We take part in the outreach initiative “European Researchers’ Night”

Bringing science closer to society is essential to spark vocations, share knowledge, and foster critical thinking. That is why, at the BBRC, we did not want to miss the opportunity to participate in the 2025 Researchers’ Night, an initiative celebrated annually in September in over 300 cities across Europe.

The European Researchers’ Night is a science outreach project promoted by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program. This year, we took part with two outreach activities.

On Friday, September 26, as part of the event organized by Fundación “la Caixa” and ESCIENCIA, we joined the session “Immunorevolution: from research to the medicine of the future.” Dr. Sandra Acosta, leader of the Neurological Disease Models research group at BBRC, participated in the roundtable “Inflammaging!” to discuss neuroinflammation and its impact on brain health. The session, moderated by journalist Cristina Sáez, also featured Dr. Núria Izquierdo-Useros (IrsiCaixa).

In her talk, Dr. Acosta vividly explained the role of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), comparing it to the brain’s “sewage system”.  When inflammation occurs, the CSF carries compounds that hinder its circulation, brain drainage becomes ineffective, and toxic substances accumulate, worsening inflammation and neuronal damage. For her part, Dr. Izquierdo-Useros explained how certain viruses—even those embedded in our genome as “genetic fossils”—can reactivate with age and contribute to accelerated aging processes and diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

The event generated great interest, with over 100 attendees filling the room and actively engaging with the speakers through questions.

In addition, a new initiative was launched this year: Research Morning, which brings science directly into classrooms. Dr. Ana Fernández, neurologist and BBRC researcher, and Dr. Nina Gramunt, neuropsychologist, gave the talk “Don’t lose sleep to take care of your brain” to secondary school students. The session emphasized the importance of healthy lifestyle habits, particularly sleep, to maintain good brain health.