In Vivo 20 - October 2012
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Transcript of In Vivo 20 - October 2012
NEWSLETTER OF THE INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH IN BIOMEDICINE
in vivoOctober 2012 | Issue 20
Autumn brings the arrival of a new batch of young scientists
Eduard Batlle, Group Leader of the Colorectal cancer laboratory, and
Hans Clevers, from the Hubrecht Institute in the Netherlands, closed the
Barcelona BioMed Conference on Tumour Stem Cells in 2007 (see photo
on the right) promising that that gathering was only the first in a pioneer-
ing new field of investigation.
Promise kept. On 12-14 November, 150 selected international scien-
tists will take stock at the 19th Barcelona BioMed Conference, Normal
and Tumour Stem Cells. Expectations are high. “There will be plenty of
‘big shots’,” says Eduard Batlle. To find out more, see page 3.
A healthy team of IRB Barcelona junior
and senior scientists travelled to Sevilla at the
beginning of September to take part in the
22nd IUBMB and the 37th FEBS Congress.
The gathering, entitled “From Single Mole-
cules to Systems Biology” provided an impor-
tant cross-discipinary platform for researchers
from across the world to discuss the latest de-
velopments in their fields.
As a satellite event, the FEBS Young Scien-
tists Programme gathered students in another
location in Andalusia. IRB Barcelona Jordi
Lanuza was there and reports back to In vivo
on page 2.
Summer science in Sevilla
While the group of PhD students spon-
sored in 2011 by the ”la Caixa” Foundation
celebrated their fellowships in Madrid in July
(photo from the ceremony below), a new batch
of young scientists was preparing to join IRB
Barcelona. In September and October,
23 PhD students (ten
of whom sponsored by ”la Caixa”) and ten
postdoctoral fellows supported by the EU Ma-
rie Curie Actions arrived at the doors of the
Institute. Meet some of them on pages 4 and 8.
p2 Drosophila takes centre stage
Summer camp for future scientists
Science andclowning
ViewpointIf I could only turn back time...p5 p7p6
The next Barcelona BioMed Conference on tumour cancer stem cells promises surprises
Hans Clevers and Eduard Batlle at the 2007 Barcelona BioMed Conference on Tumour Stem Cells. They’ll pick up in November where they left off. (Foto Jordi Pareto)
in vivo October 2012 | Issue 2002
IRB Barcelona director Joan J. Guinovar-
tas been appointed president-elect of the
International Union of Biochemistry and
Molecular Biology (IUBMB). His mandate
begins in 2015. Founded in 1955, IUBMB
brings together biologists and molecular
biochemists from 77 countries with the ob-
jective to promote research and training in
this field around the world..
Choose 130 enthusiastic,
talented young scientists
from across the world,
place them in an isolated and agree-
able resort south of Cadiz for four
days, shake strongly and what you
will get is the perfect cocktail for
first-class science. The FEBS Young
Scientist Programme, which this
year coincided with the IUBMB’s
Young Scientist Forum, was held
at the beginning of September in
Costa Ballena.
Jordi Lanuza was there and presented a
poster of his research on JNK. His results dem-
onstrate that the activation of this kinase in dia-
betes and obesity inhibits the positive feedback
of insulin in the pancreatic beta cells, affecting the
homeostasis of glucose. He also chaired a session
on cell signalling.
But science was not the only interest Jordi
had in taking part. After having participated
in the previous edition of the YSF in Gothen-
burg, and hot off the heels of his experience as
organiser of the IRB Barcelona PhD Student
Symposium last year, he wanted to help out
with the conference preparations. “This
is an extraordinary opportunity for
young scientists to meet and exchange
opinions on top-quality science with
colleagues you don’t often get to meet
in big congresses,” says Jordi. “The
intimate environment means you have
more direct contact with people.”
Jordi’s task in the local organizing
committee focussed on “social boost-
ing,” as he puts it. “We only had three
days, and none of us knew each other.
Normally, it takes a couple of days for people to
break the ice and start socializing. I organised
activities to ensure that this process began from
the first evening.” Among Jordi’s gimmicks were
a pub quiz, pipetting races, and a “William Tell”
competition, where participants had to shoot a
rubber glove at a plastic cup on someone’s head.
