Barcelona Biomedical Research Park
Encyclopedia
The Barcelona Biomedical Research Park ("PRBB") is an agglomeration of six public research centres and is located alongside the Hospital del Mar de Barcelona. The PRBB is the product of an initiative launched by the Government of Catalonia
, the City Council of Barcelona
and the Pompeu Fabra University (UPF)
, which aims to promote research and collaboration between closely related fields. Each centre works independently in its own field and a management group, the PRBB Consortium, is responsible for managing the building and facilities, in addition to coordinating joint scientific research activities among the various centres. Over 1,100 people are employed in the PRBB, making it one of the largest biomedical research clusters in the south of Europe
. The centre was opened in May 2006.
The PRBB building was designed by the architects Manuel Brullet i Tenas and Albert de Pineda i Àlvarez.
The PRBB aims to generate new knowledge in the health
and life sciences
, and to facilitate transfer of technology
and knowledge into industry, while providing training and facilities to its research staff. Doctoral research carried out at the PRBB is accredited by Pompeu Fabra University.
The PRBB has six main research streams, which range in scale from molecular biology to the population level biostatistics and epidemiology, including:
Government of Catalonia
The Government of Catalonia is the executive branch of the Generalitat de Catalunya. It is responsible for the political action, reglamentation and administration of the Generalitat....
, the City Council of Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
and the Pompeu Fabra University (UPF)
Pompeu Fabra University
Pompeu Fabra University is a university in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It is widely considered to be one of the best universities in Spain and in Europe, and was ranked 1st in scientific productivity in Spain in 2009. Founded in 1990, it is named after the Catalan philologist Pompeu Fabra...
, which aims to promote research and collaboration between closely related fields. Each centre works independently in its own field and a management group, the PRBB Consortium, is responsible for managing the building and facilities, in addition to coordinating joint scientific research activities among the various centres. Over 1,100 people are employed in the PRBB, making it one of the largest biomedical research clusters in the south of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The centre was opened in May 2006.
The PRBB building was designed by the architects Manuel Brullet i Tenas and Albert de Pineda i Àlvarez.
Overview
PRBB comprises the following six research centres:- Municipal Institute of Medical Research (IMIM)
- Department of Experimental and Health Sciences of the Pompeu Fabra University (CEXS-UPF)
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG)
- Centre of Regenerative Medicine in Barcelona (CMRB)
- Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL)
- Institute of Advanced Technology (IAT)
The PRBB aims to generate new knowledge in the health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
and life sciences
Life sciences
The life sciences comprise the fields of science that involve the scientific study of living organisms, like plants, animals, and human beings. While biology remains the centerpiece of the life sciences, technological advances in molecular biology and biotechnology have led to a burgeoning of...
, and to facilitate transfer of technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
and knowledge into industry, while providing training and facilities to its research staff. Doctoral research carried out at the PRBB is accredited by Pompeu Fabra University.
The PRBB has six main research streams, which range in scale from molecular biology to the population level biostatistics and epidemiology, including:
- Gene regulation and epigeneticsEpigeneticsIn biology, and specifically genetics, epigenetics is the study of heritable changes in gene expression or cellular phenotype caused by mechanisms other than changes in the underlying DNA sequence – hence the name epi- -genetics...
- Cellular biology and developmental biologyDevelopmental biologyDevelopmental biology is the study of the process by which organisms grow and develop. Modern developmental biology studies the genetic control of cell growth, differentiation and "morphogenesis", which is the process that gives rise to tissues, organs and anatomy.- Related fields of study...
- PharmacologyPharmacologyPharmacology is the branch of medicine and biology concerned with the study of drug action. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur between a living organism and chemicals that affect normal or abnormal biochemical function...
and clinical researchClinical researchClinical research is a branch of medical science that determines the safety and effectiveness of medications, devices, diagnostic products and treatment regimens intended for human use... - Biomedical informatics and systems biologySystems biologySystems biology is a term used to describe a number of trends in bioscience research, and a movement which draws on those trends. Proponents describe systems biology as a biology-based inter-disciplinary study field that focuses on complex interactions in biological systems, claiming that it uses...
- Human geneticsHuman geneticsHuman genetics describes the study of inheritance as it occurs in human beings. Human genetics encompasses a variety of overlapping fields including: classical genetics, cytogenetics, molecular genetics, biochemical genetics, genomics, population genetics, developmental genetics, clinical genetics,...
and evolutionary biology - EpidemiologyEpidemiologyEpidemiology is the study of health-event, health-characteristic, or health-determinant patterns in a population. It is the cornerstone method of public health research, and helps inform policy decisions and evidence-based medicine by identifying risk factors for disease and targets for preventive...
and public healthPublic healthPublic health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...