The ICREAs

ICREA Research Professors form a vibrant community of scientists and researchers in all areas of knowledge that contribute to the advancement of humankind by exploring, interpreting and questioning. Have a look and learn about their amazing discoveries and findings here:

González Hernández, Cayetano

Institut de Recerca Biomèdica (IRB Barcelona)

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González Hernández, Cayetano
Research Professor at
Institut de Recerca Biomèdica (IRB Barcelona)
Life & Medical Sciences
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Research interests

We use Drosophila to investigate the molecular and cell biological mechanisms that drive cell proliferation and malignant growth.
Ongoing research lines include the following.

(1) Drosophila models of paediatric cancer.

(2) The molecular basis of sex-linked differences in cancer.

(3)The role of cancer-testis (a.k.a. cancer-germline) genes in somatic malignant growth.

Key words
Cell Division, Drosophila melanogaster, Centrosomes, Stem Cells, Ewing sarcoma, Cancer.

ORCID
: 0000-0002-5259-3608
Gorostiza Langa, Pau

Institut de Bioenginyeria de Catalunya (IBEC)

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Gorostiza Langa, Pau
Research Professor at
Institut de Bioenginyeria de Catalunya (IBEC)
Life & Medical Sciences
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Research interests

Research in the laboratory focuses on developing nanoscale tools to study biological systems. These tools include instrumentation based on proximity probes, such as electrochemical tunnelling microscopy and spectroscopy, that we apply to investigate electron transfer in individual redox proteins, and other biophysical and biochemical interactions. These studies are relevant to the development of biosensors and molecular electronics devices, and have led to the discovery of long-distance electrochemically gated electron transport between partner proteins of the respiratory and photosynthetic chains. Another set of nanotools that we are developing is based on engineered molecular actuators that can be switched with light, such as azobenzene, which can be chemically attached to biomolecules in order to remotely control their activity (photopharmacology). Among other developments, we have demonstrated two- and three-photon pharmacology to manipulate the activity of neurons in vivo.

Key words
electrochemistry, scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy, redox proteins, electrophysiology, neurobiology, neuroscience, photoswitch, photopharmacology, optopharmacology, optogenetics, biophysics, bioengineering, phototherapy, two photon

ORCID
: 0000-0002-7268-5577

RESEARCHER ID
: Q-2544-2015
Graupera Garcia-Mila, Mariona

Institut de Recerca contra la Leucèmia Josep Carreras (IJC)

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Graupera Garcia-Mila, Mariona
Research Professor at
Institut de Recerca contra la Leucèmia Josep Carreras (IJC)
Life & Medical Sciences
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Research interests

The Graupera lab studies how signaling events regulate vessel morphogenesis, and how this knowledge can be translated into therapeutic opportunities for diseases characterized by aberrant vessel growth. Current topics of interest are (i) How the endothelium instructs organ function in an organotypic fashion, (ii) How mural cell plasticity can be targeted to prevent disease pathogenesis and progression, and (iii) Why there is distinct endothelial spatio-temporal sensitivity to oncogenic mutations. Her research combines zebrafish and mouse models, patient derived samples, high-throughput analysis (NGS, single cell RNA sequencing, (phospho)proteomics) and high-resolution imaging.

Key words
Endothelial cells, vascular biology, PIK3CA, PI3K

ORCID
: 0000-0003-4608-4185
Grinstein, Sebastian

Institut de Física d'Altes Energies (IFAE)

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Grinstein, Sebastian
Research Professor at
Institut de Física d'Altes Energies (IFAE)
Experimental Sciences & Mathematics
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Research interests

My research has been focused on high-energy experimental particle physics: understanding which are the fundamental constituents of nature and how they interact. At the Fermilab Tevatron accelerator I have performed studies of QCD and the properties of the top quark. At the LHC accelerator at CERN I conducted searches for new physics in the top sector. I am now leading a coordinated project to develop semiconductor tracking and timing detectors for the ATLAS experiment. During the first stage of this project, 3D pixel silicon sensors designed and produced at Barcelona were included in the innermost detector layer of ATLAS. Currently, we are fabricating 3D pixel module prototypes for the coming high luminosity LHC era. I am also the deputy Project Leader of the ATLAS High Granularity Timing Detector. My group aims to produce about 10% of the modules for this detector in-house. I am also co-leading a project investigating silicon sensors for medical applications.

Key words
Particle Physics, High Energy Physics, LHC, ATLAS, Pixel Detectors, Silicon Timing Sensors, LGADs, Fermilab, Tevatron

ORCID
: orcid.org/0000-0002-6460-8694

RESEARCHER ID
: ABE-1880-2020
Guallar Tasies, Víctor

Barcelona Supercomputing Center - Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS)

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Guallar Tasies, Víctor
Research Professor at
Barcelona Supercomputing Center - Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS)
Life & Medical Sciences
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Research interests

In the EAPM lab at BSC we are devoted to the development and application of computational algorithms in molecular modeling. Using techniques such as Monte Carlo simulations, bioinformatics, machine learning and mixed quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics methods, we face different biophysical and biochemical challenges, including characterization and engineering of enzymes for industrial and biomedical applications, software development for more efficient early stages of drug discovery and immunology. Along 2022, particular interest has focused on: i) engineering PluriZymes (enzymes with artificially added active sites) for plastic degradation and cascade reactions, ii) developing mixed molecular modeling&machine learning approaches, iii) vaccine development for respiratori viruses and pancreas cancer, and iv) bioprospecting and engineering enzymes for industrial usage.

Key words
Bioinformatics, molecular modeling, drug design, enzyme engineering, PELE

ORCID
: 0000-0002-4580-1114

RESEARCHER ID
: B-1579-2013
Güell Cargol, Marc

Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF)

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Güell Cargol, Marc
Research Professor at
Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF)
Engineering Sciences
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Research interests

My goal is to leverage biology to create new scientific principles and technologies to engineer genomes and metagenomes, and push biological engineering to the next level. Read and write technologies have been advancing at breathtaking pace. This has enabled us to understand and engineer life using its genuine language: DNA.

Very recently, a great ally came to provide intelligence to this unique molecular hardware. AI is approaching a very remarkable understanding of life language and can produce new synthetic proteins. Directed evolution is capable of fast generation of genotypes and fast selection of phenotypes. However, current methods have no software to orient evolutionary trajectories. Coupling this biological hardware with AI massively accelerates the evolution rate of protein function. Not only we can read and write DNA, but we are starting to design synthetic parts de novo. This has been a transformative development for my research goals.

Key words
Synthetic biology, Gene editing, CRISPR, Skin microbiome, Sensors, Xenotransplantation, AI-based biodesign

ORCID
: 0000-0003-4000-7912

RESEARCHER ID
: AAB-3054-2021