The Amgen TransferCiència 2025 programme, organized by Amgen biotechnology and the Catalan Foundation for Research and Innovation (FCRI), aims to improve science learning, with a special focus on biotechnology and genetics. The participation this year of the Institute of Integrative Biology of Systems (I2SysBio), located in the scientific-academic area of the Science Park of the University of Valencia (PCUV), as well as a joint center of the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) and the University of Valencia (UV), has been through workshops specifically designed for different educational levels.
The researcher Àngela Vidal Verdú gave the workshop "Bioprospecció i bioremediació microbianos: cerca de microorganismos amb aplicacions biotecnològiques" in the IES Colomina of Eivissa (24 February). The session began with a talk on plastic pollution and how microbial bioremediation offers solutions to mitigate pollution. Bioprospecting studies allow for the search of micro-organisms of interest that can be modified to improve process efficiency. The attending students were able to learn different ways of cultivating microorganisms and how to work on their identification while maintaining sterility. Students have identified a new bacterial species using computer techniques.
I2SysBio participates in Amgen TransferCiència 2025, a program that aims to improve the learning of science in the classroom, with special attention to biotechnology and genetics
On the same 24 February, Paola Corbín Agustí and Alba Arévalo Lalanne gave the conference "Microorganisms and the human being" at IES Santa María de Eivissa and IES Doctor Faustí Barberà of Alaquàs, respectively. Followed by the workshop "The race for the red evil vaccine". During the talk, the role of probiotics, bacteria beneficial to human health, was explored, revealing why they are a central pillar in the context of scientific research deployed at I2SysBio. Through a theoretical and practical approach, assistants learn and apply basic procedures in a microbiology laboratory.
Cristina Vidal Verdú gave her workshop at the IES Cueva Santa of Segorbe, also on 24 February. First he gave a theoretical introduction on the biology of viruses and how vaccines work. The students then formed "evaluation committees" on the effectiveness of various Nile virus vaccine candidates, using immunological techniques.
The Institute of Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio) participates in the Amgen TransferCiència 2025 program. Photo: UV News
On 28 March, Víctor Garrigós Centelles carried out an educational activity at the IES Patraix in Valencia that consisted of a review of the historical evolution of biotechnology. The discussion focused on restriction enzymes, the difference between genomic DNA and a plasmid, and how to interpret the results of agarose gel electrophoresis, routine techniques in any biotechnology laboratory.
Finally, on 16 April, Cecilia Picazo Campos gave the workshop "An adventure of a DNA detective" at IES Pere Boïl in Manises. The activity starts from a murder. At the crime scene biological samples of the killer are discovered. With these samples, the student extracts DNA, amplifies it, separates it, visualizes it and compares it with other samples to determine which of the three possible suspects is the culprit. Through this activity, the student discovers the importance of biotechnology in everyday life.
Source: UV News