the im-portant battle is to break the link between publishing and assessment the concept that a scientist who has published a paper in Nature is better than another who has published elsewhere mdash without actually looking at the content of those two papers Scientific misconduct is often linked to the stress of publishing in high tier jour-nals Would this new system get rid of it There will always be a small number of sociopaths that commit misconduct for the sake of it But most people that perpetrate scientific fraud in a calcula-ted manner do so because they are in a way rewarded for publishing in these high profile journals If we get rid of the disproportionate value given to publica- tions there will certainly be fewer rea-sons to commit fraud

PRBB-CRG CONFERENCES Conference Programme financed by the CRG and the PRBB

JAUME CASADEMUNT Monday June 11 Casade-munt from the University of Barcelona Spain is in-terested in applying phy-sics concepts to the un-

derstanding of biological systems using methods from nonequilibrium statistical and nonlinear physics physics of fluids and microgravity Using those approaches his laboratory focuses on studying the self-organization of soft matter not only in biological systems but also in self-assem-bling materials and complex fluids He has been invited by Jordi Garcia-Ojalvo (UPF)

ANA LOSADA Friday June 15 Losada from the Spa-nish National Cancer Re-search Center Madrid Spain is interested in the regulation of chromosome

segregation Her laboratory is focusing on a protein complex named cohesin that is essential for chromosome organisation This protein Cohesin ensures faithful DNA repair and proper chromosome segregati-on during cell division but mutations in this protein have recently been found in several tumour types most prominently in bladder cancer and acute myeloid leukae-mia Her goal is to understand how cohe-sin works how it is regulated and how its dysfunction contributes to cancer and other human diseases She has been invi-ted by Luciano Di Croce (CRG)

EREZ LIBERMAN Friday June 22 Liberman from the Baylor College of Me-dicine Texas USA is inte-rested in exploring all as-pects of genome structu-

re from the 1D sequence of the bases to the 3D folding that enables them to fit in-side the nucleus of a cell His laboratory is focusing on probing the three-dimensio-nal architecture of whole genomes by cou-pling proximity-based ligation with massi-vely parallel sequencing He has been invi-ted by the CRG postdoctoral students as-sociation

MARTIN WEIGT Friday Ju-ne 29 MWeigt from the Institut de Biologie Paris France is interested in statistical mechanics and computational biology His

laboratory is focused on the study of statis-tical inference and computational biology and using statistical physics of disordered systems to develop novel algorithmic tools for solving large-scale optimization and in-ference tasks He has been invited by Ce-dric Notredame (CRG)

ANTONIO GASPARRINI Monday July 9 Gasparri-ni from the London Scho-ol of Hygiene amp Tropical Medicine UK is interes-ted in epidemiology and

public health evaluation from methodo-logy substantive analyses in different re-search topics and software implementa- tion His work focuses on the develop-ment of study designs and statistical me- thods applied in particular to time series analysis quasi-experimental studies and survival data His lab is currently studying the impact of weather and climate change on health He has been invited by Cathryn Tonne (ISGlobal)

7 maig de 2011 | wwwprbborg 5 juny de 2018 | wwwprbborg Ciegravencia

NOTIacuteCIES CIENTIacuteFIQUES SCIENTIFIC NEWS

els contactes genogravemics entre els elements reguladors i els gens diana que defineixen la identitat de cada tipus de cegravel∙lula i que lrsquoabsegravencia drsquoaquesta variant en les cegravel∙lules tumorals altera la seva identitat Aquestes cegravel∙lules encara tenen lrsquoaltra variant de co-hesina la SA1 i per aixograve poden sobreviureraquo expliquen els autors coliderats per Marc A Marti-Renom del CNAG-CRG en lrsquoestudi publicat a Nature Structural and Molecular Biology Aquests resultats concorden amb el fet que la variant SA2 srsquoha detectat en diver-sos tipus de cagravencer com el cagravencer de bufeta

elements and the target genes that define the identity of each cell type We believe that the absence of this cohesin variant in tumour cells alters their identity Im-portantly these cells still have the other cohesin variant SA1 that allows them to surviverdquo explain the authors coled by Marc A Marti-Renom at the CNAG-CRG in the study published in Nature Structu-ral and Molecular Biology This is in agre-ement with the fact the SA2 variant has been detected in various types of cancer such as bladder cancer Ewingrsquos sarcoma and acute myeloid leukaemia

El paper dual de la cohesinaLaia Cendroacutes

La cohesina eacutes un complex de pro-teiumlnes essencial per a la viabilitat cel∙lular i estagrave present en les cegravel∙lules

en dues versions segons que continguin la subunitat SA1 o la SA2 Utilitzant genogravemi-ca funcional cientiacutefics del CNIO el CRG i el CNAG-CRG han descobert que mentre SA1 eacutes important per a lrsquoorganitzacioacute 3D del genoma SA2 interveacute en la regulacioacute de lrsquoexpressioacute gegravenica laquoCreiem que SA2 facilita

