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Diario Médico, in its section ‘Rare Diseases’, published a monographic on Lafora Disease. This disease is a progressive form of epilepsy associated with neurological and myoclonal damage, and 90% of the patients do not live beyond age 25. At the moment, treatments are strictly palliative, but since three years ago scientists are looking forward to prevent neuronal degeneration. The first clue in this direction came from a paper published in Nature Neuroscience by Joan J Guinovart, IRB Barcelona director , in collaboration with a group from CSIC, that demonstrates that the excess of glucose chains (glycogen) induces neuronal death and causes Lafora disease.
About IRB Barcelona
The Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) pursues a society free of disease. To this end, it conducts multidisciplinary research of excellence to cure cancer and other diseases linked to ageing. It establishes technology transfer agreements with the pharmaceutical industry and major hospitals to bring research results closer to society, and organises a range of science outreach activities to engage the public in an open dialogue. IRB Barcelona is an international centre that hosts 400 researchers and more than 30 nationalities. Recognised as a Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence since 2011, IRB Barcelona is a CERCA centre and member of the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST).
