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29/09/2026 - General information

OpenPRBB 2026: on Saturday 3 October, experience science up close

The next Saturday 3 October marks a new edition of the PRBB Open Day. Once again, the building will open its doors to the public to discover first-hand the research carried out there, visit laboratories and scientific services, and meet the people who work there.

Throughout the morning, from 10.00 am to 2.00 pm, professionals from the different PRBB research centres will share their day-to-day work and bring science closer to the public through a range of activities and guided tours.

This year, OpenPRBB is placing a special focus on guided tours, offering an opportunity to access spaces that are not usually open to the public, discover one of Barcelona's major scientific infrastructures, and see how research is carried out from the inside.

The Hospital del Mar Research Institute takes part in four tours

This year, the Hospital del Mar Research Institute is taking part in four of the guided tours, allowing visitors to discover different areas of research carried out at the Institute.

Tour 1. Life in code

How can new therapeutic targets be identified and the information hidden in our genome interpreted? You will visit the GPCR Drug Discovery Lab at the Hospital del Mar Research Institute and discover why GPCR receptors are so important for the functioning of the human body. Then, at the CRG, you will learn how computational biology helps us understand RNA processing and the journey from DNA to proteins.

Tour 4. Brain, behaviour and health

How does a question about how the brain works move from the laboratory to research involving people? At the Cognition Biology Laboratory at MELIS-UPF, you will discover how complex brain processes and their relationship with behaviour are studied. You will then visit the Clinical Research Unit at the Hospital del Mar Research Institute, where you will learn how clinical studies are prepared and conducted.

Tour 9. From cells to health

Discover how studying cells can help us understand health and disease. At the Dayton Group at EMBL Barcelona, you will learn how organoids can reproduce aspects of development and neuroendocrine tumours in the laboratory. At the Sebé Group at the CRG, you will explore the origin and diversity of different cell types. The tour ends with REGICOR, where you will discover how studies involving large population groups contribute to research into cardiovascular diseases.

Tour 10. Cells, cancer and metabolism

How do cells go from acting individually to organising themselves and forming complex structures? At the Trivedi Group at EMBL Barcelona, you will discover how embryos and organoids can be used to study tissue formation. Then, at the Stem Cells and Cancer Group, led by Anna Bigas, you will learn how stem cell behaviour is regulated and what happens when these mechanisms become altered in diseases such as cancer. The tour ends at the Applied Metabolomics Laboratory at the Hospital del Mar Research Institute, where you will discover how the analysis of small molecules can provide information about health.

HMRIB also takes part in the Science Vermouth

The Institute's participation in OpenPRBB does not end with the guided tours. Sara Mederos and Pablo Villoslada, researchers at the Hospital del Mar Research Institute, will also take part in the Science Vermouth, an informal conversation about the future of biomedicine with researchers from the PRBB, moderated by biochemist and science communicator Pere Estupinyà.

The event will feature:

• Juana Díez (MELIS-UPF)
• Marc Güell (MELIS-UPF)
• Sara Mederos (HMRIB)
• Pablo Villoslada (HMRIB)

The Science Vermouth will take place at 1.00 pm, in the PRBB inner courtyard, and will be an open conversation about the changes we can expect in biomedicine in the coming years, with time for questions from the audience. The activity is free, open to all and does not require prior registration.

Explore science at your own pace

In addition to the guided tours, OpenPRBB offers a free-flowing tour where you can explore science in a different way and at your own pace. The space, open to everyone and suitable for all ages, will feature a range of exhibitions, artistic installations and activities.

One of the activities on offer will be "Building a more sustainable science", an initiative inviting participants to give laboratory pipette-tip boxes a new life by taking part in the creation of a collaborative sculpture.

Want to experience science up close?

Find out more about OpenPRBB 2026 and book your ticket here.

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