Tribute to Professor Virginia Nunes, a distinguished figure in the field of human molecular genetics
On Friday 22 November, from 3.30 p.m. to 6.30 p.m., the Pau Viladiu room of the Hospital Duran i Reinals in Bellvitge Campus will host a tribute to Virginia Nunes, professor of the Department of Physiological Sciences of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the University of Barcelona and coordinator of the Genes, Disease and Therapy Programme of the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), who passed away in May 2024.
On Friday 22 November, from 3.30 p.m. to 6.30 p.m., the Pau Viladiu room of the Hospital Duran i Reinals in Bellvitge Campus will host a tribute to Virginia Nunes, professor of the Department of Physiological Sciences of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the University of Barcelona and coordinator of the Genes, Disease and Therapy Programme of the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), who passed away in May 2024.
Nunes excelled in the field of human genetics research, particularly in the identification of the genetic basis of various hereditary diseases. She was a member of the Rare Diseases Networking Biomedical Research Centre (CIBERER) and contributed significantly to developing new molecular diagnostic techniques and understanding the genetic mechanisms that cause rare diseases, to promote the design of possible therapies.
Searching for genes that cause hereditary diseases
In collaboration with Professor Manuel Palacín’s team at the Faculty of Biology and the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), she co-authored the identification of the gene responsible for cystinuria, a rare disease characterised by recurrent episodes of stone formation, which can lead to a progressive decline in kidney function. The collaboration generated many additional scientific papers in which other genes related to the pathology were identified.
Nunes also excelled in the search for other hereditary pathologies such as Wolfram syndrome, a rare, recessive, progressive and neurodegenerative disease characterized by the manifestation of different diseases during the patient’s lifetime (diabetes, optic atrophy, etc.). Also committed to the social value of research communication, she collaborated in initiatives such as the exhibition “Menos raras”, a proposal promoted this year by the Catalan Association of Scientific Communication (ACCC) to give greater public visibility to minority pathologies.
Gabriel Capellá, director of IDIBELL, and Professor Francesc Ventura, head of the UB’s Department of Physiological Sciences, will open the tribute event. The programme includes two scientific talks. The first, by the expert Paolo Gasparini, a medical geneticist at the Burlo Garofolo Paediatric Institute in Trieste, is called “Evolución de la genética en los últimos 50 años. Relación con la trayectoria de la Dra. Virginia Nunes”, while the second, by Professor Manuel Palacín, from the Faculty of Biology and IRB Barcelona, is entitled “Coliderazgo en cistinuría: el viaje de una genetista y un bioquímico”.
There will also be a round table titled “Virginia Nunes, una vida dedicada a la investigación de las enfermedades minoritarias: desde el origen genético hasta la búsqueda de terapias” (Virginia Nunes, a life dedicated to the research of rare diseases: from the genetic origin to the search for therapies), chaired by the researcher Conxi Lázaro, from IDIBELL and the Catalan Institute of Oncology. Experts Xavier Estivill, from the Centre for Genomic Regulation; Sara Larriba, from IDIBELL; Raül Estévez and Esther Prat, from the UB and IDIBELL, and Benjamín Rodríguez, from the Research Institute of the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau will participate.
The event can be followed by streaming on the IDIBELL YouTube channel (@canalidibell) and to attend it is necessary to register in advance.