The University of Barcelona (UB) has completed the installation of the first very high-field nuclear magnetic resonance apparatus in all of Spain, also a pioneer in Europe due to its technical characteristics. Located in the Barcelona Science Park (PCB), the scientific infrastructure has involved an investment of 8.9 million euros, fully financed by a grant from the Ministry of Science and Innovation and European funds. This equipment will be part of the state network of Singular Scientific and Technical Infrastructures (ICTS), which brings together large facilities dedicated to promoting research and technological development, and can be used by the entire community through competitive processes.
Nuclear magnetic resonance is an essential technology in research in chemistry, biology, and biomedicine. Basically, it allows providing information at an atomic scale of complex biomolecules, as well as analyzing the interactions that take place in vivo. With the incorporation of this device, the UB will be able to boost research in areas such as the use of disordered proteins as therapeutic targets, biotechnological drugs, proteins related to cancer development, or the characterization of antibodies for vaccine design.
"It will have a direct impact on the industrial fabric of Catalonia, especially in key sectors such as biomedical and biotechnological, areas where it can represent a strategic element to maintain competitiveness. Furthermore, in the academic field, the equipment will contribute to attracting talent and offering quality training to our students," says the director of the Scientific and Technological Centers of the UB (CCiTUB), Juan Fran Sangüesa.
"The Diagonal Campus is destined to become the most powerful health hub in Southern Europe," adds the rector of the UB, Joan Guàrdia. The new apparatus will serve to enrich a medical ecosystem that will take its main leap forward with the expansion of the Hospital Clínic on the UB's sports service courts.
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