Spain's Minister of Science and Innovation visits IIBM

Spain's Minister of Science and Innovation visits the Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas Alberto Sols

  • The Minister of Science and Innovation, Diana Morant, visited the IIBM to meet scientists from Ukraine who are currently working in four CSIC research centers in Madrid

  • Dr. Carmen Delgado Canencia of the IIBM has hosted Dr. Raisa Fedichkina, a postdoctoral researcher from Kiev, to work on heart failure

In March 2022, the Vice-Presidency for International Relations of CSIC promoted the "CSIC Program for Scientific Cooperation with Ukraine" with the aim of announcing 30 grants for research projects with 30 associated contracts for Ukrainian PhDs. The purpose was to facilitate the participation of the Ukrainian scientific community in CSIC research projects in which there was mutual interest, so that the research work of Ukrainian scientists would not be frustrated by the situation in the country. Finally, twenty scientists were recruited in different CSIC centers.

Dr. Carmen Delgado Canencia, head of the "Cellular Electrophysiology and Regulation of Hypertrophy and Heart Failure" laboratory at the IIBM, was awarded with one of these grants and Dr. Raisa Fedichkina joined the IIBM in September 2022. Raisa is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Physiology at the Bogomoletz Institute in Kiev (Ukraine). She submitted her PhD Thesis at that Institute in 2021 on the role of different metabolic pathways of L-cysteine in cardiac response to overload. Raisa is currently studying the mechanisms involved in the cardioprotective effects associated with the activation of vitamin D nuclear receptors in heart failure, under the direction of Dr. Delgado.

Recently, the Minister of Science and Innovation, Diana Morant, has had meetings with Ukrainian scientists who are currently working in CSIC centers and who were welcomed thanks to the "CSIC Program for Scientific Cooperation with Ukraine". In this way, Diana Morant has traveled to several CSIC centers in Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia.

The Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas Alberto Sols, IIBM (CSIC-UAM) was the CSIC center chosen by Diana Morant to meet all the Ukrainian scientists hosted in research institutes in Madrid. In addition to Raisa Fedichkina from IIBM, Maria Goncharova from the National Institute of Agricultural and Food Research and Technology (INIA), Ruslan Shaporin from the Institute of Physical and Information Technologies Leonardo Torres Quevedo (ITEFI) and Serhii Goncharov from the Biological Research Center Margarita Salas (CIB) attended the event.

On her arrival at the IIBM, the Minister was received by Javier Moreno, Vice President of International Relations of CSIC, by Serhii Pohoreltsev, Ambassador of Ukraine in Spain and by Mario Vallejo, Director of the IIBM. She then greeted the Ukrainian researchers: Maria, Ruslan, Serhii and Raisa, as well as three researchers responsible for the projects in which the Ukrainians are working, including Dr. Carmen Delgado.

The Minister then visited the laboratory where Raisa works. She was accompanied by the Director of the IIBM, the Ambassador and the Vice-President of International Relations of CSIC, as well as by the Ukrainian researchers. Raisa explained to the Minister her current research work in Dr. Delgado's laboratory and showed several images and a very illustrative video about the experimental models of myocardial infarction induction performed in the laboratory. Diana Morant also had a relaxed conversation with Maria, Ruslan and Serhii about their research work in Spain. In addition, she also wanted to know what their lives were like before the Russian invasion, if they are happy in Spain, etc. The Minister was very touched to hear their stories.

Once the conversation with the Ukrainian researchers was over, and despite the fact that the protocol chief urged her to leave, Diana Morant surprised us, when she expressed her desire to meet the members of Dr. Delgado's group. She asked them about their work and their satisfaction in the laboratory and asked to be photographed with them.

The IIBM is very grateful to have been the CSIC Institute chosen to host this emotive meeting and congratulates Raisa for the courage to leave her country and Carmen for hosting Raisa.


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