IRB Barcelona presents its technology and capacities at the 2017 BIO International Convention

Today sees the start of the BIO International Convention (BIO), a top partnering fair for the biomedical sector in which IRB Barcelona’s Innovation Department is participating for the eighth consecutive year. During the four-day event, the San Diego Convention Center (California, United States) will host 18,500 industry leaders and executives from more than 4,000 companies and international institutions from 76 countries, including 30 companies and organisations from Catalonia. The 46-strong Catalan delegation is coordinated by Biocat and has its own space.

“BIO Convention has enormous potential, it is a great opportunity to reach many companies outside Europe, where we hope to find new collaborations by presenting the IRB’s technology and capacities,” explains Tiago Botelho, Industrial Liaison Officer at the Institute responsible for strengthening ties with industry attending the convention. He adds, “The fair is also the perfect place to catch up on the latest trends in the sector and consolidate existing bonds, both in the public and private sectors.” 

Institute’s spin-offs Iproteos and Nostrum Biodiscovery at BIO

Iproteos, which focuses on R&D of new therapeutic strategies based on peptidic protease inhibition, is attending the event this year. According to Iproteos CEO Teresa Tarragó, who summarises up the spin-off’s goals to Biocat, the company is attending the event in order “to promote our technology platform among pharmaceutical corporations in the sector and forge contacts with investors and companies interested in our project to treat the cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia”.

Nostrum Biodiscovery, devoted to the computational biology sector, is visiting the fair for the first time. “Our main goals at BIO this year will be to boost the company’s international expansion and scout for investors to strengthen the drug-design projects we are working on,” explains CEO Josep Oriol Nicolás to Biocat.

2017 BIO International Convention

The BIO International Convention is the largest global event for the biotechnology industry and it attracts the biggest names in biotech, offers key networking and partnering opportunities, and provides insights and inspiration on the major trends affecting the industry.

This year, the fair will offer over 1,500 education sessions with featured speakers like David Cameron, former prime minister of the United Kingdom, and Kathleen Rubins, the first astronaut to sequence DNA in space.

About IRB Barcelona

Created in 2005 by the Generalitat de Catalunya (Government of Catalonia) and University of Barcelona, IRB Barcelona is a Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence, a seal that was awarded in 2011. The institute is devoted to conducting research of excellence in biomedicine and to transferring results to clinical practice, thus improving people’s quality of life, while simultaneously promoting the training of outstanding researchers, technology transfer, and public communication of science. Its 25 laboratories and seven core facilities address basic questions in biology and are orientated to diseases such as cancer, metastasis, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and rare conditions. IRB Barcelona is an international centre that hosts 400 employees and 32 nationalities. It is located in the Barcelona Science Park. IRB Barcelona forms part of the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST) and the “Xarxa de Centres de Recerca de Catalunya” (CERCA).