Animal Facility (PRBB)

The PRBB animal facility is one of the most complex and robotized installations of its kind in Europe and is fully accredited by AAALAC, the International Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care. This is the maximum international certification and implies an acknowledgement of the quality of the operation of the facility which translates into better practices and research results. The main animal models are zebrafish and mice, but it is also possible to use rats, hamsters, rabbits, frogs and axolots.

The animal facility covers 4,500 m2 with six independent units, which are connected and run under a single management:

• The aquatic animal area (zebrafish and xenopus)

• The specific pathogen germ free (SPF) barrier zone for rodents, with modern auto-ventilated microisolators and three support laboratories

• A trans genesis area with large laboratories (250 m2) for the production of genetically modified mice

• The experimental area with laboratories, surgery rooms and an irradiator

• The quarantine area with its own access changing rooms and embryonic transfer re-derivation laboratory

• A conventional animal facility, located at an adjacent building, which is connected via a tunnel with the PRBB, and has a surface area of 1,300 m2, mainly for studies with animal models in neuropharmacology and immunology

The number of Animal Facility users in 2017 was 405.

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Clinical Research Unit (IMIM)

The Clinical Research Unit has 12 beds and capacity to run different studies at the same time. The equipment is especially well suited for phase I clinical trials in drug development, for bioequivalence studies or for nutritional interventions. The studies are performed in accordance with the Good Clinical Practice (GCP) standards. It is accredited by the Government of Catalonia.

The Ethics Committee for Clinical Research (CEIC-Parc de Salut Mar) evaluates the study protocols in accordance with Spanish and European regulations. The Committee has two regular meetings every month. It is accredited by the Government of Catalonia and the Spanish Medicines Agency.

Available services

• Clinical trials in phase I and phase II

• Clinical trials of efficacy and tolerability

• Evaluation of the potential abuse of new drugs

• Psychopharmacology and behavioral pharmacology

• Methodological advice for clinical trial protocols

• Pharmacokinetic studies:

- Bioavailability, including bioequivalence studies of generics

- Metabolism and identification of metabolites

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Health-Related Quality of Life Questionnaires

BiblioPRO is a virtual library of Quality of Life Questionnaires and other Patient Reported Outcomes (PROs) in Spanish with free and open access.

The mission of our project is to promote the adequate use of HRQL instruments in Spanish among researchers, clinicians and health management, by providing exhaustive online information, evidence-based evaluations, and specialized training in this area.

The library currently holds information on 1,659 questionnaires and is updated periodically.

BiblioPRO is a CIBER in epidemiology and public health Research and Knowledge Transfer Support Action, initiated, directed and coordinated by the Health Services Research Unit of the IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), with the IMIM Foundation support.

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Quality Control Programme for the Analysis of Drugs of Abuse in Urine

The Quality Control Programme for the Analysis of Drugs of Abuse in Urine (PCQ) has been ongoing interruptedly since 1986. It is an external quality control programme with a high educational component.

The Coordinating Laboratory is in the analytical facilities of the Doping Control Research Group. Since November 2000, the Coordinating Laboratory has been recognized as an Assay laboratory accredited by ENAC (National Entity for Accreditations) following the accrediting criteria stated in Regulation EN 45001 and ISO Guide 25. Since March 2002, the Laboratory has been accredited as an Assay Laboratory according to ISO 17025 for the analysis of drugs of abuse and medications in biological fluids, including the use of eight quantitative procedures for the analysis of drugs of abuse in urine. The PCQ works under the requirements of the ISO 43 Guide (Proficiency testing by interlaboratory comparisons).

Laboratories participating in the PCQ are grouped into two categories depending on the type of analyses they perform: (i) laboratories performing qualitative screening of drug classes and  (ii) laboratories performing drugs identification and quantitative analyses.

This distinction between laboratories based on the type of analyses they perform is similar to that made between purely clinical and medical-legal laboratories; these two types of laboratories have different requirements in regards to the quality of the results they must provide.

Thus two modalities of participation in the PQC are offered so that participating laboratories may choose the option that best meets their requirements.

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C/ Doctor Aiguader, 88

08003 Barcelona

(+34) 93 316 04 00

info@imim.es