During the event, many career progression
and enterpreneurship opportunities were pre-
sented to the young scientists. “Overall, it was
a very positive experience,” says Jordi, “espe-
cially for the networking opportunities.” .LUCA TANCREDI BARONE
Scientists from IRB Barcelona travelled to Sevilla in September to
take part in the 22nd IUBMB and the 37th FEBS Congress. Direc-
tor Joan J. Guinovart led the way, in his role as Chair of the Sci-
entific Committee for the event, entitled “From Single Molecules
to Systems Biology.” No less than six Group Leaders and a handful
of postdocs followed suit to give talks on their latest research re-
sults. The week-long conference also provided a unique opportunity
for IRB Barcelona PhD students to get involved. Prior to the main
event, four students travelled to Cadiz to attend satellite activities
organised as part of the FEBS’ Young Scientists Programme and the
IUBMB’s Young Scientists Forum, which aimed to give young scien-
tists from across the world a chance to share and exchange scientific
experience, present their work to an international audience, meet
with internationally renowned professors and promote their scien-
tific future. IRB Barcelona PhD student Jordi Lanuza, from Carme
Caelles’ Cell Signalling Lab, served on the local organising commit-
tee and gained valuable insight into the behind-the-scenes goings-on
of a major international scientific conference.
Guinovart nextpresident of IUBMB
IRB Barcelona heads en masse to Sevilla
Forty internationally-re-
nowned Spanish scien-
tists who use Drosophila melanogaster in their biomedi-
cal research recently con-
vened for the first time ever.
Organised by Group Lead-
ers Jordi Casanova and Cayetano
González, the 1st Spanish Conference on
the Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Bi-
ology of Drosophila was held in Aiguablava, Girona,
on 25-28 September with the aim of identifying synergies
and boosting opportunities for collaboration among research-
ers who study the tiny insect.
Drosophila has long been used in life sciences research. It has played a
fundamental role in determining the basis of genetics and developmental
biology, and lies behind the work of six Nobel laureates in medicine. It
is now one of the key models in biomedical labs throughout the world.
Drosophila also holds a special place in the history of Spanish research.
Antonio García Bellido began pioneering studies with this insect in 1969
and has produced a strong line of disciples, including a number of people
in groups now at IRB Barcelona.
“In spite of this strength, never before has an event been organised
to bring together all the experts in this field in Spain. We are covering a
historical gap and showing the international dimension of our research,”
explains González. “Collectively we represent a powerhouse of expertise
and want to harness this to further our understanding of diseases.”.
The gathering of the Lords of the Flies
Jordi Lanuza, a scientific “social booster.” (Foto L.T. Barone)
in vivo October 2012 | Issue 2002
03in vivo October 2012 | Issue 20
As the recent awarding of the Nobel
Prize in Medicine can attest, stem cells
are a hot topic in many fields of bio-
medical research. It is easy to understand why: if
we could decode their secret for eternal life and
totipotentiality, we may find a key to open the
door to the cure of many diseases that affect us.
These very special cells are also the target of
leading innovative research in the field of cancer.
Cancer and tumour stem cells were the topic of
a pioneering Barcelona BioMed Conference that
IRB Barcelona organised in 2007. Group Leader
Eduard Batlle and Hans Clevers, from the Hu-
brecht Institute in the Netherlands, will meet
again on 12-14 November for another edition
of the Barcelona BioMed Conference which will
take stock of advances in the field. “Back in 2007,
stem cells in tumours were a really new field,”
says Eduard Batlle. “In the meantime, research
has evolved and it is now demonstrated that most
tumours are maintained and regenerated thanks
to a population of stem cells, in a very similar
way to what happens in normal tissues.”
Tissues in the body have a structure and an
organization that is preserved and rejuvenated
continuously by stem cells. Some tissues replace
themselves faster, like the skin or the intestine,
and others are slower, like the brain. What has
become clear in recent years is that tumours
work in a similar fashion. The replication of
tumour cells is not as chaotic as it seems, and
tumours preserve their hierarchy just as normal
cells do in a tissue.
“Basically there are two groups of cells in a
tumour,” clarifies Batlle. “On one side we have
discovered that there is a bulk of inert cells that
do nothing but sit there. We could call them ‘be-
nign.’ On the other side, we have seen that there
are stem cells that regenerate the tumour. Even if
these two groups of cells are genetically identical,
they play a very different role in the develop-
ment of the cancer.”
Clearly, being able to differentiate between
‘normal cancer cells’ and ‘stem cancer cells’ is
essential to prevent and block the mechanisms
leading to metastasis. “It is surprising how much
they look like each other,” admits the researcher.
