The new ”la Caixa” Foundation – BIST Chemical Biology Programme launches a hub in Barcelona for the design of new drugs

The ”la Caixa” Foundation and BIST are creating a chemical biology programme to promote two new cutting-edge research groups at IRB Barcelona and IBEC (both BIST centres). The initiative aims to attract talent from the field of chemical biology, and to create an ecosystem that fosters research excellence in improving health.

The aim of the programme is to further research in chemical biology, with a focus on improving the design and production of new drugs, thereby creating a hub of this discipline in Barcelona.

The programme kicks off with the incorporation of two new research groups at IRB Barcelona and IBEC, led by two outstanding researchers: Dr. Cristina Mayor-Ruiz (IRB Barcelona) and Dr. Irene Marco-Rius (IBEC).

Chemical biology studies the behaviour of small molecules in living systems, combining the quantitative techniques of chemistry with the medical relevance of biology. One of the goals of chemical biology is to develop new drugs.