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The prize is one of the highest recognitions in Catalonia.
The IRB director is one of 27 individuals and 15 organizations honoured this year.
Joan J. Guinovart, director of the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) has been awarded the prestigious "Creu de Sant Jordi" 2014 (St. Jordi's Cross), as announced by the Government of Catalonia today.
Guinovart, founder and director of the IRB and Professor of the University of Barcelona, recieves the prize “for the international projection of his work on metabolic disorders associated with neurodegenerative diseases. Director, since 2005, of the Institute for Research in Biomedicine, in Barcelona, he has made valuable contributions to the education and projection of science in Catalonia”.
This year, the Government of Catalonia has awarded 27 individuals and 15 organizations the Creu de Sant Jordi. The prize - one of the highest recognitions in Catalonia - was established in 1981 to honour outstanding individuals and organizations engaged in civic, social, cultural, economic, and political activities.
Official Press Release (Catalan)
SHORT BIO
Joan J Guinovart (Tarragona, 1947) holds a degree in Chemistry and a PhD in Pharmacy from the University of Barcelona. He is senior professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the same university and founder and director of IRB Barcelona since October 2005. Since Sptember 2012, he has served as president-elect of the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IUBMB).
He is a full member of the Royal Spanish Academy, the Catalan Academy of Arts and Science (Institut d’Estudis Catalans (IEC) and the Academia Europaea. He has received the "Narcís Monturiol" Medal from the Generalitat de Catalunya (Government of Catalonia), the “Prat de la Riba" prize from the IEC and the FEBS Diplôme d’Honneur, among other recognitions.
Dr. Guinovart’s research activity focuses on glycogen metabolism, which is closely related to diabetes and neurodegenerative disorders, such as Lafora disease. Guinovart leads the "Metabolic engineering and diabetes therapy" group at IRB, within the Molecular Medicine programme.
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).
