In Europe there are about 2 million people with minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy, 200,000 in Spain. Most of them are undiagnosed so that cannot prevent the progression of the disease with cognitive and motor impairment that this entails.

Josep Marco, researcher at the group of Brain Plasticity and Cognition at IDIBELL and the University of Barcelona spoke about brain and mathematics at Centre Cultural Sant Josep of L’Hospitalet de Llobregat (Barcelona), within the cycle Pessics de Ciència.

The IDIBELL researcher Gabriel Capellá has been appointed new Head of Research and Innovation for Health of the Health Department of the Generalitat de Catalunya, replacing Marta Aymerich. 

On April 2nd Marga Frontera joined IDIBELL as scientific office manager. Her mission, in her own words, is "getting the researcher, as far as possible, do not worry about anything but to investigate".

Researchers of the IDIBELL and the Hospital Vall d'Hebron have studied a family affected by both type 1 neurofibromatosis and early breast cancer and they have detected mutations in NF1 and BRCA1 genes responsible for the two diseases, respectively.

The head of the Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplant Unit at the Bellvitge University Hospital and researcher at the Cardiovascular Diseases group at IDIBELL, Nicolás Manito, spoke about heart failure on May 7 in the library of Bellvitge.

During a meeting held on May 6 in the auditorium of the Bellvitge University Hospital, with nearly 400 IDIBELL professionals, Pola took stock of the activities carried out during 2012 and presented the interim financial year end.

Manel Esteller, Director of the Cancer Epigenetics and Biology Program at IDIBELL, Professor of Genetics at the University of Barcelona and ICREA Research Professor has been awarded with a BIAL Foundation Distinction in its eighth edition.

The PhD thesis of Diego Viasus researcher at Infections of the respiratory tract and in Immunocomproimised Patients research group at IDIBELL has won two awards.

Psychologist Virginia Penhune from the Concordia University in Canada studies through neuroimaging the brain activity of musicians and non-musicians when processing different rhythms. Penhune will explain at CosmoCaixa on Thursday May 9 at 19h how auditory and motor information combine to move in a particular rhythm function.

IDIBELL has signed a licensing agreement with the Catalan biotechnology company Minoryx of a patent for the treatment of X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy, a rare serious neurodegenerative disease, which has no effective treatment.

The laboratory of José Luis Hernández at the Biomed division, LEITAT Technology Center of Barcelona works in the clinical application of two antibodies designed by them to block proliferative function of extracellular S100 proteins.

Researchers at the Epigenetics and Cancer Biology Program at IDIBELL led by Manel Esteller, ICREA researcher and professor of genetics at the University of Barcelona have described alterations in RNA sequences noncoding long chain (lncARN) in Rett syndrome.

According to the ENCODE's latest update in the human genome there are about 10,000 long sequences of RNA that do not code for any protein. Cedric Notredame's lab at the CRG attempts to detect these molecules not only in humans but also in other species to understand their functionality.

Researchers from IGTP, IDIBELL and the Sant Joan de Déu de Martorell Hospital has identified a new subtype of ataxia, a rare disease without treatment that causes atrophy in the cerebellum and affects around 1.5 million people in the world. The results have been published online on April 29 in the journal JAMA Neurology.

The field of study of Piero Crespo at the Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology of Cantabria (IBBTEC) is the regulation of Ras-ERK signals. On April 19, explained the latest developments of their research at a conference framed in IDIBELL seminar series.

On April 16th science students of the French School of Barcelona visited the IDIBELL to see firsthand how a biomedical research center works

Researchers from the hereditary cancer research group at the IDIBELL and the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO) conducted a functional and structural study of seven missense variants of the BRCA1 gene and concluded that three of these variants are pathogenic, that is responsible for the risk of breast or ovarian cancer. The study has been published in the journal PLoS One

The researcher of the hereditary cancer group at IDIBELL, Laura Valle, has been awarded 'young researcher in human genetics' of the Spanish Association of Human Genetics (AEGH).

Bigand talked at Cosmocaixa Barcelona on April 11, within the series "Music and the Brain". His studies show that people, with or without musical training, have abilities to perceive and process music in a very efficient way. This capability is enhanced by exposure to musical stimuli.