The dual role of cohesin

The cohesin protein complex es-sential for cell viability is present in the cells in two versions that

contain either the SA1 or SA2 subunit Applying functional genomics scien-tists at the CNIO CRG and CNAG-CRG have found that while SA1 is important for the 3D organisation of the genome SA2 is involved in regulating gene ex-pression ldquoWe think that SA2 facilitates genomic contacts between regulatory

Els macrogravefags ajuden a cegravel∙lules mare mamagraveriesRosa Manaut

Un projecte de recerca publicat a la revista Science i amb la participa-cioacute de Toni Celiagrave-Terrassa actual-

ment a lrsquoIMIM va trobar que els macrogravefags juguen un paper important en el mante-niment del niacutenxol de cegravel∙lules mare de la glagravendula mamagraveria una mena de viver per als precursors de cegravel∙lules productores de llet a la mama Els macrogravefags mdashun tipus de glogravebul blanc que combat la infeccioacute engo-lint i digerint invasors al cosmdash mantenen

les cegravel∙lules mare en el seu estat prematur i preparades per duplicar-se i diferenciar-se en cegravel∙lules madures quan sigui necessari laquoSi les cegravel∙lules que inicien el cagravencer de-penen tambeacute drsquoaquest mecanisme seria una diana terapegraveutica molt bonaraquo explica Celiagrave-Terrassa laquoAprendre meacutes sobre els factors que mantenen les cegravel∙lules mare mamagraveries vives i saludables pot propor- cionar informacioacute sobre el desenvolupa-ment del cagravencer de mama quan aquesta re-gulacioacute es perdraquo va dir Yibin Kang profes-sor de la Universitat de Princeton i director de lrsquoestudi

Immune cells provide the cradle for mammary stem cells

An international research project in-volving Toni Celiagrave-Terrassa from the IMIM and published in the journal

Science has found that macrophages play an important role in maintaining the mam-mary gland stem cell niche a sort of nursery for the precursors of milk-producing cells in the breast Macrophages a type of white blood cell that fight infection by engulfing and digesting foreign invaders help create a special environment known as a stem-

cell niche Macrophages keep stem cells in their premature state ready to duplicate and differentiate into mature cells when needed ldquoIf cells that initiate cancer also depend on this mechanism these would be a very good therapeutic target to study a fact that could be very important in the fight against this diseaserdquo explains Celiagrave-Terrassa ldquoLearning more about the factors that keep mammary stem cells alive and healthy may provide us with new insights into the development of breast cancer when such regulation goes awryrdquo says Yibin Kang a re-searcher at Princeton University and leader of the project

Mari Carmen Cebriaacuten

El gen Gpr88 teacute un paper clau en el desenvolupament de lrsquoalcoholisme en ratolins En un nou estudi pu-

blicat a la revista Biological Psychiatry els investigadors van observar un augment en el consum voluntari i la cerca drsquoalcohol en ratolins amb aquest gen inactivat Aquest comportament era especiacutefic per a lrsquoalco-hol ja que lrsquointeregraves dels ratolins per altres aliments desitjables no es va veure afectat Rafael Maldonado investigador del DCEXS-UPF i un dels autors comenta que laquoel consum drsquoalcohol produeix una sensacioacute plaent en part mediada per lrsquoaug-ment de lrsquoalliberament de dopamina en el

nucli accumbens Perograve en ratolins sense Gpr88 lrsquoalcohol teacute una menor capacitat drsquoaugmentar la dopamina en el circuit de recompensaraquo Per aquest motiu aquests ratolins haurien de consumir meacutes alcohol per aconseguir efectes de recompensa si-milars als dels animals control

Srsquoha descobert un gen implicat en lrsquoalcoholisme Els investigadors tambeacute van analitzar els patrons drsquoactivitat cerebral en aquests ratolins utilitzant tegravecniques de ressonagraven-cia magnegravetica funcional Aquestes imat-ges van mostrar alteracions significatives en el sistema mesocorticoliacutembic i patrons molt similars als que es veuen en persones amb alt risc de patir alcoholisme

A mouse gene involved in alcoholism

The gene Gpr88 plays a key role in the development of alcoholism in mice In a new study published

in the journal Biological Psychiatry re-searchers have shown that mice which have this gene inactivated demonstrate an increased voluntary consumption of and quest for alcohol This behaviour is

specific for alcohol since their interest in appetising food was unaffected Rafael Maldonado DCEXS-UPF resear- cher and one of the authors comments that ldquoalcohol consumption produces a pleasura-ble sensation partly mediated by increased dopamine release in the nucleus accum-bens However in mice lacking Gpr88 al-cohol has a lower capacity to increase dopa-mine in the reward circuitrdquo So mice without this gene have to consume more alcohol than the control animals to achieve similar reward effects The researchers also used functional magnetic resonance imaging to analyse the brain activity patterns of these Gpr88-lac-king mice The images displayed patterns very similar to those seen in people at a high risk of suffering alcoholism

