Author's Name: Diana Gasca

On Wednesday, April 12, the 6th Neuropsychology Conference of the University of Granada ( Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar) will be held, under the Title “Blood Biomarkers and Their Relationship to Cognitive Decline in Neurological Disorders.” The program for the conference, organized by the Neurology Department of the University of Granada ( Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar ) and the Psychophysiology and Neuroimaging Group at INiBICA, can be viewed in the image above. The event will take place in the Auditorium of the HUPM at Cádiz. Registration is free until capacity is reached. To register, please send your name and ID number to: neuroimagenyneuropsicologia@gmail.com

This school year, thanks to Diverciencia and the Algeciras Technology Campus Foundation, we are privileged to offer a new research scholarship for second-year high school students at the Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation (INiBICA) at Cádiz. This was a long-standing initiative that, three years ago, was derailed by the pandemic. The guidelines for this fellowship remained on our computers, waiting for better times. Now that we have reestablished contact with this institution, we will soon be offering it again so that a student from one of our schools can benefit from it this summer. INiBICA was established in 2016 through a collaboration agreement between several institutions, including the Regional Ministries of Health and Knowledge of the Andalusian Regional Government and the University of Cádiz. The Institute integrates research, innovation, and teaching activities in biomedicine from the centers of the Andalusian Public Health System in the province of Cádiz —including both primary care and hospital settings—and the University of Cádiz. Since the Institute began operating as an integrated entity in 2019, primarily with funding from the Integrated Territorial Initiative (ITI), INiBICA has laid the foundations for a provincial collaborative structure, featuring pioneering facilities and teams spread across various healthcare and university centers, where university and clinical research are developed and integrated to address society’s health challenges. It has six active scientific programs to which some 80 research groups have been affiliated to generate knowledge and solutions in areas such as neuroscience, oncology, epidemiology, and public health. This knowledge is not only shared through scientific Publications , but also serves to improve healthcare by updating protocols and clinical practice guidelines, as well as generating Patents so that the industry—and potentially companies based in Cádiz—can develop products and services. Among its strategies for innovation and social commitment, it is worth highlighting the promotion of partnerships with industry to bring new therapies to the province through clinical trials, the retention of talent, and the revitalization of the province’s business community. Medical research has been strengthened in recent years by advances in biology, biochemistry, and other basic sciences such as physics and computer science. Hence the need for so-called “biomedical research” to discover and develop new diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, as well as prevention strategies through the integration of various disciplines. Cádiz, home to Spain’s oldest School of Medicine, is no bad place for this initiative. Don’t you think? 🔗 More information: Europa Sur

El Instituto de Investigación e Innovación Biomédica de la provincia de Cádiz (INiBICA) y el Distrito Bahía de Cádiz-La Janda están llevando a cabo una investigación en atención primaria con el objetivo de mejorar la calidad de los cuidados y los tratamientos médicos para la población. Han sido ocho los proyectos de investigación que se han solicitado a la convocatoria de Atención primaria que promueve la Fundación Progreso y Salud de la Conserjería de Salud y Consumo. Estos ocho proyectos han sido tratados en una reunión de los responsables de INiBICA y el Distrito para fomentar la investigación en la provincia de Cádiz. En la reunión se ha señalado que esta colaboración siga creciendo, con la inclusión a INiBICA del primer espacio de investigación de Atención Primaria en la provincia, sumándose así a los cinco distritos a nivel regional que ya cuentan con un espacio para fomentar el encuentro de profesionales y gestores del Instituto para potenciar la investigación e innovación en el ámbito de la Atención Primaria. Nuestro instituto pone a disposición de los profesionales sanitarios los medios necesarios para que materialicen sus ideas y apoyen la búsqueda de financiación y gestión de recursos para que se lleven a cabo proyectos de investigación e innovación. Fomentando el desarrollo de redes dentro del Sistema Sanitario Público de Andalucía y la integración de los profesionales de Atención Primaria a los grupos de investigación del Instituto, con el fin de reforzar sus competencias investigadoras y hacerles partícipe de la mejora de la salud de la ciudadanía a través del conocimiento y las nuevas tecnologías. Más información: Diario de Cádiz

In 2022, the Foundation for the Management of Biomedical Research at the University of Cádiz (INiBICA) signed two collaboration agreements with AbbVie Spain, S.L.U. with the aim of collaborating on a study conducted by healthcare professionals from the Hospital Pharmacy Unit (UGC) at the University Hospital of Jerez de la Frontera to develop and implement a pharmacist-assisted review program designed to improve treatment appropriateness in patients taking multiple medications. Under the terms of both agreements, AbbVie Spain, S.L.U. made two financial contributions to the Foundation in the amounts of €32,000 and €28,000. The funds will help develop the project, whose primary objective is to improve prescribing practices for patients on multiple medications by creating an app and software to manage information related to the treatments they receive, thereby allowing time and effort to be focused on those patients who require better care. The impact of this initiative is significant for the pharmacy department and other medical services. The INiBICA Foundation seeks to promote scientific and training- Projects , in accordance with its founding mission; therefore, it considers it appropriate and beneficial to receive collaboration in this regard from both public and private institutions and organizations. We thank AbbVie Spain, S.L.U. for its collaboration.

