Tools
18/05/2020
The version 7.0 of DisGeNET is now available and includes the creation of a new resource for COVID-19
DisGeNET is a public knowledge management platform that offers information on genes and genomic variants associated with human diseases
The GRIB Integrative Biomedical Informatics group (IMIM-UPF) has launched a new version of DisGeNET (version 7.0, May 8, 2020), which contains more than 1 million associations between 21,000 genes and 30,000 diseases, and 350,000 associations involving more than 190,000 genomic variants. All the data sources have been updated including the information automatically extracted by text mining of the literature. In addition, a new resource focused on COVID-19 has also been created.
DisGeNET is a public knowledge management platform that offers information on genes and genomic variants associated with human diseases, which is obtained by integrating data from more than a dozen public resources and the scientific literature. DisGeNET contains one of the most comprehensive collections of genes and variants associated with human diseases that is currently available and is a resource for sharing and exchanging information recommended by the ELIXIR project, which is called, ELIXIR Recommended Interoperability Resource.
17/04/2020
Chemotargets opens an investment round to enter a new phase of growth
Chemotargets, a global leader in predictive analytics solutions for the pharma and biotech sector, founded in 2006 by Jordi Mestres, head of the Systems Pharmacology group of GRIB, begins a phase of transformation to become a biotechnology company that will develop new medicines in multiple therapeutic areas, with an initial focus on oncology, opening an investment round to undertake the transformation of its business model.
"We are very motivated to begin a new stage of growth and to discover new bioactive molecules in collaboration with public research centres and pharmaceuticals companies. On this basis, we will consider the creation of new spin-off entities that will discover and develop new potential drugs," says Jordi Mestres, Chemotargets CEO and Head of the Systems Pharmacology Group. The company has developed the ProSurfScan technology, which allows the generation of bioactive molecules using state-of-the-art structure-based, artificial intelligence and data-mining methods for novel therapeutic targets and new interaction modalities (protein - protein, allosteric modulators, etc.).
The health and social crisis caused by SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has encouraged the company to pursue its principles: "We founded Chemotargets to resolve complex biomedical challenges and we have an obligation to join efforts to find solutions to this major challenge," says Jordi Mestres.
08/04/20
El Departamento de Salud financia dos proyectos presentados por el GRIB en la convocatoria contra el Coronavirus
Uno de los proyectos financiados está liderado por la Dra. Jana Selent, coordinadora del Grupo de investigación en descubrimiento de fármacos basados en receptores acoplados a proteínas G, y lleva por título "Doble estrategia para inhibir el ciclo infeccioso de SARS-CoV-2". El objetivo del proyecto es el análisis masivo de posibles fármacos que impidan la entrada del SARS-CoV-2 a la célula humana mediante modelos 3D computacionales y ensayos celulares. Se trata de identificar medicamentos antivirales que interfieran con el ciclo infeccioso del SARS-CoV2, bloqueando dos fases diferentes de la entrada del virus en la célula. El grupo intenta acelerar el descubrimiento de fármacos antivirales mediante la estrategia de "drug re-profiling" que permite reasignar medicamentos ya existentes para el tratamiento de Covid-19. La fuerza del proyecto reside en un enfoque multidisciplinar, desde la biología computacional y estructural hasta la validación experimental en células, combinada con una doble estrategia de descubrimiento de fármacos. El proyecto cuenta con la colaboración de la empresa suiza InterAx Biotech liderado por la Dra. Maria Waldhoer. El progreso del proyecto se puede seguir aquí.
Por otra parte, la Dra. Lara Nonell, de la Unidad MarGenomics asociada al GRIB, participará en otro de los proyectos financiados que lleva por título "Dinámica del perfilado e identificación de expresiones génicas de pacientes de alto riesgo para Covid-19 grave" que estará liderado por el Dr. Jordi Carratalà del Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL) y cuyo objetivo es determinar el perfil transcriptómico dinámico del paciente adulto hospitalizado por Covid-19 y caracterizar el subgrupo que desarrolla la enfermedad grave.
08/04/2020
“Ajudarem a millorar el diagnòstic i tractament de malalties”
Llegeix l'entrevista a Ferran Sanz, Director del GRIB, al ESCI news de la UPF, on ens explica DisGeNET, una base de dades que lliga gens amb malalties i quina relació hi ha entre DisGeNET i l'empresa que ha llençat amb un grup de científics, MedBioinformatics Solutions, per ajudar empreses del sector sanitari en el desenvolupament de tractaments adaptats a la genètica de cada pacient.