“In colon cancer, cells have been accumulating
mutations for 15 to 20 years in the patient, and
yet they express more or less the same genes and
proteins as the healthy cells.”
The Barcelona BioMed Conference will
provide an important forum to discuss tumour
stem cells in different tissues, including the brain,
skin, blood, intestine and breast. There are cases,
though, like the pancreas, where scientists still
have little evidence of the presence of tumour
stem cells (and of stem cells in general).
“There will be plenty of ‘big shots’ in No-
vember,” he concludes. “People will be present-
ing results from promising screenings for drugs
to target tumour stem cells. I’m confident once
again we’ll see a phenomenal display of top sci-
ence.”.
Joan Roig (IRB Barcelona) and Isabelle
Vernos (Center for Genomic Regula-
tion) have identified one of the key cel-
lular components that ensures the even
distribution of the genetic material dur-
ing cell division: the protein Nek9.
During the process of mitosis, the
equal distribution of the genetic mate-
rial among the two new forming cells is
a critical step to ensure that they will be
healthy and successful. Either gaining or
losing chromosomes would lead to de-
fective cells which would be unable to
function properly and might give rise to
tumours or to problems during develop-
ment.
The study, published this summer in
Current Biology, shows how Nek9 is in-
volved in the maturation of one essential
element during mitosis: the centrosome.
Centrosomes organise the mitotic
spindle, a structure responsible for sepa-
rating chromosomes into two identical
groups. Each one of these groups is then
transmited to a new daughter cell.
Without Nek9 the mitotic spindle
would not be able to form correctly and
the resulting cells would be genetically
defective.
The basic research carried out by
Research Associate Joan Roig, PhD
student Sara Sdelci, and other scientists
from both IRB Barcelona and the CRG
has helped to unravel the function of this
protein, which one day could be used as a
therapeutic target against tumours.
A hypothetical drug that inhibits
Nek9 in cancerous cells might impair
cell division and therefore stop tumour
growth. Other proteins involved in the
same process as Nek9 (such as Plk1 and
Eg5) are already in advanced stages of tri-
als to produce anticancer agents.
Nek9 could now be considered a new
candidate..
Nek9, a key player in cell division
Tumour stem cells star in next Barcelona BioMed Conference
JULIA GARCÍA LÓPEZLUCA TANCREDI BARONE
Eduard Batlle and Hans Clevers during the Barcelona BioMed Conference on cancer stem cells in 2007. The Barcelona BioMed Conference Series is sponsored by the BBVA Foundation. (Foto Jordi Pareto)
03in vivo October 2012 | Issue 20
in vivo October 2012 | Issue 2004
Being born in a small town in the centre of Italy has never
stopped Federica from having big ambitions. After studying
medical biotechnology in Bologna, she moved to the Mario
Negri Sud Institute in Chieti to do a Masters in cell biology and then to
the University College Dublin for a PhD in bioinformatics and systems
biology, where she studied platelet signalling networks.
“I am hoping to find here the same socially vibrant atmosphere we
had in Dublin,” she affirms with a smile. “They truly treated us as cre-
ative people!”
Denis Shields, Federica’s boss in Dublin, knew IRB Barcelona and
strongly encouraged her to apply. “I think it was a very good sugges-
tion, and I am looking forward to working in gene translation in mi-
tochondrial pathologies,” she says. “More than half of mitochondrial
DNA mutations are concentrated in mitochondrial tRNA genes and
we don’t know why. What does mitochondrial protein synthesis have
to do with the pathological phenotype?”
Federica will carry out her project in Lluis Ribas’ and Antonio Zor-
zano’s labs. “I find it really interesting to be a trait-d’union between
two different groups. You have to learn how to integrate ideas and
methodologies, and you end up elaborating an original and hybrid way
of reasoning,” she explains. “When I was pre-
paring my thesis, and studying hard, I had
this strange feeling I am looking forward
to feeling again. Your creativity has a
boost, it’s like a cone of light illuminates
you, it’s really a neat sensation.”
For the end of her postdoc, Fed-
erica has plans. “When I grow up, I
would like to have my own labora-
tory. But life is strange, I might end
up teaching English, like
my partner, who is
also a scientist. Or
teaching science to
kids, something
that I enjoy very
much.”.
Welcoming ten new talents
C arefully. Adrian chooses this adverb to explain how he de-
cided to select IRB Barcelona for his postdoctoral studies.