Adelaida Sarukhan

Una enquesta a grups de pacients realitzada en 25 paiumlsos europeus mostra que molts drsquoaquests no

tenen una poliacutetica integral per eliminar lrsquohepatitis viral com una amenaccedila per a la salut puacuteblica El 72 dels paiumlsos tenien estrategravegies nacionals contra lrsquohepatitis B (HBV) i nomeacutes el 52 en tenien per a lrsquohe-patitis C (HCV) Es van detectar deficiegravenci-es en la coordinacioacute nacional la sensibilit-zacioacute del puacuteblic la vigilagravencia de la malaltia o el tractament La recerca publicada al

Journal of the International AIDS Society va ser coordinada per lrsquoISGlobal i liderada per lrsquoAssociacioacute Europea de Malats de Fet-ge Segons Jeffrey Lazarus de lrsquoISGlobal i autor principal el control de lrsquohepatitis viral hauria drsquoincorporar les perspectives de la societat civil tal com srsquoha fet amb la vigilagravencia global del VIH 18 milions de persones viuen a Europa amb HBV i 15 milions amb HCV A cau-sa de la vacunacioacute generalitzada contra lrsquoHBV aquesta infeccioacute es veu meacutes en els europeus meacutes grans o en els emigrants procedents de paiumlsos amb elevada preva-lenccedila drsquoHBV Pel que fa a lrsquoHCV no hi ha cap vacuna perograve si fagravermacs antivirals

Manca preparacioacute per controlar lrsquohepatitis viralMany European countries are not ready to stop viral hepatitis

A patient survey implemented in 25 European countries shows that many of them lack a comprehensi-

ve policy for eliminating viral hepatitis as a major public health threat About 72 of the countries were reported to have national Hepatitis B (HBV) strategies and only 52 had these for Hepatitis C (HCV) Shortco-mings were detected across a wide range of elements including national coordination public awareness disease surveillance and treatment The Hep-CORE study published in the Journal of the International AIDS So-

ciety was coordinated by ISGlobal and led by the European Liver Patientsrsquo Associa- tion According to Jeffrey Lazarus ISGlobal researcher and lead author viral hepatitis monitoring should incorporate civil society perspectives as has been done with global HIV monitoring In Europe 18 million people live with chronic HBV and 15 million with HCV Due to widespread HBV vaccination this infection is seen more in older Europeans or migrants from countries with a higher HBV prevalence For HCV there is no vac-cine but new antiviral drugs have made it much easier to cure although they are costly and have limited availability

Ciegravencia wwwprbborg | maig de 2011 4Ciegravencia wwwprbborg | juny de 2018 6

CIEgraveNCIA AL DESCOBERT SCIENCE UNCOVERED

Intel∙ligegravencia artificial el camp de proves definitiuMaria Ferrer-Bonet

En els uacuteltims 70 o 80 anys hem estat in-tentant emular la nostra intel∙ligegravencia en entitats artificials de tot tipus la

qual cosa ha donat lloc al camp creixent de la intel∙ligegravencia artificial (IA) Tot i que la IA ha aconseguit superar els humans en molts aspectes encara no estagrave a lrsquoaltura del seu nom En altres paraules la intel∙ligegravencia artificial tal com la definim els humans encara no existeix com tampoc hi ha consens entre els experts sobre si eacutes pos-sible aconseguir-la Tanmateix mentre la IA estagrave captivant la societat amb les seves increiumlbles aplica- cions i el seu ragravepid creixement (cotxes au-todirigits nanorobots) els cientiacutefics han trobat una nova manera de treure profit dels avenccedilos en aquest camp La IA srsquoha infiltrat en gairebeacute totes les disciplines i ha tingut un impacte especial en les biociegravencies La IA ha ofert prou potegravencia i capacitat computacional per abordar la complexitat de la recerca biologravegica a traveacutes de simulacions artificials (el que es coneix com a laquovida arti-ficialraquo) Eacutes a dir srsquoha presentat com un camp de proves ideal un entorn acotat perograve sense liacutemits on les lleis fiacutesiques soacuten adaptables on

tots els paragravemetres soacuten rastrejables mesura-bles emmagatzemables i recuperables Aquest fet es tradueix en la possibilitat de superar alguns dels reptes meacutes impor-tants de la recerca en biologia Per exemple els liacutemits egravetics de lexperimentacioacute animal amb medicaments per al cagravencer i altres malalties o les dificultats metodologravegiques destudiar sistemes complexos com ara el llenguatge humagrave la multicel∙lularitat o la intel∙ligegravencia col∙lectiva A meacutes la IA tambeacute es beneficia daquesta interaccioacute Al cap i a la fi la clau per ser ca-paccedilos de reproduir un sistema natural en un

Guia per a start-ups

Reimund Fickert

Crear un negoci des de lrsquoacadegravemia eacutes sempre complex i difiacutecil No hi ha receptes magravegiques per a lrsquoegravexit

