InvestmentEcosystem
Picks of December: new science facilities, funding for startups and other recognitions in the world of science
This December has been marked by vibrant activity and growth in the BioRegion of Catalonia, with noteworthy news of investment, research and facilities. Looking back at these latest successes that are bolstering the life sciences and healthcare sector in Catalonia, we are saying goodbye to 2024 and ringing in 2025 full of opportunities and challenges. Happy holidays!
- This month, funding for Catalan startups has been in the news with cases like Genomcore, which secured €6 million mainly from Barça, an unusual participant in this sector, which made a strategic move investing in a company that manages biomedical data. Also, Nanobots Therapeutics, which closed a round of funding for nearly €1 million to develop an innovative system to treat cancer. And Orikine Bio secured €800,000 in funding through the Ministry of Science Programa de innovación en investigación sanitaria (CPP23), which will allow the company to advance its therapies for autoimmune diseases.
- Turning to news from health startups and scaleups in Catalonia, SpliceBio got FDA approval for its clinical trial on its leading program: SB-00. Also noteworthy, Mynorix Therapeutics announced it intends to submit positive results from a new clinical trial on leriglitazone, a drug to treat rare neurodegenerative diseases, to the European Medicines Agency next year. Deepull, which specializes in diagnosing blood infections, has received FDA Breakthrough Device Designation for its UllCORE system. This validation will accelerate market access for this innovative solution. Also, MOWOOT announced a strategic collaboration with LAINCO Pharma to expand the reach of its innovative non-pharmacological solution clinically proven to treat chronic constipation.
- Looking at new science facilities, this month the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) inaugurated a new building designed to boost biomedical research and consolidate the center’s place as a global benchmark. Another space launched was BaSID, the first privately run healthcare innovation district in Barcelona, addressing the growing need for facilities in the BioRegion of Catalonia.
- Another noteworthy science project is the new Hub Alzheimer Barcelona, a center born out of a collaboration between hospital and science institutes with the goal of becoming a global benchmark in Alzheimer research and other neurodegenerative diseases.
- In technology, it should be noted that Barcelona has bolstered its European leadership in artificial intelligence with the European Commission choosing the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC) to head up one of the seven centers to promote AI in the EU. This project seeks to use artificial intelligence to serve European innovation, giving companies and researchers better access to this technology.
- In research, a multidisciplinary team from IRB Barcelona discovered a neuronal dysfunction that could explain the origins of autism. These findings, published in Nature, open the doors for treatments that could reverse the symptoms of this condition, a crucial advance for thousands of families and patients.
- In business, pharmaceutical corporation Almirall celebrated its 80th anniversary with a clear commitment to innovation. At its innovation hub, inaugurated last year with 7,400 m² of laboratories and production spaces, the company has 200 employees and continues to attract talent in science and technology. At the same time, Bayer announced it will be expanding its center in Sant Joan Despí with a new R&D area for healthcare and agriculture, reinforcing its commitment to Catalonia as a strategic innovation hub.
- On this point, Biocat and Farmaindustria signed a collaboration agreement to drive healthcare innovation. The agreement will allow Farmaindustria and Biocat to pool resources and expertise to strengthen the BioRegion of Catalonia.
- In terms of recognitions, the Government of Catalonia awarded the Creu de Sant Jordi to several people from the world of science: Carme Torras, a mathematician and expert in robotics and artificial intelligence who is a CSIC research professor at the UPC/CSIC Institut de Robòtica i Informàtica Industrial; Elia Torroella, a pharmacist and benchmark in vaccinology and preventive medicine who is currently director of R&D and Regulatory Affairs at HIPRA laboratories; and Jordi Camí, a doctor and professor of Pharmacology who founded and is the director of the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB).
- And to finish off, we encourage you to check out the innovative solutions from the latest batch of entrepreneurs to come out of the d·Health Barcelona Part Time program, which finished its second edition this month with Graduation Day pitches to over a hundred professionals from the sector. Congratulations!