“I wanted to be in a really good institute, so I only sent few
select applications. When I arrived here, I was impressed: the Institute
is every bit as competitive as renowned centres such as the EPFL in
Lausanne, where I also applied. The infrastructures, funding, publica-
tions and research projects were outstanding,” says this Argentinian
who studied biology in Córdoba in the National University.
Prior to coming to IRB Barcelona, Adrian was at the Laboratory of
Molecular Biology (MRC-LMB) in Cambridge, UK, thanks to a fellow-
ship set up in memory of an Argentinian chemist, Nobel Laureate César
Milstein. “During my three and a half years in the UK,” says Adrian,
“the focus of my research was the microRNA miR-122, which regulates
the metabolism of lipids and the hepatitis C virus infection. When it is
inhibited, the virus cannot replicate and the levels of cholesterol in the
blood are lowered. I designed ‘anti-miRs’, oligonucleotide analogues
capable of binding to the miRNA and inhibiting their function.”
His next scientific ‘home’ will be in Lluis Ribas’ and Eduard Batlle’s
labs. “I wanted to change my area of research,” he emphasises.
“I will follow up on Eva Novoa’s
project on transfer RNA that led to
a publication in Cell last year and
will learn new techniques. Plus, I
am excited to work in cancer re-
search.”
Adrian will work on hetA-
DATs, enzymes capable of modify-
ing tRNAs, key components in the
protein translation machinery. This
modification make the transla-
tion more efficient.
“The idea is to find
out whether this enzyme
is overexpressed in cancer or
not and how its expression
affects the disease,” he con-
cludes..
❝When you are studying intensely, your creativity has a boost, it’s like a cone of light illuminates you.❞
Federica Lombardi
❝ I only sent a few select applications and when I came to the interview, I was impressed with the quality of this Institute.❞
Adrian Gabriel Torres
After a rigourous selection process, ten postdoctoral fellows supported by the EU Marie Curie Actions are now ready to put on their brand-new IRB Barcelona lab coats. Hailing from Denmark, Macedonia, the Netherlands, India, UK, Japan, Croatia, Russia, Italy and Argentina, the postdocs will be working on 2-year projects in one or more IRB Barcelona labs. Here In Vivo chats with a couple of them.
05in vivo October 2012 | Issue 20
Welcoming ten new talents
If you could turn back time and start your PhD studies over again, would you do anything differently?
September saw the arrival of 23 new students who took up their place in IRB Barcelona’s International PhD Programme. To set them on their way, we decided to ask a few veterans for some wise words of advice...
I think the most critical thing is to choose the
place where you are going to do your PhD
thesis very carefully. Go where the best sci-
ence is being done – wherever in the world
that may be. When I did my doctorate, science
in Spain was not nearly as competitive as it
was in the UK, US, France or Germany, but I only realised this when I
went abroad for my postdoc. Thankfully this is changing and there are
highly competitive international scientists, at institutes like ours, who
can bring that expertise and perspective to their students.
Ernest Giralt, Group Leader
The only thing I would probably do differ-
ently would be to focus on a subject, keeping
within my chosen area, that would open doors
to more collaboration between different fields
of science. It opens up more possibilities to
you and can lead you down interesting paths.
Overall, though, I’m happy with the choices I’ve made, particularly the
one that allowed me to move from doing pure biochemistry to working
with more developmental biology approaches. Students shouldn’t be
scared of changing fields of research after their PhD.
Sofia Araujo, Research Associate
What a a tempting idea... In my opinion sci-
ence is filled with crossroads and we have to
choose which paths to take when we come to
them. I have made all the choices that have
come up during my PhD years (whether right
or wrong) with the information and context
that I’ve had at hand. I’ve made several decisions that now seem naïve
or plainly dumb, but at the time they made complete sense. All in all
I’m quite happy with the choices I’ve made. It’s like Einstein said, “If
we knew what we were doing, it wouldn’t be called research, would it?”
Francisco Barriga, Final year PhD Student
I would choose an internationally competi-
tive institute and work in a small group led
by a young, enthusiastic scientist, where post-
docs outweigh students. This helps to create
an environment of learning, interaction and
discussion among all lab members, which can only increase the chances
for success of a research project. I was fortunate enough to be in such a
lab. I would also keep in mind one of my favourite quotes, by Winston
Churchill: “Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with
no loss of enthusiasm.”
