The coordinator of BLoC project, Irene Marco-Rius, has been recently selected to participate in the new “la Caixa” Foundation – BIST Chemical Biology Programme and begin her own research group as principal investigator, the “Molecular Imaging for Precision Medicine group».
The young talent and research excellence of Irene Marco-Rius has recently been recognized by the “la Caixa” Foundation – BIST Chemical Biology Programme, a new programme that aims to launch a powerful research programme in chemical biology, and to attract talent through the creation of a hub in Barcelona focused on this discipline. Irene is a physicist, holds a PhD on magnetic resonance spectroscopy by the University of Cambridge, and has an international profile that counts with several stays in the USA and in different European countries. Through this programme, started last April, she will receive funding to begin her own research group as principal investigator at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC). Her laboratory, named “Molecular Imaging for Precision Medicine group”, will focus on developing innovative molecular imaging technologies to diagnose diseases and assess early response to treatments.
My research focuses on developing technology to diagnose disease and evaluate response to treatment without any pain and without the need for a biopsy. In fact, we use a magnetic resonance imaging device that allows us to monitor chemical reactions and informs us on the health status of the cells inside the human or animal body, or in bioengineered tissues.
A new chapter in the scientific trajectory of Irene is beginning now, and this change implies that from now on she will assume the coordination of BLoC project as principal investigator, while Professor Javier Ramón will continue his participation as co-coordinator.
About the “la Caixa” Foundation – BIST Chemical Biology Programme
The idea behind this newly created “la Caixa” Foundation – BIST Chemical Biology Programme is to take advantage of the very developed biopharmaceutical sector present in the region of Barcelona to establish new multidisciplinary chemical-biology research lines that will culminate with the development of novel biomedical approaches and innovative drugs to treat diseases. Chemical biology applies the quantitative techniques of chemistry to the study of biological processes that occur in living organisms, being a research area with high relevance for the field of medicine.
“la Caixa” Foundation supports excellent research in health and biomedicine in Spain and Portugal stimulating innovation and the transfer of knowledge from the laboratories to new treatments and solutions for patients. The foundation acts by promoting generation of new knowledge in key biomedical areas and the improvement of medical and clinical practice. They also support basic research and the dissemination of the results to the society.
On the other hand, the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST) is a leading institution of multidisciplinary research formed by seven Catalan research centres of excellence, including IBEC. BIST aims to promote excellent research in a multidisciplinary environment, fostering collaboration among the members of this diverse scientific community to become a global reference for training outstanding research talent and to maximize science impact in society.
The Chemical Biology Programme initiative aims to attract talent from the field of chemical biology and to create an ecosystem that fosters research excellence in improving health.