The European Laboratory of Molecular Biology (EMBL) is set to open its fifth branch in Barcelona. This is excellent news for health research. And, more specifically, for the field of molecular biology in Spain. The new branch will be located in the Biomedical Research Park from Barcelona, where EMBL already had an agreement with the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) to set up a joint unit. We at GTF would like to congratulate the Spanish authorities and the European laboratory on having reached this agreement, which is so beneficial for research in our country.
The European Molecular Biology Laboratory, a pioneering organisation in the field of research
The EMBL is primarily responsible for carrying out basic research in molecular biology. However, one of its main tasks is also the education and training of scientists. In this regard, it has international PhD programme up to 170 students. Among its many achievements, particular mention should be made of the research into Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard y Eric Wieschaus on the first systematic genetic analysis of embryonic development in the fruit fly, for which they were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1995.
The sites of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory
The European Molecular Biology Laboratory is an institution dedicated to research into molecular biology, funded by 18 European countries. The organisation currently has its headquarters in Heidelberg (Germany), as well as four satellite sites. The four branch sites are in Hamburg (Germany), Grenoble (France), Monterotondo (Italy) and Hinxton (United Kingdom).
This latest branch, the one in the UK, is also the European Institute of Bioinformatics. The centre’s research focuses on understanding genomic and proteomic data. It also manages databases relating to nucleic acids, proteins and macromolecular structures. It was established thanks to funding from the countries participating in the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, as well as from the European Commission, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and various companies in the sector.
For further information on the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, please visit this presentation by Stefan Fiedler, head of one of his research teams at the Hamburg headquarters.