Jorge Domínguez, Head of Research and Academic Administration
Striking a deal with RIKEN
I f ever IRB Barcelona researchers wanted
to work on their Japanese language skills,
now’s their chance. On 19 September,
IRB Barcelona signed a scientific collaboration
agreement with the RIKEN Center for Devel-
opmental Biology. Based in Kobe, the CDB is a
Japanese powerhouse for experimental research
into cell and developmental biology, and a per-
fect complement to IRB Barcelona’s own efforts
in these areas.
The collaboration will provide a framework
for scientific interaction in the fields of stem
cells and regenerative medicine, as well as an ex-
change programme for researchers and students
between the two centres. “International rela-
tions with top-class centres such as the CDB are
a strategic priority and the only means to per-
form cutting-edge projects in biomedicine,” af-
firms director Joan J. Guinovart. “This partner-
ship will no doubt be extremely productive.”
Now online and more clickable than ever before.
www.irbbarcelona.org/annualreport2011
VIEWPOINT
in vivo October 2012 | Issue 2006
There is nothing more exciting than fol-
lowing your passion, especially if you
are young and full of enthusiasm. The
Joves i Ciència programme of the Fundació
CatalunyaCaixa is designed to give baccalau-
reate students a one-of-a-kind opportunity to
take part in a summer camp strictly centred on
cutting-edge scientific research. Talented and
motivated students come from all over Catalo-
nia to participate in the programme where they
have a chance to explore some of the science
currently being conducted in real research labs.
Along the way, they take the important first
steps toward a future career in science.
The Fundació chose five scientific themes,
spanning from astrophysics to climate science,
laser technology and genetics, to offer the 50
participating students during the two-week
camp, held at the beginning of July. Two IRB
Barcelona PhD students and a postdocfrom
Modesto Orozco’s lab submitted their pro-
posal to the organisers and were selected to
run a course on computational drug discovery
in leukemia. “We first gave the students the
basics on cancer, chemistry and physics, and
then we went on to drug design,” explain Ivan
Ivani, Michela Candotti and Nadine Utz (cur-
rently at German BioImaging). Classes were
given in English, another challenge for the ten
15-to-16-year-old students in their group. The
course was held in an isolated refuge in the Valls
d’Àneu in the Pyrenees. “We were far enough
from any distractions to be able to concentrate
on science alone,” recall Ivan and Michela.
“Students were selected based on their
school record, motivation and recommenda-
tion letters they presented,” tells Ivan. “After
a pre-selection, we personally interviewed the
shortlisted candidates. The truth is that these
kids were really smart!”
“Another quality we valued was creativity,”
adds Michela. “We gave them easy Fermi prob-
lems, where candidates have to find a way to
answer without having any data available. These
are very useful to see how the kids reason.” The
computational drug discovery group was finally
made up of four girls and six boys.
Michela, Ivan and Nadine guided the stu-
dents through the development of a drug. Each
of them had to evaluate a compound, then all
together decided which one was the best drug
candidate. They later discovered that the win-
ning ligand is a drug used in real life against
some kinds of leukemia. “The most staggering
finding for me,” says Michela, “is that we gave
them eight hours of classes a day, something
which was intense even for us, and they wanted
more! They couldn’t stop. In their free time
they were reading the papers we gave them and
asking questions. Amazing!”
The experience was truly enriching for the
three scientists. “It was an opportunity for us
to experience the joys of teaching. When you
have to teach something, you realize how much
you know about a subject,” they add, “and you
learn a lot. This topic in particular was slightly
unrelated to our main research project, so it was
fun to go into it in deeper detail.”
Michela and Ivan have decided to apply
next year to teach another course..
iPad-deserving science Good sci-
ence indeed pays off. Peter Jung from Eduard
Batlle’s lab won an iPad thanks to a poster he
presented at the last meeting of the European
Association for Cancer Research held in Barce-
lona in July. The poster on his research on co-
lon stem cells and colorectal cancer-initiating
cells which he did in collaboration with Anna
Merlos Suárez was considered among the three
best of the meeting.
Collaborative computation Oscar
Reina, in the Bioinformatics and Biostatistics
Unit, was awarded 3rd prize for best poster at
the 2012 European Conference on Compu-
tational Biology held in Basel in September.
The poster was a collaboration with Ferran
Azorín. The goal of their project was to pro-
duce graphics that effectively summarize large
“They couldn’t stop, they wanted to learn more science!”
