Three research institutions in Barcelona have teamed up to launch the world's first Joint Program on Evolutionary Medical Genomics. The initiative, launched this week at an inaugural symposium in Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB), is a collaboration between the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), the Department of Medicine and Life Sciences at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), and the Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (IBE: CSIC-UPF). Spearheaded by ICREA Research Professor Manuel Irimia, the program seeks to harness evolutionary principles to better understand the molecular roots of disease and improve human health.
It is backed with a provisional funding of one million euros from the Generalitat de Catalunya. Understanding the evolutionary history of our genomes is not just an academic exercise but a crucial step toward personalised medicine. By studying genomic diversity across species, populations, and even individual cells, we can gain unprecedented insights into how disease mechanisms have evolved through the history of life on Earth.
" Dr. Manuel Irimia, ICREA Research Professor The Evolutionary Medical Genomics (EvoMG) programme combines the two emerging disciplines of evolutionary medicine and medical genomics. Medical genomics provides invaluable insights into the genetic bases of human disease by using genomic data, whereas evolutionary medicine offers a unique angle to better understand disease and pathogens.
The EvoMG Program will work across these discipl.
