First stone of Spain's specialized immunology research center. It has been laid by the president of the La Caixa Foundation, Isidre Fainé, and the mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, on the grounds in front of CosmoCaixa, on the slopes of Collserola. The center, promoted by the foundation under the name CaixaResearch Institute, will require an investment of nearly 100 million euros and aims to become a new epicenter of scientific research and development in immunology of international reference.
The research institute will have a total area of about 23,000 square meters, taking into account the new plaza that the facility will generate. It will be one of the first centers in Europe focused on immunology, and will provide space for about 500 professionals, in a decade-long growth scenario. The figure includes scientists as well as technical and administrative staff. However, the institute has been conceived flexibly, which will allow it to accommodate up to 700 professionals, should the uses of the current spaces change. When fully operational, it is expected to have more than 40 research groups.
The facility is located on the grounds where the sports complex of the CaixaBank employees' association, known as La Soci, was located until 2018. Now, several sinkholes occupy the place where swimming pools, tennis courts, a gym, and a multi-sports pavilion were located, and which will be replaced by this center. The land was bought by the foundation from CaixaBank in 2020 for a value of 12.1 million euros.
The first stone has been laid on a plot with a panoramic view of the entire city. Trucks, workers, and cranes began demolishing the sports complex in June of last year, and work will continue until the new center opens. The president of the foundation has stated that, due to the dimension and magnitude of the works, they could last between four or five years. Fainé has argued that this first stone not only represents the beginning of the center's construction, but a "transcendental milestone in the history of research in our country." He highlighted that, through the union of efforts of agents committed to the well-being of society, "innovative solutions for the great challenges" that exist in the field of health can be promoted.
With the aim of launching the new center as soon as possible, Fainé has announced that they will work to inaugurate a first part of the center by the end of 2025 so that it can begin its activity, "while the rest adapts to the needs of scientists and researchers." Specifically, the module closest to the Ronda de Dalt will open first, and later the other building that will make up the center will be inaugurated. The institute will have areas and equipment for scientific research such as dry and wet laboratories, scientific-technical services, and spaces for innovation. It will also have offices and spaces for hosting and receiving visitors, where events, training, and networking initiatives will be held.
Immunology, also against cancer
Under the scientific direction of Dr. Josep Tabernero, the institute will work to attract new talent profiles to project biomedical innovation in immunology. To this end, the project has chosen world expert in immunotherapy Antoni Ribas as president of the center's advisory committee. Ribas has accumulated his experience serving as director of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy and the Tumor Immunology Programme at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).
Immunology is key against external challenges such as infections, but also internal ones, such as cancer and neurodegenerative diseases
At the event, Tabernero highlighted that research in the field of immunology can provide clues and solutions to challenges faced by the body. These are external challenges, such as infections, but also internal ones, such as cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. This connection between immunology and diseases like cancer was detected with pioneering studies that observed the ability of immune cells to recognize and destroy cells that had lost control over their growth. Thus, one of the research lines of the future center will involve seeking strategies to unleash the full potential of the immune system to eliminate these cancerous cells. The facility will also study immunology in areas such as the impact that viruses like Covid-19 have on this system.
Collboni has highlighted that the city will experience a "historic qualitative leap in scientific research" with this center alongside others, such as those planned for what will be the Ciutadella del Coneixement and which will include the scientific research complex of the old fish market. The mayor also praised the work of the president of the scientific committee of the La Caixa Foundation, Javier Solana, who did not attend the event for health reasons.
A new square
The construction of the center will also include the redevelopment of the space between the institute and CosmoCaixa, located above La Ronda de Dalt. Thus, where traffic lanes currently run, a new public square will be created that will connect both facilities. In addition, the research center will create a new public green area at its rear, linked to Collserola.
As the first activity of the CaixaResearch Institute, the foundation has organized a seminar on November 15 and 16 at CosmoCaixa
Collboni has highlighted that the covering of the Ronda de Dalt at other points of the road will allow gaining spaces like the one that will be created over the infrastructure when urbanizing the new square. Fainé detailed that the land of CosmoCaixa and CaixaResearch was originally a single property, and that it was precisely the construction of the ring road that split this land in two.
First stone, first activity
The first stone has been laid with a time capsule. It consists of a sealed transparent urn with objects deposited by Fainé, Collboni, and Tabernero, who did so shovel in hand. Inside, a laboratory pipette, a plan of the facility, and a miniature reproduction of the Barcelona panot will remain as a testament to the passage of time. A facsimile of a 1932 brochure from the Francesc Moragas Antituberculosis Institute, which worked with one of the first electronic microscopes in Spain, will also rest in the foundations of the building.
As the first activity of the CaixaResearch Institute, the foundation has organized on November 15 and 16 the seminar Human Immunome Project Into Action, which will be held at Cosmocaixa. The event will aim to draw a roadmap for generating immunological data and building artificial intelligence models of the immune system, which will be made publicly available.