Researcher Rui Benedito of the National Center for Cardiovascular Research Carlos III (CNIC) Madrid explained his research on the regulation of angiogenesis through the Notch signalling pathway on April 5 at a conference cycle framed within IDIBELL seminars.

Researchers of the Psychiatry and Mental Health research group at the IDIBELL in the Bellvitge University Hospital have shown that patient age influences the presentation of pathological gambling disorder and its clinical course. The study results were published in the Journal of Gambling Studies.

Cell death is the field of study of the researcher Kevin M. Ryan at The Beatson Institute for Cancer Research in Glasgow (UK). On Friday, March 22 within the cycle of seminars IDIBELL, Ryan explained the latest advances in his research of one of the mechanisms of cell death: autophagy.

Even without any musical training, humans have more skills to understand the music than we think. The psychologist Emmanuel Bigand of the Bourgogne University will explain at CosmoCaixa next Thursday April 11th how humans learn to be musicians without having received any musical training.

Advances  in therapeutic endoscopy techniques, with the development of a score of innovative procedures are enabling increasingly performing digestive disorders interventions without resorting to conventional surgery with hospitalization.

The director of the Bellvitge Neuropathology Institute spoke about Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative conditions on March 20 at the Centre Cultural Sant Josep at L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, in the cycle "Pessics de Ciència" (Science Pinches), which has the support of IDIBELL.

The Professor of Legal Medicine and director of the Genomic Medicine lab at the University of Santiago de Compostela, Angel Carracedo, talked of the future challenges of the field of pharmacogenetics in the clinic. It was last March 15 at a conference within the framework of the IDIBELL seminars.

The group of Chromatin Biology of the IDIBELL, led by Alex Vaquero, confirms the antitumor properties of sirtuine 2. The results of the estudy have been publisehd on Genes & Development.

Jaume Ayats, musician, ethnomusicologist and brand new director of the Music Museum of Barcelona, pronounced a conference on March 5^th at Cosmocaixa, Barcelona, within the series "The music and its impact on the body and mind", co-organized by IDIBELL and La Caixa Foundation.

Researchers from the research group in growth factors and cell differentiation at IDIBELL and the University of Barcelona (UB) have participated in an international study that has identified the genetic cause of developmental delay observed in Amish individuals in the USA.

The Bellvitge University Hospital (HUB) hosts, between 13 and 15 March, the XIII International Gynecological Surgery Course, organized by the Department of Gynecology, with the collaboration of 40 teachers of the highest level.

Researchers in the research group of human molecular genetics of the IDIBELL have found that an isoform (variant) of the protein C4BP provides antiinflammatory and immunoregulatory characteristics to dendritic cells, which are essential to our immune system.

"The music is a universal part of our life that produces strong emotions, improves memory and promotes social cohesion". But music also heals. This was highlighted during a conference by Eckart Altenmüller in Cosmocaixa on February 21^st

The head of the Molecular Genetics Unit Valdecilla University Hospital, Santander, José Luis Fernández-Luna explained on March 1 its latest advances in research on cancer stem cells of glioblastoma, the most aggressive brain tumor, at IDIBELL seminars.

Unlike popular belief, music is not a universal language. The musical diversity and different sound expressions of different human societies can difficult the rapprochement between cultures. On March 5 at CosmoCaixa, the director of the Museum of Music Barcelona, Jaume Ayats, proposes a musical journey through distant and unknown music.

Two studies of researchers of the research group in diseases Neurometabolic of the IDIBELL, led by the research professor ICREA Aurora Pujol provide new data on the mechanisms from oxidative damage as key factor in the pathophysiology of adrenoleukodystrophy X-linked and possible new therapies. Both studies have been published in the journal Brain.

The professor in psychology at the University of Toronto, Sandra Trehub, explained how music plays a key role in the development of children and language acquisition. Trehub gave a lecture at Cosmocaixa on February 19, in the cycle "The music and its impact on the body and mind", organized by Obra Social La Caixa and IDIBELL.

Researchers at the IDIBELL and CIBERER Virginia Nunes and Miguel Lopez de Heredia have collected data from 400 patients with Wolfram syndrome published worldwide in the last fifteen years to better understand the natural history of disease. The findings lead them to propose a revision of the diagnostic criteria of the disease because 15% of paediatric patients escape from that diagnosis.