Cal doncs aprendre a adquirir ragravepida-ment el paper drsquoun emprenedor Un bon comenccedilament eacutes la guia per a start-ups de 60 pagravegines que han publicat recentment des del CRG Podeu introduir-vos al con-cepte de propietat intel∙lectual (IP) i co-negraveixer la importagravencia de formar un equip complementari Es presenten la rellevagraven-cia i els elements drsquoun pla drsquoempresa aixiacute com la planificacioacute financera i la manera de trobar possibles inversors La guia es complementa amb un document molt va-luoacutes de fins a 40 pagravegines drsquoapegravendixs Aquiacute podeu obtenir meacutes informacioacute sobre la poliacutetica drsquoIP del CRG i seguir pas a pas el procediment per crear una empresa pri-vada a Espanya No hi falten alguns enlla-ccedilos per obtenir meacutes informacioacute recursos

RESSENYA REVIEW FOTO CIENTIacuteFICA SCIENTIFIC PHOTO

Espectre de segregacioacute cromosogravemica

En aquesta imatge creada per Petra Stockinger del grup de recerca sobre Coordinacioacute de la Citocinesi amb la

Segregacioacute Cromosogravemica dirigit per Ma-nuel Mendoza al CRG podem veure foto-grafies de la segregacioacute de lrsquoADN durant la divisioacute drsquouna cegravel∙lula drsquoinsecte En cada cicle cel∙lular el material genegravetic drsquouna cegravel∙lula compactat en el nucli es du-plica per despreacutes repartir-se entre les dues cegravel∙lules filles durant la divisioacute cel∙lular En aquesta imatge les diferents etapes de la segregacioacute cromosogravemica srsquohan representat en diferents colors des de lrsquoalineacioacute ini- cial de tots els parells de cromosomes en-mig de la cegravel∙lula (blau fosc) fins al punt en quegrave les dues cogravepies de cada conjunt de cro-mosomes es troben en costats oposats de la cegravel∙lula (blanc)

A la imatge es pot distingir com durant la segregacioacute lrsquoADN es compacta en forma de cromosomes (punts petits) mentre que al final de la divisioacute cel∙lular els cromoso-mes es descondensen i lrsquoADN es troba de nou en forma de cabdell de llana (rosa i blanc)

Spectrum of chromosome segregation

In this image created by Petra Stockin-ger from the Coordination of Cytoki-nesis with Chromosome Segregation

research group led by Manuel Mendoza at the CRG we can see snapshots of DNA segregation in a dividing insect cell During cell division the genetic material of a cell compacted in the nucleus is du-plicated and then divided between the two daughter cells In this image the different stages of chromosome segregation have been depicted in different colours from the initial alignment of all chromosome pairs in the middle of the cell (dark blue) to the point when the two copies of each set of chromosomes are on opposite sides of the cell (white) The image shows how during segregation the DNA is compacted in the form of chro-mosomes (little dots) while at the end of cell division the chromosomes decondense and the DNA is once again found in a loose form (pink and white)

ambient artificial depegraven sobretot del conei-xement que es teacute del sistema en quumlestioacute En conclusioacute la relacioacute simbiogravetica entre la IA i les biociegravencies ha aportat el camp de proves definitiu per poder resoldre alguns dels misteris de la biologia a meacutes del marc teograveric necessari per ser capaccedilos daconse-guir una intel∙ligegravencia artificial real

Artificial Intelligence the ultimate playground

For the last 70 or 80 years we have be-en trying to emulate our own intelli-gence in all kinds of artificial beings

This has given rise to the growing field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Even though AI now manages to outper-form humans in many ways it still fails to live up to its name In other words so far there is no artificial intelligence as defined by human standards Nor is there agree- ment among experts as to whether this can be achieved at all Nevertheless while AI mesmerises soci-ety with its amazing applications and rapid advances (think self-driving cars and nano-robots) scientists have found a whole new way to take advantage of the progress in the field Having spread to almost all disci-

plines it has had a special impact on bios- cience In a nutshell AI offers the biosciences enough computational power and capacity to address the complexity of their research through artificial simulations (known as ldquoartificial liferdquo) In other words it has presen-ted itself as an ideal testing field where the laws of physics are bendable an unlimited sandbox where all parameters are traceable measurable storable and recoverable This fact translates into the possibility of overcoming some of the challenges in bio-re-lated research For example the ethical cons-traints of animal testing in cancer and other diseases or the methodological difficulties of studying complex systems like human langua-ge multicellularity or swarm intelligence In addition AI also benefits from this in-teraction In the end the key to being able to reproduce a natural system in an artificial environment relies mostly on the knowledge available about that system In conclusion the symbiotic relationship of AI and the biosciences has provided scientists with the ultimate experimental playground in which to address some of biologyrsquos unsol-ved mysteries as well as the necessary theo-retical feedback to potentially achieve some kind of real artificial intelligence

addicionals i inversors Recomano total-ment aquesta guia que trobareu al web tbdocrgeu a tots els cientiacutefics que tinguin curiositat i un cert esperit emprenedor I si en voleu meacutes podeu registrar-vos al meu curs laquoOportunitats de negoci a la ciegravencia i meacutes enllagraveraquo del programa Intervals del PRBB o al CRG Bio-Business School

