Spain establishes world-class disease modeling facility

Using human tissue models for drug development is the latest hype in industry and academia. Researchers across the globe expect it to provide more realistic prediction of disease mechanisms, thereby bringing down the current 90% failure rate of clinical development. A new EMBL facility at Barcelona’s Biomedical Research Park (PRBB) is now set to place Spain at the forefront of the field bringing world class imaging equipment and researchers to the Catalan site. The Southern growth ambition was also reflected at this year’s major partnering event in Barcelona, BIO-Europe Spring.

Researchers at the new EMBL for tissue biology and disease modeling will tackle the flaws in how cells arrange 3-dimensionally and interact at the tissue level when they, for example, become cancerous, loose immune tolerance or turn necrotic. Their findings are expected to inspire drug development by delivering novel targets and potential disease modulators. The site will house state-of-the-art imaging facilities, such as one of the few SPIM microscopes, making pioneering technologies available to scientists worldwide.

The Spanish and the Catalan government, alongside with the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), have supported the initiative from the very beginning. “This agreement reflects our ambition to place Spain at the forefront of research in the life sciences,” said Luis de Guindos, Spanish Minster of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness. “Tissue biology and disease modeling is an exciting field, where we expect breakthroughs in fundamental research and also in terms of future medical applications. EMBL Barcelona will be in a unique position to lead those advances,” says EMBL Director-General Iain Mattaj. “The site will be one of the few places in the world where scientists can access state-of-the-art microscopy and modeling technologies specifically designed for studying tissues.”

The new EMBL will complement the biomedical cluster in Barcelone already established at the PRBB. According to Louis Serrano, Director of CRG, it will bring collaboration in biomedical research to the next level. “Hosting EMBL in Barcelona represents a landmark achievement in Catalonia’s ambitious and successful R&D programme. The PRBB campus and the region host a vibrant community, conducting pioneering science, so this is the perfect setting for EMBL’s new site,” says Jordi Baiget, Minister of Business and Knowledge of the Catalan Government and President of the CRG Board of Trustees.