IN BRIEF
A team of three IRB Barcelona scientists took part in ‘Joves i Ciència’, a training programme run by Fundació CatalunyaCaixa that gives secondary school students a first-hand experience with science.
in vivo October 2012 | Issue 2006
LUCA TANCREDI BARONE
Michela shows two of the summer camp students a molecule on the screen. The top photo shows a student taking notes during a lecture. (Foto Fundació CatalunyaCaixa)
07in vivo October 2012 | Issue 20
What do
clowns
and sci-
entists have in com-
mon? More than you
would expect. The
best person to ask is
Helena González,
a predoctoral stu-
dent in Travis
Stracker’s lab
who took
part this
summer in
the Inter-
national
Con-
fer-
ence
on
Science Communication, Journées Hubert Cu-
rien, in Nancy, France.
“The first two days of the five-day event
were dedicated to a workshop on the role of
clowns in science,” says Helena. “The session
was very innovative. It’s a field that is still com-
pletely under construction.”
Helena is no stranger to performing. The
theatre runs in her veins. Her father was a clown
and her mom was an actress, so she was liter-
ally brought up on stage. And you can’t help but
notice her passion for science and communica-
tion if you have the chance to see her explaining
her research to kids, both inside and outside the
Institute.
“Maybe the most obvious lesson we learnt
in the workshop was the fact that clowning is
a great tool to help bring science closer to a
younger audience. The interesting focus of this
approach is that clowns discover, together with
children, the ‘whys’ of an experiment or a sci-
entific theory. In other words, we abandon the
top-down model of the person who knows it all
and explains with impressive examples,” empha-
sises Helena.
In a way, a clown is the best character to
take the audience by the hand and discover the
world of science. “Clowns are vulnerable. All
alone on the stage, they have to connect with
the audience using only their eyes and - most
importantly - they aren’t afraid of failure. Like
children, clowns have no scientific knowledge,
and only ask themselves questions. Any problem
is, in fact, an opportunity,” she points out. This is
why clowns are truly model scientists: “Clowns
have to come up with a hypothesis and check
it together with the audience. And if it doesn’t
work, they need to change it and try it out again.
Every problem is a pearl for a clown to be ex-
ploited and explored.”
What does Helena see for her future? ”I am
always a bit of a clown, I use my body language a
lot, I am not afraid to make mistakes, and I like to
interact with the people who listen to my talks,
and react to their energy level. I’d like to learn
more about this to take science to more people,”
she says. There is even a group of researchers in
Paris who are working on clowning in science.
Maybe after my PhD I’ll join them!”.
Clowns make the best scientists
amounts of complex information, and is a
good example of how biologists and statisti-
cians can work together.
Best peptides The American Chemical
Society selected the 25 best papers in the field
of peptides published between 2009 and 2011.
Among them was one published in the Journal
of Organic Chemistry by Fernando Albericio
and coworkers in 2011.
Campus Gutenberg stars PhD students
Oriol Marimón, Helena González and Jordi
Lanuza took part in the Research Showroom at
the Campus Gutenberg, a workshop on science
communication organised by the University
Pompeu Fabra in September. Together with
other young scientists, they presented their
research in a lively fashion before a jury. They
did a bang-up job: Oriol won first prize.
LUCA TANCREDI BARONE
Narcís Monturiol plaque presented to the Institute The prestigious Narcís Monturiol award
was handed to IRB Barcelona director Joan J.
Guinovart (right) on 3 October by the Catalan
Secretary of University and Research Antoni
Castellà (left) and by the Catalan Minister of
Economy and Knowledge Andreu Mas-Colell
(middle). The distinction recognises the Insti-
tute’s contributions towards the advancement
of science and technology in Catalonia. Mon-
turiol was the inventor of the first com-
bustion engine-driven submarine.
07in vivo October 2012 | Issue 20
When she moved to California from France, Claire-Alix Garin Zapata (Le Chesnay, 1987) could
not have imagined the path her life would lead her. Dur-
ing her undergraduate years at Berkeley, Clair studied
molecular and cell biology and spent six months in San-
tiago on an exchange where she met her husband. After
working for two years as a research assistant at the University of Chile, her husband was
hired by the CRG and she decided to give Barcelona a try. “The scientific level of IRB
Barcelona and its international environment are impressive,” she notes, “and the op-
portunities for PhD students, like the PhD Student Symposium and the Student Council
activities, also got me hooked.” Clair is one of the new ”la Caixa” Fellowship recipients
and she will study the metabolism of glycogen in Joan J. Guinovart’s lab.
