IBUB

Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona

Drug and target discovery for biomedical science

The Institute of Biomedicine of the University of Barcelona (IBUB) is a transversal research unit formed by some 40 groups from the Faculties of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy and Food Sciences. The IBUB was created in 2006 with the aim of identifying, beyond the traditional academic structures (departments and faculties), a set of laboratories with complementary scientific activity, capable of generating synergies.

Technology Transfer Opportunities

One of the key strengths of IBUB is its ability to successfully transfer knowledge to society

Projects

314

Research groups

40

Publications

725

Research

The Institute of Biomedicine brings together highly qualified biomedical research personnel working in groups renowned for their excellence, and its founding collective’s indicators in scientific production and the raising of resources testify to the IBUB’s benchmark status in biomedical research in both Catalonia and the rest of Europe.

Research Programs

IBUB is comprised of research groups actively coordinated in the form of differents programs and nodes

Research Groups

IBUB consists of different specialized research groups

Seminars

Glucocorticoid and Androgen Receptors Oligomerization: a Jigsaw Puzzle

Eva Estébanez-Perpiñá, de l’Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB)

Date

December 2, 2024

Time

13:00h

Place

Aula Graus

Automation + Miniaturization = Acceleration in Drug Discovery

Alex Dömling, Institute of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Palacky University

Date

February 13, 2025

Time

12:30h

Place

A4, Fac. Pharmacy

Leveraging C. elegans in the drug discovery pipeline

Samantha Hughes, de la Faculty of Science, Environmental Health & Toxicology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Date

March 28, 2025

Time

12:00h

Place

Aula Graus

Article of the month

Diego Abad-Montero, Albert Gandioso, Eduardo Izquierdo-García, Sergi Chumillas, Anna Rovira, Manel Bosch, Mireia Jordà-Redondo, Davor Castaño, Joaquín Bonelli, Valentin V Novikov, Alba Deyà, José Luis Hernández, Jorge Galino, Marta E Alberto, Antonio Francés-Monerris, Santi Nonell, Gilles Gasser, Vicente Marchán

Journal of the American Chemical Society

Ruthenium(II) Polypyridyl Complexes Containing COUBPY Ligands as Potent Photosensitizers for the Efficient Phototherapy of Hypoxic Tumors

Hypoxia, a hallmark of many solid tumors, is linked to increased cancer aggressiveness, metastasis, and resistance to conventional therapies, leading to poor patient outcomes. This challenges the efficiency of photodynamic therapy (PDT), which relies on the generation of cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) through the irradiation of a photosensitizer (PS), a process partially dependent on oxygen levels. In this work, we introduce a novel family of potent PSs based on ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes with 2,2′-bipyridyl ligands derived from COUPY coumarins, termed COUBPYs. Ru-COUBPY complexes exhibit outstanding in vitro cytotoxicity against CT-26 cancer cells when irradiated with light within the phototherapeutic window, achieving nanomolar potency in both normoxic and hypoxic conditions while remaining nontoxic in the dark, leading to impressive phototoxic indices (>30,000). Their ability to generate both Type I and Type II ROS underpins their exceptional PDT efficiency. The lead compound of this study, SCV49, shows a favorable in vivo pharmacokinetic profile, excellent toxicological tolerability, and potent tumor growth inhibition in mice bearing subcutaneous CT-26 tumors at doses as low as 3 mg/kg upon irradiation with deep-red light (660 nm). These results allow us to propose SCV49 as a strong candidate for further preclinical development, particularly for treating large hypoxic solid tumors.

Announcements

MCP Lab offers a predoctoral contract associated with a project of the AGAUR Program “Indústria del Coneixement”

Data límit

20/1/2024 - Send CV and motivation letter

ENDED- Call for 6 research initiation grants 2023-2024

Data límit

3 d'octubre 2023. Més informació: https://www.ub.edu/ibub/call-for-6-research-initiation-grants-2023-2024/ Convocatòria: https://seu.ub.edu/ajutsPublic/showPublicacion/441657

Contact

Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona, IBUB

Departament de Bioquímica i Biomedicina Molecular

Facultat de Biologia / Secretaria IBUB & Bioinformàtica
Avda. Diagonal, 643
Edifici Prevosti, planta -1
08028 Barcelona

+34 606 14 87 72
ibub@ub.edu

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