The two organizations have been working together on various programs since 2019. The Cádiz CF Foundation has renewed its partnership agreement with INiBICA, the Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation at Cádiz, in the Carranza Room at the Nuevo Mirandilla Stadium. Present at the signing ceremony were José Luis Donoso, director of operations for the CF Cádiz , and Julio Ríos de la Rosa, manager of INiBICA, to formalize the partnership between the two organizations for upcoming European programs in the field of social and health care. INiBICA is a joint institute between the UCA and the Andalusian Health Service that is strongly committed to developing “high-quality, global, multidisciplinary, and integrated” biomedical research Lines of research , “through collaboration between researchers and basic and clinical teams, closely tied to healthcare and clinical reality, and focused on problem-solving.” 🔗 More information: Cádiz CF

This service’s operations are the result of the joint and coordinated efforts of professionals at the hospitals in Cádiz, Jerez, Puerto Real , and La Línea, as well as the CTTC. The Biobank of the Andalusian Public Health System has renewed the certificate attesting to the excellent conditions of its quality management system in accordance with the ISO 9001:2015 standard on quality management system requirements. This accreditation extends to all its provincial nodes, with the inclusion for the first time of the node in Cádiz, headquartered at the Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar. Specifically, the activities of the Biobank node in the province of Cádiz are carried out thanks to the joint and coordinated efforts of the professionals at the Puerta del Mar University Hospitals in Cádiz, Puerto Real , and Jerez, as well as the Hospital de la Línea de la Concepción and the Regional Center for Transfusion, Tissues, and Cells (CTTC). The audit highlights the commitment and excellence of this networked structure within the Andalusian healthcare system in providing quality service to its patients. In this regard, the evaluation focused on determining the organization’s management system’s compliance with audit criteria; assessing its adherence to applicable legal, regulatory, and contractual requirements; and, finally, determining the effectiveness of the management system in ensuring quality service for its users. Certification: The certification obtained covers various aspects of the Andalusian Public Health System Biobank’s management system, including the provision of services for the supply, storage, and processing of blood products or derivatives, tissues, substances, or biological samples of human origin, and human pluripotent stem cell lines, for use in research and teaching; technical advice on the management of human samples for research; the design and delivery of training in the field of biomedical research; and the Registry of donors of biological samples for biomedical research. In addition, the coordination node strengthens all of the Biobank’s work, including the coordination of the Andalusian Public Health System Biobank and all its nodes within its research area. This certification recognizes the maturity and effectiveness of its quality management system and confirms its commitment to continuous improvement in order to better meet the expectations of researchers and users of the public health system every day. As explained by the head of the Biobank at Puerta del Mar Hospital, hematology specialist Antonio Leopoldo Santisteban, coordination between the Pathology units and the various clinical and surgical pathways established for sample collection “is essential.” He also notes that the Cádiz Province Biobank is one of the central research support services of the Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation of the “ Cádiz ” (INiBICA) and collaborates closely with the teaching and research community at the University of “ Cádiz ” (UCA). 🔗 More information: La Gaceta de Cádiz

On Friday, February 10, we will host the “5th Meeting on Neurology and Psychiatry in the Province of Cádiz,” organized by the Department of Neurology and Neurophysiology at Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, with the participation of clinical and university researchers from INiBICA. This meeting will take place in the Auditorium of the HUPM at Cádiz. 🔗 Brochure: 5th Meeting on Neurology and Psychiatry in the Province of Cádiz

Healthcare professionals gathered this Tuesday at the Punta de Europa University Hospital in Algeciras (Cádiz) for a Conference on Research in Primary Care and Nursing, an event organized by the Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation of Cádiz (INiBICA) in collaboration with the Campo de Gibraltar Oeste Health Management Area, which aims to promote the participation of primary care professionals in research Projects . The regional delegate for Health and Consumer Affairs, Eva Pajares, presided over the opening of the conference, alongside the manager of the Health District, Jesús Fernández, and INiBICA’s scientific director, Manuel Aguilar, as reported by the Regional Government of Andalusia in a press release. Pajares highlighted the Regional Ministry’s support for R&D&I in health, which will see a “2.5% increase in its budget compared to the previous year.” Cádiz ’s province is home to 77 INiBICA research groups, with a total of 977 professionals affiliated with the Institute, distributed across six scientific programs: Neuroscience and Behavior; Inflammation; Onco-hematology; Public Health and Epidemiology; Innovative and Emerging Procedures and Therapies; and Health Based on Marine Resources. The event served to present the research call for proposals from the Progreso y Salud Foundation of the Regional Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs, as well as the “ Projects ” (Research and Innovation Awards) organized by that entity and led from the province of Cádiz. The event also featured a roundtable discussion in which professionals from the management areas of Campo de Gibraltar East, Jerez, Northwest Coast, Sierra de Cádiz , and Campo de Gibraltar West debated what conducting research in the field of primary care entails. Finally, INiBICA’s 2023 Plan for its Primary Care and Health Care research lines and Projects was presented. 🔗 More information: Europa Press