11/03/2020
Congratulations to Miguel-Angel Mayer for his appointment as a member of the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences Expert Working Group
Miguel-Angel Mayer, member of IBI group of the GRIB, has been invited to join the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS) XIII Expert Working Group. CIOMS is an international, non-governmental, non-profit organization established jointly by the World Health Organisation and UNESCO in 1949. CIOMS mission is to advance public health through guidance on health research including ethics, medical product development and safety. There is increasing interest in the use of Real-World data (RWD) to support regulatory decision making across products life cycle. Electronic health records, claims data, prescription data, and patient registries are some of the most important resources of RWD. Real-world evidence (RWE) is the clinical evidence about the usage and potential benefits or risks of a medical product derived from an analysis of RWD. CIOMS has proposed the development of a consensus report and recommendations for the use of RWD and RWE in regulatory decision-making related to biopharmaceutical products. Miguel-Angel Mayer said: "I am honoured to join CIOMS and work on this RWD/RWE consensus report and the opportunity to collaborate with the most important world experts in this field".
06/03/2020
Congratulations to Judith Pérez Granado for winning the Barcelona Science Slam
Last 22nd of February, the 7th Edition of the Barcelona Science Slam took place. For those who don't know, a science slam is a scientific communication contest where scientists explain their research projects in 5 minutes in an engaging, fun and clear way. PhD students and postdoctoral researchers are encouraged to join the experience and bring their research closer to the public. Judith Pérez Granado, PhD student at the Integrative Biomedical Informatics Group of GRIB, presented her PhD thesis project and was the winner of this Slam. She said: "To me, it was a pleasure to present my science in a fun and simple way so it could reach everyone. It made me even see my research from another perspective. To anyone that would like to participate, I would encourage him/her to do so. It is a great experience!". Here you are the video of the presentation.
7/2/2020
The spin-off MedBioinformatics Solutions is to offer software and consultancy on relationships between genes and diseases
The company, founded today, is backed by IMIM and UPF and is developing products and services based on the DisGeNET platform, one of the tools on the genetics of diseases with most information in the world
The company came to life today, 6 February, with the signing of the deeds of incorporation by the acting director of IMIM, Jorge Martínez, the UPF general manager, Jaume Badia; the researchers and partners of the company, Ferran Sanz, Laura Furlong, Janet Piñero and Olga Valverde, and the investor partners: Frederic Abelló and the companies Prous Institute for Biomedical Research and Icrowd+D.
MedBioinformatics Solutions' offer will be based on DisGeNET, a tool developed by the Integrative Biomedical Informatics Group of IMIM and UPF's Research Programme on Biomedical Informatics (GRIB). Through the 600,000 associations between more than 17,000 genes and 24,000 human diseases it has amassed, it is currently "one of the resources to contain the most such information in the world", according to professor Ferran Sanz, a researcher and a founder of the company. Hence, the platform has aroused a great deal of interest in industry: "Companies have been writing to us for some time now to tell us that they would like to use the information in DisGeNET for their R&D", the scientist explains.
28/01/2020
Doctoral thesis of Kevin Pinto: "Development and Validation of Pharmacoinformatic Similarity-based Tools for the Safety Assessment of Chemicals"
Next friday 31st of January at 9:00, Kevin Pinto, member of the PharmacoInformatics group of GRIB, will read his thesis: "Development and Validation of Pharmacoinformatic Similarity-based Tools for the Safety Assessment of Chemicals". The event will take place at the Marie Curie room on the ground floor of PRBB. You are all invited to come.
22/01/2020
Jordi Mestres nomenat membre del Consell Científic de ChemBioFrance
Jordi Mestres, coordinador del grup de recerca en farmacologia de sistemes del GRIB, va ser oficialment nomenat el passat dia 10 de gener membre del Consell Científic de ChemBioFrance, una infraestructura nacional de recerca francesa dedicada al descobriment de petites molècules biològicament actives que reuneix quatre recursos i xarxes diferents: la col.lecció nacional de molècules (Chimiothèque Nationale), una xarxa de plataformes de cribratge, una plataforma de quimioinformàtica i una xarxa de plataformes per a l'avaluació del metabolisme i seguretat de molècules. Segons Jordi Mestres, "ChemBioFrance representa una aposta estratègica per integrar i gestionar tots els elements essencials en el descobriment de nous fàrmacs des d'una infraestructura pública. És un autèntic privilegi formar part del seu Consell Científic i poder contribuïr al desenvolupament d'aquesta iniciativa pionera a Europa".
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14/01/2020
Thesis defense of William Blevins: "Evolutionary dynamics of transcriptional and translational regulation in yeast"
Next friday 17th of January at 10:00AM, William Blevins, member of the Evolutionary Genomics group of GRIB, will read his thesis: "Evolutionary dynamics of transcriptional and translational regulation in yeast".
The event will take place at the Ramon y Cajal room on the ground floor of PRBB. You are all invited to come.
