On Saturday, October 3, we opened the doors of the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) to the families of the professionals who work at the institution. At the first Family Open Day, more than 150 people had the opportunity to discover first-hand what we do and how we work at VHIR, with visits to the facilities and workshops specially designed for the youngest members of the family.

During the morning, guided tours were organised to visit the laboratories of some research groups, as well as the facilities of VHIR’s research support and structural units.

At the Edifici Central, the Pneumology group explained the effects of air pollution, both outdoors and inside the home, with different demonstrations of the levels of particles present in the environment. They also showed how RT-qPCR works, following the entire process from sample collection to the final result, and gave a practical and visual demonstration to show how the more genetic material there is in the sample, the sooner it is detected. On behalf of the Cardiovascular Diseases group, they have shown histological samples under the microscope to discover how research is conducted into fibrosis, arrhythmias and heart inflammation. Professionals from the Peripheral Nervous System group explained how samples are analysed in the laboratory to identify new biomarkers of neuromuscular diseases.

The IT Unit team presented how they manage all of VHIR’s physical information technology infrastructure: they ensure that computer equipment functions properly and detect and resolve any potential issues. They also update and improve parts that are becoming outdated and install any new systems that may be needed.

At the Collserola Building, the Clinical Biochemistry, Drug Delivery and Therapy group also took part in the event. Members of the CB-DDT group and the FVPR/U20 platform of Nanbiosis showed how a potential therapy goes through all the stages of biomedical research: from the synthesis and characterisation of therapeutic extracellular vesicles to evaluation in preclinical models. The Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders group explained how clinical trials enable laboratory discoveries to reach patients in a rigorous manner, and highlighted the importance of patient participation in achieving increasingly precise and safe treatments. The visit also provided an opportunity to see some of the shared equipment spaces used by the research teams.

Workshops to bring science closer to children

The Family Open Day was also an opportunity for children to discover science through workshops specially designed for them.

On the one hand, the Biomedical Research in Urology group organised the escape room ‘Resistance Mission: The Case of the Invincible Tumour’, where the children investigated the case of a tumour that did not respond to the medication. On the other hand, the Diabetes and Metabolism group offered a scientific bingo game, ‘Understanding Diabetes’, to introduce basic concepts related to diabetes and its prevention.