Xavier Trias, Mayor of Barcelona, visited last Friday the facilities of the Barcelona Macula Foundation, a scientific center at the forefront of research that dedicates its resources to the investigation of diseases that cause blindness.
Trias toured the foundation’s facilities, accompanied by Dr. Jordi Monés, medical director of the Barcelona Macula Foundation and member of Top Doctors, and a representation of the members of the board of trustees. During the visit, Dr. Monés was able to explain the details of the main projects being carried out, focused exclusively on research into the medical and surgical pathology of the macula, retina and vitreous.
Barcelona at the forefront of research
The Barcelona Macula Foundation, an organization focused exclusively on research into the medical and surgical pathology of the macula, retina and vitreous, focuses its activity on research into the fight against blindness.
The foundation works with the aim of obtaining effective techniques to combat untreated vision diseases, such as the atrophic variant of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), retinitis pigmentosa and Stargardt’s disease.
Among other areas of work, the foundation’s scientific team has succeeded in testing new drugs in the early stages of clinical development and is working, in collaboration with other research centers, to develop research based on state-of-the-art techniques.
According to Dr. Monés, “the application of substitution techniques such as the use of fetal tissue or embryonic stem cells is a path in the field of ophthalmologic research that can open up new possibilities for people suffering from degenerative vision diseases”. In this sense, Dr. Monés also emphasized “the importance of public-private collaboration to obtain the necessary resources to carry out scientific projects”.
About the Barcelona Macula Foundation
A scientific foundation created to fight blindness through basic and preclinical research projects and collaborating in clinical research projects. Its scientific team has worked on research projects that have already helped to improve current treatments for pathologies associated with the macula and retina and is currently focused on the fight against macular and retinal degenerative diseases that cause blindness and have no treatment, such as dry AMD, retinitis pigmentosa or Stargardt’s disease, with innovative projects that include regenerative and cell therapy. It has collaboration agreements with entities such as the Institut Català de Nanotecnologia, l’Institut de Ciències Fotòniques, l’Institut de Bioenginyeria de Catalunya, l’Hospital Universitari de la Vall d’Hebron i Fundació Universitat Vall d’Hebron Institut de Recerca or the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.
Board of Trustees: Maurice Botton, Sandro Rosell, Antoni Esteve, Juan M. Arimany, Dr. Jordi Monés, Juan Pablo Tornos.