In order to increase transparency about these diseases that affect more than 350 million people worldwide, the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) and the University of Barcelona have organized a panel discussion on the current state of research on rare diseases.

The Head of Service of the Bellvitge University Hospital and IDIBELL researcher, Jordi Ponce, spoke on February 13th on robotic surgery in Centre Cultural Sant Josep at L'Hospitalet de Llobregat-Barcelona, within the cycle “Pessics de Ciència” organized by the entity, and it has the support of IDIBELL.

The researcher of the Institute of Hematology and Oncology, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona Emili Montserrat prefers to speak of medicine based on tumor characteristics rather than personalized medicine. Montserrat has explained the progress of his investigation on February 15th at IDIBELL seminar.

The project 'Healthy aging eye to correct visual impairment and eye diseases: an epigenetic approach', led by researcher Mary Berdasco of the epigenetic group at IDIBELL has been selected by RecerCaixa.

In Greek mythology, Apollo was known as the god of medicine, healing and music. Today, we know that music can improve the treatment and rehabilitation of neurological disorders. The neurologist of the University of Music, Drama and Media, Hanover, Eckart Altenmuller, will explain at CosmoCaixa on Thursday February 21 the effects of hearing and making music in our brain.

IDIBELL, along with nine other research institutions in the field of biomedicine, three Catalan universities, the Barcelona Supercomputing Center-Centro National de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS) and BioCat signed on February 14th an agreement for the creation of the Bioinformatics Barcelona (BiB).

The ability to understand the music could be innate in humans. Babies react and change of mood when they hear their mothers sing, later they dance to music and after their first birthday, children begin to participate through song.

Deep brain stimulation has been used as a treatment of neural diseases for over twenty years. This is the case of Parkinson's disease. The aim of the researcher at the University of Magdeburg Marcus Heldmann is to find new therapeutic targets to treat other disorders such as alcoholism or obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Several IDIBELL professionals are involved in an initiative to improve the communication with the institute publics. This “internal correspondents” bring together workers from different categories and, in some cases, are hired by the partner institutions.

IDIBELL test in a study the efficiency of Gynec-DX, developed by Reig Jofré and Oryzon Genomics to diagnose endometrial cancer. ICO launched this system in 2011 with the launch of a pilot venture.

IDIBELL researchers will participate in the lecture series on science 'Pessics de Ciència' [Science Pinches] at the Cultural Centre Sant Josep of the Municipality of L'Hospitalet de Llobregat. During this first quarter, the cycle is dedicated to robots, and it has been scheduled a series of activities for all ages.

The research group in signaling pathways in angiogenesis led by Mariona Graupera will be part of the European Training Network VESSEL composed by nine leading European laboratories in the field of angiogenesis.

Researchers of the COLTHERES European project have presented on the American Society of Clinical Oncology Gastrointestinal Cancers symposium, held between 24 and 26 January, the preliminary results of the program that intends to encourage clinical trials of personalized therapies in colorectal cancer.

What is the scenario for health research in 2013? What are the priorities for the coming years? Antoni Andreu, deputy manager of Assessment and Development Research Institute of Health Carlos III has sought to clarify these questions at a conference at IDIBELL.

The prestigious British anthropologist talked about music, language and brain in the Cosmocaixa auditorium, Barcelona, filled to the brim, within the series "The music and its impact on the body and mind, organized by the Obra Social La Caixa and IDIBELL.

AECC Barcelona will fund two IDIBELL projects with two grants for research in oncology 2012.

Three research groups at the UB-IDIBELL, CSIC and UAB have collaborated in the nucleic acid interference (siRNA) research and they have been found the solution when inhibited, among others, genes involved in inflammatory diseases. It has been applied in 2010 for a patent, recently licensed to the Janus Developments S.L.

The latest issue of the online edition of the  Journal of Internal Medicine makes a comprehensive review on angiogenesis, metabolism and cancer. Researchers of the tumor angiogenesis research group Oriol Casanovas and Lidia Moserle, have participated with an article on anti-angiogenesis and metastasis chosen as the cover illustration.

Music is part of everyday life of humans long before we can imagine. Our ancestors were already using the music to communicate. The  archaeologist Steven Mithen, investigates the origins of language and gives music a huge importance in human evolution.

