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The study identifies two Pho4 transcription factors with complementary functions

The awards will support cutting-edge research in biomedicine, fertility, infectious diseases and diagnostic technologies, including two FPI predoctoral fellowships

Aura Muntasell, IBB-UAB researcher, associate Professor in the Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology at the UAB and researcher at the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), has been awarded the Vanguardia de la Ciencia Award, which recognises the most outstanding research achievements led by Spanish research institutions. Her award-winning project focuses on the development of an innovative cancer immunotherapy strategy with the potential to improve the effectiveness of current treatments. The research received 25% of the public vote.

The Protein Folding and Conformational Diseases research group, led by Salvador Ventura, defines the criteria that CAR immunotherapies for neurodegenerative diseases must meet to advance both conceptually and in trials, which are still at a very preliminary stage, in a review study published in the journal Trends in Pharmacological Sciences.

A recent study presents a method for detecting Alzheimer's disease before neuronal damage becomes extensive. The study used small plasma particles called exosomes, obtained through liquid biopsy, because they carry molecular information from their cells of origin. Despite the difficulty involved, preliminary studies are very promising in terms of the ability to capture brain-derived exosomes. This could make it feasible to detect the disease at very early stages and move towards a tool to support screening and monitoring, which is the objective of the research.

IBB-UAB researcher Aura Muntasell has been selected one of the eight finalists for the fifteenth edition of the Vanguardia de la Ciència Award, a recognition that highlights the most outstanding contributions of research led by institutions in Spain. Her candidacy stands out for the development of an innovative immunotherapy strategy against cancer, with the potential to improve the effectiveness of current treatments. Voting to choose the winning research is open to the public until 28 June.

The visit takes place within the framework of the ECIU Seed project “BEAT”, in which the researcher Òscar Quijada participates as a partner

Ranking from “Research.com” 2026

How IBB is Connecting with Catalonia’s Microvillages

A research team led by UAB researcher David Reverter has discovered the molecular mechanism that describes in detail the process regulating cell division in bacteria, based on the binding of the MraZ protein to the dcw gene cluster. The research has been published in Nature Communications.