IBB Secures Funding for Four Projects in the AEI call "Generación de Conocimiento 2025"
The awards will support cutting-edge research in biomedicine, fertility, infectious diseases and diagnostic technologies, including two FPI predoctoral fellowships
The Institute of Biotechnology and Biomedicine (IBB) has secured funding, in the Spanish State Research Agency (AEI) call "Generación de Conocimiento 2025", for four research projects led by IBB researchers. The funded initiatives address major scientific challenges in health, biotechnology and biomedicine, contributing to the generation of new knowledge in strategic research areas with significant scientific and societal impact.
Among the awarded projects is STABLE (Engineering Sustained-Release Peptide Therapeutics Through Biomimetic Secretory Granules), led by Esther Vázquez and Antonio Villaverde. The project will explore innovative strategies to engineer peptide-based therapeutics with sustained-release properties through biomimetic secretory granules, aiming to improve treatment effectiveness, optimize drug delivery and advance the development of more precise and durable therapies.
Another successful proposal is FERTAGE (Genetic and Environmental Determinants of Fertility: From Meiosis to Ovarian Aging), led by Ignasi Roig. The project will investigate the genetic and environmental factors that shape fertility, from meiotic processes to ovarian ageing, generating new insights into reproductive health and infertility.
In the field of infectious diseases, Maria Lluch will lead the UAB subproject within BruO2 (Integrating Omics and Ovine Placental Organoid to Unravel Brucella Pathogenic Mechanisms and Vaccine Design), a coordinated project headed by María Jesús Grillo (IRTA-CReSA). The research will combine omics approaches and ovine placental organoids to improve understanding of Brucella pathogenesis and support the development of new vaccination strategies. In addition to project funding, the proposal has been awarded an associated FPI predoctoral fellowship.
The call has also funded CRISPER (Multi-toolkit CRISPR/Cas Platform for Portable Electrochemical Biosensing in One Health Settings), led by M. Isabel Pividori and Mercè Martí. The project will develop a modular CRISPR/Cas-based platform for portable electrochemical biosensing, with applications in clinical diagnostics, animal health and environmental surveillance within the One Health framework, which recognizes the interconnectedness of human, animal and environmental health. The initiative aims to advance rapid, sensitive and versatile diagnostic tools that can be deployed across a wide range of real-world settings. The project has likewise secured an associated FPI predoctoral fellowship, supporting the training of the next generation of researchers.
Overall, these four projects have secured €878,750 in competitive funding for the IBB, together with two FPI predoctoral fellowships. These results highlight the excellence and competitiveness of IBB research and reinforce the institute’s position as a leading centre in biotechnology and biomedicine.