Cell therapy is something that will increase in the heart research, told Antoni Bayès-Genís in the “Bioprosthesis for cardiac repair” IDIBELL seminar that took place in Sala Pau Viladiu at the Hospital Duran i Reynals-ICO, last January 18th.

A multicenter study published in Lancet compares a new drug against the AIDS virus (HIV-1), called dolutegravir, with raltegravir, another antiviral of the same family marketed since 2007. 

The opening lecture “Inflammation, Metabolism, Aging and Cancer: Dangerous Liaisons” at the IDIBELL Cancer Conference (ICC) on Personalized Cancer Medicine, organized by IDIBELL and PEBC, in collaboration with Instituto Roche, was given by Michael Karin, from the University of California San Diego (UCSD).

The Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) has integrated the functions hitherto had the Biopol'H Consortium, as a catalyst for innovation projects.

A study led by researchers at the ICO-IDIBELL, published in the International Journal of Cancer, confirms the benefits of the Mediterranean diet in the prevention of breast cancer.

Researchers of the ICO at IDIBELL have developed and validated a new method to diagnose hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome based on mass sequencing of BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. The model is based on a genetic and bioinformatic analysis which has been proved very effective. It has been published in the European Journal of Human Genetics.

The jury chose the winners from seven finalists for treating health issues with humor, delicacy and providing new perspectives. Special mention for a production of the Functional Unit Breast at the Bellvitge University Hospital and the Catalan Institute of Oncology. 

La Caixa Foundation and the IDIBELL have organized the lecture series entitled "The music and its impact on the body and mind". The sessions will take place in CosmoCaixa Barcelona from January 31^st to June 4^th, and it will bring together internationally recognized experts like Steven Mithen, Sandra Trehub and Eckart Altenmuller, among others.

Manel Esteller has been appointed Associate Editor of The Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI).

Maintaining a proper oral health is essential to prevent or minimize the risk of muscle injury in elite athletes. This is the main conclusion of the study leaded by Dr. Cosme Gay Escoda, researcher at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) and the medical team of FC Barcelona.

Researchers at the IDIBELL have described a new selectively target in muscle regeneration. This is the association of alpha-enolase protein and plasmin. The finding could be used to develop new treatments to regenerate muscular injuries or dystrophies. Study published in PLOS ONE.

Eating disorders are complex problems that involve genetic, environmental and family. The prestigious specialist in eating disorders Janet Treasure spoke on the subject at Bellvitge Hospital, in the cycle of IDIBELL seminars.

The IDIBELL researcher and doctor at the Bellvitge University Hospital Fernando Fernandez-Aranda gave a lecture on eating disorders at the Centre Cultural Sant Josepat L'Hospitalet de Llobregat (Barcelona) on November 22nd.

BAF60c paper in the muscular differentiation and in muscle dystrophy centered the last IDIBELL seminar held on November 22nd, by Sònia Forcales, researcher at IMPPC.

IDIBELL researchers have participated in a research showing that Prrx1 protein prevents cancer cells lodge in other organs and, therefore, generate new sources of cancer.

IDIBELL has signed a licensing agreement with the company Janus Developments of a patent for an immunomodulatory product for treating immune diseases.

On 3 and 4 December the Convention Center of Hesperia L'Hospitalet will hold the IDIBELL Cancer Conference on Personalized Cancer Medicine. The conference will bring together a hundred of researchers around the world.

Enrique de Álava, researcher at the Cancer Research Centre (CIC), offered the conference “Search, validation and clinical translation of new therapeutic targets in Ewing sarcoma found by integrative genomic analyses” in the IDIBELL.

Manel Esteller spoke about Epigenetics on November 21st at the Palau de la Virreina, Barcelona, ​​in the cycle of science gatherings organized by the City Council of Barcelona, ​​which has enjoyed the cooperation of IDIBELL and CRG.

The award recognizes the work of companies making effective policies for the prevention of occupational hazards and demonstrating a commitment to continuous improvement of the working conditions of its workers.

The Royal Society will host the first scientific meeting between Spain and the United Kingdom, with the title “Networking Nations: Scientific opportunities in the UK and Spain”, on 28 November.