Guided startup

Building a business from academia is always complex and difficult There is no magic recipe for success What

is required is quick learning and a rapid transformation into an entrepreneur A good start is the 60-page ldquoInventorrsquos guide to startupsrdquo from the CRG It introduces you to the concept of inte-llectual property (IP) and you learn about the importance of setting up a complemen-tary team The role and elements of a busi-ness plan are presented as is financial plan-ning and how to find potential investors The guide is complemented by a 40-page appendix which is also a worthwhile read Here you can find out more about the CRGrsquos IP policy and see a step-by-step procedure for setting up a private company in Spain There are also well-structured links to more information additional resources and in-vestors I fully recommend this guide from tbdocrgeu for all scientists who are curious about entrepreneurship If you would like to learn more please sign-up for my Intervals cour-se ldquoBusiness opportunities in science and beyondrdquo or the CRG Bio Business School

copy M

aria

Fer

rer

7 maig de 2011 | wwwprbborg 7 juny de 2018 | wwwprbborg Diversitat

RETRAT PORTRAIT

Anna Almor AndreuBarcelona 4 drsquoagost del 1987

Tegravecnic de suport dels Laboratoris de pragravectiques de la Facultat de Ciegravencies

de la Salut i de la Vida (FCSV) de la UPF

Quegrave eacutes el que trsquoagrada meacutes de la teva feina Formar part del projecte educatiu de la UPF i fer-ho amb els altres col∙lectius PDI PAS i estudiants A meacutes la diversitat de tasques fa que tot sovint un dia tranquil acabi sent una aventura

Quins soacuten els teus hobbies Vogravelei vogravelei vogravelei i meacutes vogravelei El torneig del PRBB em va donar la oportunitat de descobrir aquest esport no gaire popular que em va robar el cor mica en mica A meacutes de fer esport afavoreix el treball en equip la comunicacioacute el respecte cap a lrsquoadversari i ogravebviament cap al teu equip

Que trsquoagradaria fer si no fessis aixograve Organitzar esdeveniments Com es deia a una segraverie dels anys vuitanta laquoMe encanta que los planes salgan bienraquo Suposo que aquest anhel el supleixo sent membre de LaORG

On has treballat abans de venir aquiacute De repartidora de diaris gratuiumlts drsquoauxiliar administrativa de cambrera fent enquestes I de cada una drsquoaquestes feines mrsquohe endut valuoses experiegravencies professionals i personals

Quin eacutes el teu millor defecteLa sinceritat i de vegades en exceacutes perograve prefereixo ser sincera que no pas hipogravecrita Tot es pot dir si es diu beacute

What do you like most about your workBeing part of the UPFrsquos educational project and doing this together with the other groups PDI PAS and students In addition the diversity of tasks means that quite often a quiet day ends up being an adventure

What are your hobbies Volleyball volleyball and more volleyball The PRBB tournament has given me the opportunity to discover this not so popular sport and it has stolen my heart bit-by-bit As well as the benefits of doing sport it builds teamwork skills communication respect towards your opponent and obviously towards your team

What would you like to be doing if you werenrsquot doing this Organising events Like they said in a famous series from the 80s ldquoI love it when a plan comes togetherrdquo I suppose I compensate for this desire by being a member of LaORG

Where did you work before you came here I distributed free newspapers was an administrative assistant waitress did sociopolitical surveys a little a bit of everything but Irsquove had many valuable personal and professional experiences in each of these jobs

What is your worst defect Sincerity sometimes to excess But I prefer to be sincere than hypocritical You can say anything as long as you say it carefully

DEBAT ACTUAL CURRENT-AFFAIRS DEBATE

El Parc de la Ciutadella laboratori durant un cap de setmana

El proper 9 i 10 de juny se celebra al Parc de la Ciutadella la XII Festival de la Ciegravencia un esdeveniment per a tota la famiacutelia on petits i grans podran apropar-se a la recerca i la innovacioacute de la ciutat a traveacutes de meacutes de 230 activitats organitzades pels investigadors mateixosCom no podia ser drsquouna altra manera els centres del PRBB hi participen Us expliquem a qui hi trobareu i quegrave podreu fer amb nosaltres

Parc de la Ciutadella a laboratory for a weekend June 9th and 10th will see the 12th Science Festival held in Parc de la Ciutadella It is an event for the whole family where children and adults can get up close to the cityrsquos research and innovation through more than 230 activities organised by the researchers themselvesOf course the PRBB centres are taking part Herersquos who you will find there and what you can do with us

