They have not toured the entire Barcelona Biomedical Research Park – it occupies a space equivalent to a block in the Eixample! – but only a small part. However, the members of the ARA Premium Club have got a good idea of the intense activity carried out in this prestigious research center specialized in medicine and biomedicine located in Barceloneta, very close to the sea.

They say that Archimedes, the great Greek engineer and physicist from Syracuse, said: “Give me a place to stand and I will move the world.” Although he was referring to the law of the lever, the image it generates in our brain is so powerful that we metaphorically refer to it in many other human situations where a problem needs to be solved that could be approached with the right data and tools. This is how we scientists who dedicated ourselves to human genetics felt during the 90s, in the full effervescence of the Human Genome Project. This year we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the publication of the first complete draft of the human genome, the instruction manual that explains what humans are like and which marked a before and after for biomedicine.

In Catalonia, we like to say we're a land of talent. And we are. We have brilliant scientists, leading research centers, top-tier hospitals, and networks like ICREA and iCERCA that have put the region on the European map. Our publication figures, our success in securing competitive funding from the European Research Council (ERC), and our research impact all attest to this. So far, so legitimate.

When we talk about research in Catalonia, we sometimes refer to the research ecosystem and other times to the research system. It's important to distinguish between these. The ecosystem is all-encompassing and lacks precise boundaries. You are part of the ecosystem if de facto You are. Being one doesn't depend on credentials. An ecosystem is always something chaotic and disordered. At its best, it's creative and dynamic. When something new ceases to be new and becomes orderly, new initiatives have already emerged that maintain the creative disorder. Catalonia has generated a research ecosystem that has gained considerable weight in Europe. We are relevant in all the arenas where it's necessary to be. But we can't be entirely proud because the ship on which we've gained ground is losing ground globally. Our ambition today should be to participate in European scientific leadership that corrects this situation.

"It's changed our lives," Imma Santiago Die affirms with conviction and a genuine smile. "Not just mine, but everyone who's participated. We're not the same as before," she insists, giving her sister Carme a knowing look, who nods in agreement. "Now we take care of our diet, we exercise, do cognitive stimulation, and go for walks and do activities together. In fact, we're meeting up for lunch today," she explains.

A new step forward in the fight against Alzheimer's. A drop of dried blood obtained with a simple finger prick, like the ones people with diabetes use to measure their glucose, could be used to detect key markers of this disease. This is described in a study conducted by the ACE Alzheimer's Research Center in Barcelona and the Carlos III Health Institute in Madrid, published this Monday in the journal Nature Medicine. The research is progressing with a method – blood extraction – that has long been studied to predict the disease. It is now especially relevant that the detection could be done by the patient simply and quickly.

Type 1 diabetes is a serious, chronic autoimmune disease that, while not uncommon, remains largely unknown to the public. More than 166,000 people in Spain suffer from it, 26,000 of them in Catalonia. This disease not only affects patients, who must monitor their glucose levels daily, even while sleeping, and inject insulin every day, but also their families. Type 1 diabetes requires constant, 24-hour monitoring, continuous insulin use, and rigorous glucose control between 4 and 10 times a day. The risks of complications are high: severe hypoglycemia, blindness, amputations, or heart attacks. Furthermore, its diagnosis has a significant emotional, physical, and economic impact on patients and their families. In Catalonia, 1 in 42 families lives with the disease, a figure that will continue to rise in the coming years.

When Charles Darwin was to embark on the Beagle To travel around the world, one of her sisters told her to take a copy of PersuasionBut he hesitated because, he said, he knew the novel by heart. Darwin was passionate about Jane Austen's works and was fortunate enough to share that enthusiasm with Robert FitzRoy, the ship's captain. Perhaps that's why the naturalist wasn't so pleased to see the writer's image replace his own on the ten-pound note in 2017. In fact, it gave way to one of his favorite authors.

Towards the end of the last century, the EU introduced the term "European paradox" to highlight the contrast between European scientific research at a level comparable to that of the US and significantly lower results in terms of innovation and the creation of large companies. The subsequent academic debate on the reasons for this has been substantial. Professor Ruiz-Castillo, from Carlos III University, has been a major participant. Having read the literature, I offer my opinion, with less nuance than necessary. The cause is twofold: 1. The premise regarding the level of European science is not entirely sound. When the focus is placed on the most selective indicators of quality, the superiority of the US is clear. This difference at the top is significant because, until now, an implacable economic logic has prevailed in the world: whoever arrives first takes the whole pie. China understood this long ago.

The Catalan pharmaceutical company Hipra will begin animal trials next year of the prototype vaccines it has developed against African swine fever (ASF), although the treatment will not be available to eradicate the current outbreak of the virus detected in Catalonia. The company has been researching the virus since 2019 and has been leading a European project to develop an ASF vaccine for the past two years. Marta Sitjà, research director of Hipra's animal health division, admits that this virus, in addition to its virulence, is also "very complex" because it has up to 150 proteins, and blocking just one is not enough to prevent it from continuing to infect pigs. However, Hipra cannot yet give a date for when the ASF vaccine will reach the market. "We are still far from that," says Sitjà, who emphasizes that in the face of the current crisis, measures must be taken to eradicate the virus.

