Yosu Ion Vara, Aizpea Zubia and Eider San Sebastián, researchers at the biotechnology company IkerChem, won the R&D&I award for the biotechnology category in October last at the International Chemical Industry Exhibition-Expoquimia 2008.

Under the title “Rational design and synthesis of unnatural amino acids with antimetastatic and antiproliferative activity”, the aim of the project presented by the group of researchers from the Basque biocompany is to design new molecules capable of being used as therapeutic agents in treating tumours. More specifically, this work presents a small scale synthesis method for unnatural amino acids capable of inhibiting metastasis in certain types of cancer.

The 15th edition of Expoquimia, the International Chemical Industry Exhibition, was held between 20 and 24 October in Barcelona. The prestigious R&D&I Awards given at this event are divided into two categories, chemistry and biotechnology, with a financial endowment of 5,000 euros in both cases.

The biotechnology company IkerChem, whose headquarters are in Donostia-San Sebastián, focuses its activity on research oriented towards searching for new drugs with applications in oncology. IkerChem was founded in 2005 as a spin-off from the Organic Chemistry Department of the Chemistry Faculty at the Gipuzkoa Campus of the University of the Basque Country (UPV-EHU). Three years after it was founded, IkerChem has become a solid company in the Basque biotechnology sector. In addition, it has promising national and international projection, which is boosted by such prestigious awards as the one won at Expoquimia 2008.