Diana Escobar (responsable del programa Barcelona Ciegravencia de lrsquoICUB)

laquoUn any meacutes se celebra el Festival de la Ciegravencia de Barcelona i ja en soacuten 12 les edicions drsquoaquesta proposta ciu-tadana oberta a tothom que ofereix al llarg drsquoun cap de setmana 230 activitats de for-mats tan diversos com ara tallers demostra-cions xerrades debats itineraris especta-cles i instal∙lacions Organitzat per lrsquoInstitut de Cultura de Barcelona i gragravecies a la parti-cipacioacute de meacutes de 150 institucions centres de recerca universitats entitats i professio-nals de la divulgacioacute el Festival representa una magniacutefica oportunitat per acostar a la societat la recerca que es fa a la ciutatraquo

ldquoOnce again wersquore holding the Barcelona Science Festival This is the 12th edition of this public proposal open to everyone and which offers over a single weekend 230 ac-tivities in formats as diverse as workshops demonstrations talks debates itinerari-es shows and installations Organised by the Institute of Culture of Barcelona and thanks to the participation of more than 150 institutes research centres universi- ties other organisations and disseminati-on professionals the Festival represents a great opportunity for exposing society to the research carried out in the cityrdquo

Rauumll Toran (ISGlobal)

laquoLes science shops permeten establir un contacte direc-te entre ciegravencia i societat

civil i aportar idees per orientar les liacutenies de recerca a necessitats reals aixiacute com per a la presa de decisions poliacutetiques A tra-veacutes dels seus contactes locals nacionals i internacionals les science shops ofereixen una funcioacute drsquoantena per a les demandes (actuals i futures) de la societat sobre la ci-egravencia Drsquoaquesta manera la ciegravencia srsquoobre a la participacioacute de la ciutadania i els grups drsquointeregraves Al Festival de la ciegravencia el projec-te InSPIRES que teacute com a objectiu avaluar els models de les science shops tindragrave un paper fonamental en la Carpa de la Ciegravencia Ciutadana Durant dos dies recollirem de-mandes ciutadanes entre els participants a les activitats drsquo11 projectes de ciegravencia ciu-tadana que es realitzen a Barcelonaraquo

ldquoScience Shops allow you to establish di-rect contact between science and civil so-ciety and contribute ideas to guide research towards real needs in addition to political decision-making Through their local na-

tional and international contacts Science Shops work like an antenna for the (current and future) demands of society on science In this way science is open to the partici-pation of the general public and interest groups At the Science Festival the project InSPIRES aimed at evaluating the Science Shops models will play a key role in the Ci-tizen Science Tent For two days we will co-llect citizen demands from the people who take part in 11 citizen science projects that are being carried out in Barcelonardquo

Carolina Lorente (DCEXS-UPF)

laquoDes del DCEXS-UPF par-ticiparem al Festival de la Ciegravencia amb un taller i un

debat sobre lrsquoeterna joventut Creiem que eacutes essencial que la societat formi part del pro-ceacutes de recerca des del principi i aixograve impli-ca tenir en compte les seves opinions sobre un tema tan directament rellevant com eacutes lrsquoenvelliment Amb el viacutedeo que passarem volem mostrar un escenari de futur que con-vida a la reflexioacute sobre el camiacute al qual ens pot portar la recerca en envelliment Aixograve junta-ment amb el debat que moderareacute i en el qual el puacuteblic podragrave interactuar directament amb experts com ara Paco Muntildeoz (envelliment) Marc Guumlell (biologia sintegravetica) i Gema Re-vuelta (comunicacioacute social de la ciegravencia) pot ser un bon punt de partida per conegraveixer les opinions i preocupacions del puacuteblicraquo

ldquoThe DCEXS-UPF will participate in the Science Festival with a workshop and deba-te on eternal youth We believe it is essential for society to be part of the research process from the beginning This implies taking in-to account the publicrsquos views on topics that are as directly relevant as ageing is We are going to screen a video where we want to show a future scenario that invites us to re-flect about where research into ageing can takes us This together with the debate I will moderate where the public can inte-ract directly with experts like Paco Muntildeoz (ageing) Marc Guumlell (synthetic biology) and Gema Revuelta (public engagement) should be a good starting point for getting to know peoplersquos opinions and concernsrdquo

Marta Solis (CRG)

laquoEl diagraveleg sobre aquesta dinagravemica drsquointercanvi es fo-menten les activitats que or-

ganitza aquest any el CRG a la manera drsquouna via de dos sentits en la qual ciegravencia i societat srsquoenriqueixen lrsquouna a lrsquoaltra Un circuit drsquoin-vestigadors que presenten la seva recerca

de manera visual creativa i quotidiana un joc de taula cocreat per la societat que ex-posa els resultats principals del projecte de ciegravencia ciutadana ldquoSaca La Lenguardquo una microxerrada sobre el genoma en 3D i un debat sobre teragravepia gegravenica i edicioacute genegravetica permetran aquesta lliure circulacioacute de co-neixement idees i mirades a lrsquohoritzoacuteraquo

ldquoDialogue This year the CRG is organi-sing lots of different activities that use this exchange dynamic as a two-way process in which science and society can enrich each other A circuit of researchers who present their work in a visual creative and everyday way a board game co-created by society that sets out the main results of the citizen science project rsquoSaca La Len-guarsquo (Stick out your tongue) a little chat on the genome in 3D and a debate on gene therapy and genetic editing will fa-cilitate this free circulation of knowledge ideas and glances at the futurerdquo