Konstantin Slobodnyuk (San Petersburg, 1983) was born “in a city that has changed its name, in a country
that no longer exists,” he says with a smile. With a degree
in biology from Saint Petersburg State University, he de-
cided to try a clinical approach to molecular biology and
worked for three years in leukemia diagnostics at the State
Pavlov Medical University. But he felt that clinics was not for him and that “research
would be more exciting.” He had fallen in love with Barcelona, and decided to apply for a
”la Caixa” Fellowship in Angel Nebreda’s group. “I found the research in the Oncology
Programme to be the most interesting because it is related to my previous work. Com-
bining biology and medicine is indeed very important to me,” he says.
Once again the path that leads to IRB Barcelona runs
through the coast of Chile. Gonzalo Quiroga (Bar-celona, 1986) studied biology at the University of
Barcelona but spent nearly a year in the South American
country studying marine biology and the regeneration of
the spinal cord in Xenopus. “While I was in Chile, I ap-
plied for an IRB Barcelona PhD Fellowship,” he tells In vivo shyly. “Since I had worked
at the Barcelona Science Park, I knew that the infrastructure and the scientific level of
the Institute were high. I think I am going to learn a lot here, in the best environment!”
Gonzalo joined Marco Milán’s lab this month. He will entertain himself with Drosophila,
small interfering RNA and chromosome instability.
NEW AT IRB BARCELONA
You can’t talk about SH2 without mention-
ing the name Tony Pawson. SH2 is a domain
common to many proteins that plays a key
role in cell signalling. Born in the UK, Pawson is now
at the Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. He visited IRB
Barcelona in October to give a lecture as part of the
Barcelona BioMed series. Awarded the Kyoto Prize
(also known as Japan’s Nobel) in 2008, Pawson has
had the privilege of studying or working together with
many Nobel Laureates, such as Max Perutz, Tim Hunt
and Michael Smith.
“I always followed what excited me. My sugges-
tion for young scientists is to do what you are passion-
ate about. If you are convinced of what you’re doing,
don’t take ‘no’ for an answer. After all, if people react
strongly to your ideas, it’s probably because the ideas
are important. It is a challenge to prove you are right.”
Have you experienced something similar?
The field of protein interaction at the beginning
of the Eighties was a promising one, but it was indeed
difficult to persuade the scientific community that
signalling among proteins could be so fundamental in
biochemistry. Large macromolecular complexes are or-
ganised and do play an important role in cell interac-
tions. Now we understand that proteins and domains
assemble a large network of interactions that are more
branched than we thought. We are manipulating this
network of interactions, for example by inhibiting
small molecules, in order to find therapies.
In your presentation you mentioned that bad is good. What do you mean?
I believe that the emergence of protein domains
with new functions, and the joining of
domains in new combinations has
provided cells with new lines of
communication. It is rare in biol-
ogy that something completely
novel appears, and instead cells
evolve by finding new uses for
old molecules. What seems bad,
or superfluous, evolution-wise,
might end up opening new paths
for cellular mechanisms that lead to
an evolutionary leap..
SPOTLIGHT
ON THE MOVE
In vivo, issue 20. Published by the Institute for Research in Biomedicine. Office of Communications & External Relations. Barcelona Science Park. c/Baldiri Reixac, 10. 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
Web: www.irbbarcelona.org - Facebook: www.facebook.com/irbbarcelona - Twitter: @IRBBarcelonaEditors: Luca Tancredi Barone and Sarah Sherwood. Contributor: Julia García López.
Graphic Production: La Trama. Legal deposit: MU-29-2012. This document has been printed on recycled paper. To subscribe or unsubscribe from in vivo email [email protected].
© IRB Barcelona 2012.
“Don’t ever take ‘no’ for an answer”
Coming to IRB Barcelona meant quite a change for Nadine Utz (Hamburg, 1977). “Previously, I co-developed a
quantum mechanics method in a small group at the Univer-
sity of Freiburg.” During the four years she spent as a post-
doc in Modesto Orozco’s lab, Nadine was able to concentrate
on science alone and forget about bureaucracy and teaching.
She worked on molecular dynamics simulations mainly on the
nuclear receptor PPARγ and the KinoMoDEL Project. She left in September to join
German BioImaging as a project manager. The mission of this new network is to
promote activities and communication of optical microscopists in Germany. L.T. BARONE
- Tony Pawson