The CaixaResearch Institute, the research center that the ‘la Caixa’ Foundation will promote near the Collserola mountain in Barcelona and whose work will begin shortly, will be specialized in the processes of the immune system. It will be the first center in Spain, and one of the first in Europe, focused on analyzing immunology and its relationship with prevalent diseases such as neurological, oncological or infectious diseases or with environmental factors.
This was revealed by the institution this Wednesday in an act in which more details of the project were known, such as its main objectives or the beginning of the works of the future institute, which will be located in front of the CosmoCaixa museum and which will start this June. The building will have a total area of approximately 19,000 square meters of useful area
and it will have first-class spaces and equipment for scientific activity (from dry and wet laboratories to scientific-technical services or spaces for innovation), offices and spaces for events, training or networking initiatives.
This same June, the demolition of an existing building on the land that will house the CaixaResearch Institute will begin and, foreseeably, during the second half of this year, the works will begin as such on the new building. At the same time, throughout 2023 the process of attracting and recruiting talent will begin; in 2024 the first spaces of the architectural complex will open; and in 2025 the construction and adaptation of the scientific spaces will be completed.
The promoters of the project have focused on immunology because the immune system, through T and B cells, is the first line of defense against classic pathogens such as viruses or bacteria and because it also allows the identification of other harmful agents that generate internal reactions or activate defense mechanisms. For the same reason, the immune system helps detect malfunctioning cells, such as cancer cells, or viruses, bacteria or other molecules.
“With this center, we want to position Spanish science at the same level as the great international references in immunology, a field that offers us endless opportunities to be more efficient in the prevention of some diseases, as well as in better diagnosis and greater therapeutic options. », highlights Javier Solana, president of the scientific committee of the »la Caixa» Foundation.
The CaixaReseach Institute will develop its own research, taking into account the transversality and interdisciplinarity of various disciplines, the development of cutting-edge technologies and the transfer of the results to society. The promoters of the project trust that the center will work closely with other institutions linked to the ‘la Caixa’ Foundation, such as the AIDS Research Institute (IrsiCaixa), the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), the Vall d’ Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) and the Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (BBRC).