Mariacutea Bogaerts i Vivien Horvath (IBE CSIC-UPF)

laquoDes de lrsquoIBE serem pre-sents en el Festival de la Ci-

egravencia el dissabte dia 9 drsquo11 a 1230 h amb la instal∙lacioacute ldquoMelanogaster Catch The Fly Elements mogravebils Mutacions Bioinformagrave-tica i Minionsrdquo organitzada pel nostre grup de Genogravemica Funcional i Evolutiva de lrsquoIBE i per la plataforma La Ciegravencia al Teu Moacuten El puacuteblic aprendragrave sobre genogravemica de lrsquoadap-tacioacute i coneixeragrave les tegravecniques de sequumlenci-acioacute genogravemica drsquouacuteltima generacioacute Els visi-tants es transformaran tambeacute en mosques de la fruita Drosophila melanogaster usades com a organismes model en genegravetica En un entorn virtual i a cops drsquoatzar expressaran mutacions que els permetran adaptar-se o no a diverses condicions ambientals i per tant sobreviure-hi o desaparegraveixerraquo

ldquoThe IBE will be present at the Science Fes-tival on Saturday from 11 am to 1230 pm with the installation rsquoMelanogaster Catch The Fly Moving parts Mutations Bioinfor-matics and Minionsrsquo organised by our group at IBE on Functional and Evolutionary Ge-nomics and the La Ciegravencia al Teu Moacuten plat-form The public will learn about the geno-mics of adaptation and find out about latest-generation genome sequencing techniques Visitors will also be transformed into fruit flies Drosophila melanogaster which are used as model genetic organisms In a virtu-al environment they will randomly express mutations that will allow them to adapt or not to different environmental conditions and therefore to survive or disappearrdquo

DireccioacuteJordi Camiacute Reimund Fickert i Elvira Loacutepez

EditoraMaruxa Martiacutenez-Campos

Ajudant de redaccioacute i edicioacute Carlos Sierra

Comitegrave editorialRosa Manaut (IMIM)

Mari Carmen Cebriaacuten (UPF)Glograveria Lligadas (CRG)Pau Rubio (ISGlobal)

Agravengels Codina Relat (IBECSIC-UPF)Carla Manzanas (EMBL)Mogravenica Rodriacuteguez (PRBB)

Centres Institut Hospital del Mar drsquoInvestigacions

Megravediques (IMIM)Departament de Ciegravencies Experimentals

i de la Salut de la Universitat Pompeu Fabra (DCEXS-UPF)

Centre de Regulacioacute Genogravemica (CRG)Institut de Salut Global de Barcelona (ISGlobal)

Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (IBECSIC-UPF)Laboratori Europeu de Biologia Molecular

(EMBL Barcelona)

AdreccedilaParc de Recerca Biomegravedica de Barcelona (PRBB)

c Dr Aiguader 88 bull E-08003 Barcelona E-mail comunicacioprbborg

Web wwwprbborg

Maquetacioacute i impressioacutewwwcegeglobalcom

Impregraves en paper reciclatDipogravesit legal B 23796-2009

Edifici wwwprbborg | juny de 2018 8

Si voleu rebre una versioacute digital drsquoaquest diari registreu-vos a wwwprbborgcadivulgacio If you would like to receive a digital copy of this newspaper please register at wwwprbborgdivulgacio

LA FOTO DEL MES PHOTO OF THE MONTHReptes egravetics de la recerca cliacutenica en Alzheimer

Envieu les vostres fotos relacionades amb el PRBB a Send your pictures related to the PRBB to comunicacioprbborg

AGENDA AGENDA12 de juny Xerrada El por queacute del pacto social por la ciencia de Amaya Moro Martiacuten (AEAC) A lauditori del PRBB a les 12 h Acte obert13 de juny Presentacioacute Informe Quiral A les 1900 h a la sala Marie Curie Meacutes informacioacute httpbitly2kDnk7A14-15 de juny Seminari laquoCiencia para los pacientesraquo al CaixaForum Meacutes informacioacute i inscripcions https wwwisglobalorgregistration-form19 de juny ldquoExplaining your research to anyonerdquo an Intervals course by Eric May From 930 h Registration is es-sential Intervalsprbborg19 de juny Jornada UPF Entrepre-neurs De 11 a 1330 h a la sala Marie Curie Oberta a tothom Meacutes informa-cioacute httpbitly2JmHsbO20-21 de juny ldquoNegotiating with con-fidence inside or outside sciencerdquo an Intervals course by Eric May More in-formation Intervalsprbborg15 de juliol Registration deadline for ldquoFoldx in Silico Protein Engineering From Modeling to Dockingrdquo which will take place on October 16-19 at the CRG wwwcrgeuevents

Foto de Javier Quilez Oriete (CRG) Photo by Javier Quilez Oriete (CRG)

Per a meacutes informacioacute aneu a wwwprbborgFor more information please go to wwwprbborg

