EcosystemInvestment
Picks of April: health research, investments and sustainability highlights in the month of Sant Jordi
This April, coinciding with the celebration of Sant Jordi, Catalonia has once again demonstrated its dynamism as a leading ecosystem in life sciences and health. Significant scientific breakthroughs, major investment moves and a clear commitment to healthcare sustainability have defined the month’s news. And if you’re still unsure what book to gift or treat yourself to, don’t miss our article “14 Reads for this Sant Jordi”
- Several Catalan centers have reported major advances in areas such as Parkinson’s disease, cancer, and photoprotection in children. Grifols has announced progress in the early detection of Parkinson’s through new plasma biomarkers, in a project that combines artificial intelligence with deep knowledge of plasma science and proteins. Meanwhile, a research team including the Hospital del Mar Research Institute, the Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona (IIBB-CSIC-IDIBAPS), and the Caixa Research Institute has published in PNAS (the second most cited journal in the world) a study identifying one of the molecular keys to the lethality of pancreatic cancer, opening the door to new therapeutic approaches. Another study, this time by VHIR and published in Oncogen, shows how sun exposure in newborns can increase the risk of melanoma, underlining the importance of prevention from birth.
- Hospital Clínic remains a leader in advanced therapies and has announced a historic milestone: treating over 500 patients with its own CAR-T therapies through an academic decentralized model, in collaboration with 13 Spanish hospitals to bring advanced therapies across the country. Meanwhile, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu and ICO have launched a pioneering unit in Spain offering comprehensive support for adolescents and young adults who have overcome cancer. On the healthcare delivery front, 23 Catalan hospitals have initiated a joint effort to reduce unnecessary testing and improve diagnostic efficiency— a collaborative project with the potential to impact the sustainability of the health system. In terms of hospital infrastructure, Hospital Vithas has announced the opening of its new facilities in the second half of 2025, and the new Trueta hospital has already selected the architectural teams to develop the project—one of Girona’s most important public investments.
- A standout initiative comes from Germans Trias i Pujol Hospital (Can Ruti), which will become the first major hospital to operate without gas by 2027. This is part of a pilot decarbonization project promoted by the Catalan Department of Health with a budget of €3 million. If successful, the model will be gradually rolled out to other hospitals across Catalonia. This initiative reinforces the health sector’s commitment to decarbonization and the energy transition outlined by the EU.
- Regarding investment activity, Ysios Capital has reaffirmed its commitment to Neurona Therapeutics by participating in a $102 million funding round to develop a treatment for drug-resistant epilepsy. Accure Therapeutics, a biotech specialized in neurological diseases, has raised €1.5 million to advance a drug for Parkinson’s disease (with €1 million from the Michael J. Fox Foundation, which recently signed a partnership with Grifols to accelerate Parkinson’s diagnosis).
- Multinational pharmaceutical companies have taken center stage this month following President Trump’s announcement of tariff measures. This concern has reached the ears of President Illa and Minister Pané. We also highlight that the EU has chosen Hipra as one of the companies it would rely on in the event of a health emergency—recognizing the company’s production capacity.
- Beyond that, multinational corporations have made major moves: Roche Diagnostics announced a €63 million investment in its Barcelona innovation center. In the Catalan biopharma sector, Esteve is expanding in rare diseases with a licensing agreement with Eton Pharmaceuticals to acquire global rights (excluding the U.S.) and Oryzon has raised 30 million euros in a capital increase operation. Also notable is Funditec’s acquisition of ABAC Therapeutics, reinforcing its presence in Barcelona.
- Another major announcement this month was the upcoming opening of Sanofi’s new hub in Barcelona, reinforcing its commitment to the Catalan capital with a center focused on AI, R&D and digitalization, expected to create over 300 jobs. Continuing with scientific and tech hubs, Colonial’s acquisition of Deeplabs—manager of the Barcelona Science Innovation District (BaSid)—was made public. The deal, worth €200 million with fund Stoneshield, also includes a joint venture to invest in labs with the goal of managing assets worth over €2.4 billion.
- On the institutional side, the President of the Government of Catalonia, Salvador Illa, and the President of the “la Caixa” Foundation and the CaixaResearch Institute Board, Isidre Fainé, signed a collaboration agreement to promote cooperation between the future center and all other infrastructures linked to the Departments of Health and Research & Universities—beyond the five centers originally affiliated with it.
- Also from the Catalan Government, in response to the global geopolitical landscape, the creation of 78 new positions has been announced to attract top-level scientists, taking advantage of the dismantling of research programs in the United States. The “Catalunya Talent Bridge” program will be endowed with €30 million and will run for three years.
- As always, we end with recognitions and appointments in a particularly fruitful month. Agnès Arbat, CEO of Oxolife, has been awarded the 2025 European Prize for Women Innovators for her work in fertility, developing medications that improve embryo implantation. In addition, researcher José Manuel Fernández-Real, from the Girona Biomedical Research Institute (Idibgi) and the Dr. Josep Trueta University Hospital, received the 2025 Lilly Foundation Award for Biomedical Research in the clinical research category. Finally, the Josep Carreras Institute has appointed hematologist Ari Melnick—formerly of Mount Sinai—as its new general director, replacing Manel Esteller.
Tags: