EMBL and CRG strengthen links

EU-LIFE Science Newsletter 3/2017

Community News from the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Spain

EMBL and the Spanish government signed an agreement for a new site dedicated to tissue biology and disease modelling. EMBL and CRG will strengthen links further now that EMBL will be physically present on site and thanks to the establishment of the new CRG-EMBL Local Partnership until 2021.

​Researchers at EMBL Barcelona will focus on how tissues and organs function and develop, and how preventing failures in those processes can lead to tackling disease. Alongside cutting-edge research, the site will house state-of-the-art imaging facilities able to extract complex 4D information from tissues and organs.

“Tissue biology and disease modelling is an exciting field, where we expect breakthroughs in fundamental research and also in terms of future medical applications. EMBL Barcelona will be in a unique position to lead those advances,” says EMBL Director-General Iain Mattaj. “The site will be one of the few places in the world with state-of-the-art microscopy and modelling technologies specifically designed for studying tissues.”

Researchers at EMBL’s new site will work in a highly collaborative, interdisciplinary and international environment, benefiting from the long-lasting relation with the CRG and the close collaboration with other institutes on campus, as well as opportunities across EMBL sites and with other partners throughout Europe and beyond.

 “At CRG we have a long-standing partnership with EMBL and we’ve made significant discoveries as a result of our collaboration,” says Luis Serrano, CRG Director. “We will strengthen those links further now that EMBL will be physically present on site and thanks to the establishment of the new CRG-EMBL Local Partnership until 2021.”

Image: Patrick Cramer, Jordi Baiget, Luis de Guindos, Iain Mattaj, Carmen Vela, Jordi Camí, Juan María Vázquez, and Luis Serrano.Credit: Ivan Paulick