The small Romanesque church of Santa Bárbara de Pruneres, in the Alta Garrotxa region, became a space dedicated to science and history. During a well-attended gathering held on a Sunday in mid-October, a piece of whale rib, approximately two meters long, was the object of veneration and analysis by a team of archaeologists from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), while more than a hundred worshippers witnessed the scene. The immense bone was taken down from the side chapel where it has been displayed since 2004 and placed in the center of the altar, from where the UAB scientists ceremoniously extracted samples for analysis.

The Mercat del Peix is scheduled to open next year, one hub for innovation and research that aims to become a hub for cutting-edge research and innovation in precision medicine. The goal is for the facilities of this 45,000 m² complex to become a leading center for innovation and research in precision medicine.², which has a cost of 104 million euros and which are located next to the Ciutadella campus of Pompeu Fabra University, will foster interdisciplinary research and become a magnet for researchers from around the world.

Science Week celebrates its 30th anniversary, having spent three decades disseminating scientific research and knowledge in Catalonia. Over 1.5 million people have enjoyed some 10,500 science-related activities for all audiences. The 30th edition of Science Week (SC'25), organized by the Catalan Foundation for Research and Innovation (FCRI) with the support of the Department of Research and Universities of the Government of Catalonia, will feature more than 380 talks, guided tours, routes, exhibitions, workshops, conferences, and other activities until Sunday, November 16. The central theme of SC'25, which is supported by BBVA, Amgen, and the "la Caixa" Foundation, will be quantum technology, aiming to bring the importance of quantum science and its applications closer to the public. This election commemorates the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ 2025), promoted by the United Nations. The thematic focus is not exclusive, as the Week maintains its multifaceted, thematically diverse philosophy, one of its distinctive features for the past three decades. The complete program of activities is available at [website address missing]. Science Week websiteThe SC'25 mobilizes, in Catalonia, more than one hundred institutions and entities in the field of research and science outreach, including universities, research centers, major infrastructure projects, academies, schools, scientific associations, libraries, museums, and companies.

The most aggressive colorectal tumors have learned to evade the immune system and go undetected by its defenses. Although immunotherapies have revolutionized the fight against many types of cancer, colorectal cancer is still one of the leading causes of death worldwide. In most metastatic cases, patients do not respond to these drugs because their immune system does not recognize the malignant cells as a threat. But there is hopeful news. A study led by the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) and the National Center for Genomic Analysis (CNAG) has discovered how these tumors manage to block the immune system and, therefore, limit the effectiveness of immunotherapy, the treatment that reactivates the body's defense cells to attack. The key: the hormone TGF-β. The researchers have found that, through a hormone known as TGF-β, colorectal tumors generate a double barrier that protects them from immune attack. "The issue is that the tumor microenvironment of more metastatic colon cancers is different from that of more benign ones and is characterized by the presence of TGF-β, an immunosuppressive hormone," Dr. Eduard Batlle, ICREA researcher and head of the colorectal cancer laboratory at IRB Barcelona, explained to ARA. "Malignant cells use this hormone to evade detection by T lymphocytes, the cells on which our immune system is based," he clarified.

Almost three years have passed since the first step was taken toward making the Ciutadella del Conocimiento mega-project a reality on the site of the former Mercat del Peix, next to Barcelona Park. Now, the start of its activity seems closer than ever with the government's financial support for one of its core projects: the creation of the new Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB). According to government spokesperson Silvia Paneque, the Generalitat (Catalan government) will fund €104 million for the construction of this building, which will be dedicated to advanced research in regenerative and precision medicine and will be essential for promoting this new hub of science—biomedicine, biodiversity, and planetary well-being—and urban knowledge.

Lia will turn three on December 28th. She doesn't walk independently – she crawls a lot, of course – but she's close to it, and although she communicates in her own way – she points and makes herself understood – she still doesn't speak beyond a few words. She's had multiple tests, and she's being monitored by specialists of all kinds, but they still haven't found the disease that explains the causes of this global developmental delay, although they suspect it could be a rare disease of genetic origin, explains her mother, Laura López Crespo, 39.

The 260 million euros of outstanding research funds for 2024 and 2025 will arrive in Catalonia. This was one of the agreements for the investiture of Spanish President Pedro Sánchez, agreed upon with the ERC (Regional Regional Government of Catalonia). This is a more than significant sum for a relevant sector. Although it shouldn't be news that the agreements are being fulfilled and that R&D (research and development) is a priority, unfortunately it is. We're too used to folders forgotten in a drawer and good intentions that don't materialize. Therefore, yes, it is news: 260 million euros to strengthen leading institutions such as the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), the Alba Synchrotron, the Quantum Valley, and the Center for Genomic Analysis, among others. It also supports the decarbonization plants in Tarragona and 42 centers in the Cerca network.

We have the ambition to become a driving economy in Europe. That is, a highly productive economy, embedded in the best European value chains and generating good salaries. That's why we need an economy not only based on knowledge but also with a significant component of our own knowledge (intellectual property). A necessary, but not sufficient, condition to achieve this is having a world-class research ecosystem. Everything can be improved, but I would say we have it. The public sector has contributed decisively to this. We must take care of it and maintain it.

Nearly three million people with Spanish nationality currently live abroad, of whom approximately 400,000 were habitual residents of Catalonia. Just 15 years ago, that number was less than 150,000.

The forest fire that started this Tuesday between Amer and Susqueda (Girona), in a difficult-to-access area above the Torrent de Palou, is now under control. 15 firefighter crews are still working to completely extinguish the blaze, which was worrying because it had three active sources.