The coffee science “Speaking about memory" with Dr. Luis Fuentemilla, IDIBELL and UB researcher, was about memory and the latest advances in neuroscience.

DIBELL has received one of the awards for the Best Ideas of the Year, awarded by the publication specializing in medicine and health Diario Médico, by a study concluding that epigenetic marks are degrading over time.

In the lecture entitled "Per què ens recordem?” (Why we remember things?), given by Dr. Lluís Fuentemilla, IDIBELL and UB researcher, at the Biblioteca de Bellvitge on November 20th in the frame of the Science Week we talked about the research in the field of memory.

The head of the Pathological Gambling Unit of the Bellvitge University Hospital and IDIBELL researcher Susana Jiménez-Murcia spoke about gambling and addiction to technology at Centre Cultural Sant Josep at L'Hospitalet de Llobregat. The event was co-organized by IDIBELL and is part of the activities of the Science Week.

Working capacity, curiosity, creativity, ingenuity, passion and lots and lots of perseverance. This is is the recipe to be a good researcher, according to Laura Valle, IDIBELL researcher, during a conference held on November 16 in the library Tecla Sala at L’Hospitalet de Llobregat.

Octavio Romero, predoctoral researcher at the gene and cancer group at IDIBELL, got the RTICC 2012 research award in oncology by the paper “The tumour suppressor and chromatin-remodelling factor BRG1 antagonizes Myc activity and promotes cell differentiation in human cancer”.

The Official Medical College of Barcelona (COMB) has awarded a honor for Professional Excellence 2012 at Ramon Salazar, researcher of the colorectal cancer group and director of translational research laboratory at the ICO, under the heading of Biomedical Research.

The last October 30^th took place the extraordinary IDIBELL seminar “Targeting signaling pathways in breast cancer” by Nancy E. Hynes, researcher and leader of the Mechanisms of Cancer group at the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, and hosted by Dr. Sara Kozma.

Once again, the IDIBELL participates in events of the Science Week, which this year will take place from November 16th to 25th. The initiative, which is celebrated throughout Europe, aims to bring the results of scientific research to society.

IDIBELL researchers at the Bellvitge University Hospital, in collaboration with experts from the Hospital del Mar and the University of Melbourne (Australia), have shown that patients with obsessive compulsive disorder have greater moral sensitivity.

The team led by Dr. Manel Esteller, IDIBELL researcher, has produced the first epigenetic map of human sperm DNA and its alterations in diseases. The finding is published simultaneously this week in two papers in the journal PLOS One.

The selection board of Boehringer Ingelheim Award in Medical Journalism has chosen as a finalist, in the category of print article, "Del descubrimiento al sufrimiento" by Dr. Manel Esteller published in “El Periódico de Catalunya”.

Spanish researchers have launched a national database to collect information on rare diabetic syndromes that are a group of rare inherited diseases whose common link is the body's intolerance to glucose.

La Marató de TV3 2011, dedicated to organ and tissue transplantation have funded four projects led by IDIBELL researchers. The granted researchers are Josep Maria Aran, Josep Maria Grinyó, Eduard Montanya and Francesc Ventura.

Researchers at the IDIBELL have led a study published in PLoS One that shows that the cancellation of a family member of NADPH oxidase enzyme, NOX4, plays an important role in liver fibrosis.

The last IDIBELL Seminar, "Update about HIV eradication" was given by Bonaventura Clotet PhD, researcher and Director of the Institute for AIDS Research (IrsiCaixa. Hosted by Manel Esteller.

On October 29th, the Bellvitge University Hospital participated in the awareness campaign on the importance of preventing and recognizing the stroke symptoms that took place simultaneously in 31 Spanish hospitals.

On last 19th October, the IDIBELL Seminar took place on “Genes y funciones de la microbiota intestinal humana” (Genes and functions of the human intestinal microbiota) by Dr. Francisco Guarner, from the Gastroenterology Service of the Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, from Barcelona, ​​where he talked about the functions of the main bacteria present in our body.

IDIBELL researchers are involved in an international research, led by experts from the IDIBAPS, Hospital Clinic and UB, ​​which proposes to conduct a specific test within the tumor in all colorectal cancer patients to identify Lynch syndrome, which is not currently covered by the implemented clinical recommendations.