NOTIacuteCIA GENERAL GENERAL NEWS NOTIacuteCIES BREUS BRIEF NEWS

Maruxa Martiacutenez-Campos

El passat mes de maig els muacutesics i can-tants del Parc van fer gala de les seves dots meacutes enllagrave de les parets del PRBB

El dissabte 13 de maig lorquestra del PRBB va participar en lespectacle laquoGosar poderraquo dins el festival Barcelona Poesia 2018 a la placcedila del Mercat de la Barcelone-ta Juntament amb dos joves poetes Blan-ca Llum Vidal i Guim Valls la Riborquestra mdashuna orquestra de nens del Ravalmdash i la iniciativa laquoBarris en dansaraquo mdashamb la qual persones no professionals de diferents barris de Barcelona creen un espectacle de dansa dirigits pel coreogravegraf Aacutelvaro de la Pentildeamdash el personal del PRBB va canviar la ciegravencia per la muacutesica la poesia i la dansa Drsquoaltra banda la coral del PRBB va par-ticipar el 10 de maig en lrsquoemotiu acte de comiat i agraiumlment de la cinquantena de treballadors i treballadores del PSMAR ju-bilats durant lrsquoany 2017 incloent Antonia Domingo de lIMIM La coral va tancar lrsquoacte amb un repertori farcit de referegravencies als musicals meacutes coneguts de Broadway i el West End aixiacute com al de Mar i Cel

De la ciegravencia a la muacutesica

From science to music

In May the parks musicians and sin-gers showed off their talents beyond the walls of the PRBB

On Saturday May 13th the PRBB orches-tra took part in the show Gosar Poder as part of the 2018 Barcelona Poetry festival held in the market square in Barceloneta Along with two young poets Blanca Llum Vidal and Guim Valls the Riborquestra mdash a kids orchestra from the Raval dis- trict mdash and the ldquoBarrios en dansardquo initia-tive where non-professionals from diffe-rent neighbourhoods in Barcelona create a dance show directed by the choreographer Aacutelvaro de la Pentildea the PRBB staff swapped science for music poetry and dance In addition on May 10th the PRBB choir were involved in the moving ceremony held to bid farewell and thanks to the fifty PSMAR workers who retired in 2017 inclu-ding Antonia Domingo from the IMIM The choir closed the event with a medley of hits from the best-known Broadway and West End musicals as well as numbers from Mar i Cel

Mara Dierssen del CRG guardonada amb el premi laquoOptimistas Comprometi-dosraquo Aquests premis organitzats per la revista global wwwanochetuveunsuenocom reconeixen la tasca de persones i ini-ciatives que treballen per a una societat millor En aquesta quarta convocatograveria Dierssen va ser guardonada per la seva re-cerca sobre la siacutendrome de Down i el seu compromiacutes amb lrsquoequilibri de gegravenere en ciegravencia

CRG researcher Mara Dierssen awarded the IV Optimistas Comprometidos Prize These awards organised by the interna-tional magazine Anoche tuve un suentildeo recognise people and initiatives working for a better society Dierssen was honou-red for her research into Downrsquos syndrome and her commitment to gender balance in science

Alicia Saacutenchez Arroyo i Konstantina Mit-si estudiants de doctorat de lrsquoIBE obte-nen el 1r i 2n premi al campionat Rin4rsquo Saacutenchez Arroyo i Mitsi van aconseguir els dos primers llocs drsquoaquest concurs orga-nitzat per la UPF La final del campionat Rin4rsquo en quegrave els estudiants de doctorat ha-

vien drsquoexplicar la seva recerca en nomeacutes 4 minuts va tenir lloc el 25 drsquoabril Saacutenchez Arroyo representaragrave a la UPF a la competi-cioacute catalana el proper mes de juny

Alicia Saacutenchez Arroyo and Konstantina Mitsi IBE PhD students get 1st and 2nd prize at the Rin4rsquo championship Saacutenchez Arroyo and Mitsi took the top two positi-ons in this competition organised by the UPF The final of the Rin4rsquo championship in which PhD students explain their rese-arch in only 4 minutes took place on April 25th Saacutenchez Arroyo will represent the UPF in the Catalan competition next June

Investigadors de la UPF i lIBE participen al Pint of Science el festival que porta la ciegravencia als bars Marc Guumlell Jaume Ber-tranpetit i lrsquoequip drsquoestudiants iGEM van participar al festival de divulgacioacute cientiacute-fica Pint of Science el 14 de maig Guumlell va parlar de les tecnologies dedicioacute del geno-mai les noves teragravepies que estan facilitant Bertranpetit de la genegravetica per entendre lrsquoevolucioacute i els iGEM del projecte que pre-senten a la competicioacute internacional de biologia sintegravetica

UPF and IBE researchers participate in Pint of Science a festival that brings scien- ce to bars Marc Guumlell Jaume Bertranpe-tit and the iGEM team of undergraduate students took part in the science outreach festival Pint of Science on May 14th Guumlell talked about genome editing technologies which are enablingd new therapies Ber-tranpetit about the use of genetics to un-derstand evolution and the iGEM group about their project for the international synthetic biology competition

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