Dr. Mercè Pallàs Lliberia, professor at the University of Barcelona’s Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences and researcher at the UB Institute of Neurosciences (UBneuro), has been awarded funding through the CaixaImpulse Innovation 2025 program. Her project is one of 31 pioneering biomedical innovations selected out of 428 proposals, submitted by leading research institutions across Spain and Portugal.
Under Phase 1 of the program, Dr. Pallàs, working in consortium with Dr. José Luis Marco Contelles of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), will lead the development of a first-in-class drug targeting core symptoms related to brain function alterations of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), such as impaired social interaction and repetitive behaviors linked to altered brain function. The project seeks to address the underlying neurobiological mechanisms of autism while reducing side effects through safer and more effective therapeutic approaches.
CaixaImpulse Innovation 2025 will allocate a total of €3.8 million to accelerate the market readiness of selected projects, enhancing their potential to improve patient outcomes. In addition to financial support, researchers benefit from expert mentoring, consultancy, and specialized training in areas such as intellectual property, technology transfer, investor engagement, and commercialization.
Since its launch in 2015, CaixaImpulse has supported 263 projects with €28.8 million in funding, resulting in the creation of 54 spin-off companies and attracting over €180 million in additional investment. The program is carried out in collaboration with Criteria Bio Ventures and, in Portugal, with the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT).
Congratulations to Dr. Mercè Pallàs and the entire team involved in this project, representing a highly relevant contribution to research!
