During the 16th – 18th of April, the closing EMIF meeting was held in Brussels. The main issues addressed during the meeting were project’s objectives and outcomes, impact, sustainability and lessons learned. The mission of the EMIF framework is to improve identification, access and assessment, and reuse of health data. The EMIF project, funded by IMI and started in January 2013, was aiming at developing a framework for evaluating, enhancing and providing access to human health data across Europe. The development of common technical and governance solutions, to improve access and use of health data, resulted in a secure online …
The PARADIGM (Patients Active in Research and Dialogues for an Improved Generation of Medicines) project, funded by IMI-JU 2, was officially launched in Brussel on April 10th. The PARADIGM consortium is led by the European Patients’ Forum and EFPIA and gathers 34 partners comprising patient organisations, regulatory bodies, universities, non-for-profit organisations, SMEs, trade associations and pharmaceutical companies. PARADIGM’s mission is to provide a unique framework that enables sustainable patient engagement and demonstrates the ‘return on the engagement’ for all players. PARADIGM will build on existing tools to integrate the needs, perspectives and expectations of all actors involved and will provide a sustainable …
The first European OHDSI Symposium called "Bridging Europe” was held in Rotterdam on the 23rd and 24th of March. The Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics (OHDSI) program is a multi-stakeholder, interdisciplinary collaborative initiative to leverage the value of health data through large-scale analytics, and it has established a global network of researchers and observational open-source health databases. OHDSI Europe is led by the Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam. Peter Rijnbeek (Erasmus MC), welcomed over 200 international participants that were engaged in different sessions and tutorials. During the Symposium, several posters were presented, some of them stemming from the EMIF …
The Computational Sciences Symposium (CSS) celebrated its 7th annual event in Silver Spring, Maryland (US). The event brings together Academia, Regulators, Industry, and technology providers to address computational science needs in support of regulatory review in order to bring safe and effective products. CSS has established itself as the premier collaboration within the clinical trial environment, including the engagement of regulatory agencies FDA, EMA and PMDA. “eTRANSAFE, a New Player in Translational Safety Assessment” poster, written by William Drewe (Lhasa Limited), Thomas Steger-Hartmann (Bayer AG), and Montserrat Cases (Synapse) was presented at the meeting by Wiliam Drewe on behalf of …
The Brain Awareness Campaign is officially celebrated during this week, and we would like to use it as an opportunity to bring attention to brain science and advocate for science funding. Synapse is greatly involved in some of the most ambitious European brain research initiatives, especially those conducting research on Alzheimer’s disease. Currently, Synapse is a part of four European initiatives for Alzheimer’s disease: EPAD, AMYPAD, ROADMAP and EMIF, all funded under the auspices of the IMI-JU. EPAD (The European Prevention of Alzheimer’s Dementia) aims to create a novel environment for testing numerous interventions targeted at the prevention of …
On the 5th and 6th of March, Barcelona hosted XI Annual Conference of Biomedical Research Technology Platforms. Different advances in Innovative Medicines, Nanomedicine, Health Technology and Biotechnology Markets were presented. The focus was on the use of these advances and their necessary coexistence with the legal framework of clinical research and data protection. Synapse CEO, Carlos Díaz participated in a debate on how to share data in biomedical research. The session was focused on the experience acquired in the IMI Big Data for Better Outcomes (BD4BO) initiative including representatives from the ROADMAP and HARMONY (both managed by Synapse), BigData@Heart and …
In the frame of its Social Programme, Synapse has sponsored the AFASAF, a non-profit association of families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). Last Thursday members of AFASAF have visited Synapse’s premises to explain more about the FASD and the association’s activities. FASD is a lifelong condition relating to permanent brain damage caused by fetal alcohol exposure. The syndrome often goes undetected or misdiagnosed, or even blamed on poor parenting. Most children with FASD have significant cognitive, behavioural, and learning difficulties, including problems with attention, cause and effect reasoning, impulsivity and adaptive functioning difficulties. FASD has a great impact, …
On February 28th Synapse hosted the 1st EU-ADR Alliance Methodological Workshop in its offices in Barcelona. The workshop aimed at discussing recent methodological issues and applications in pharmacoepidemiological studies within the EU-ADR Alliance framework. The entire day was devoted to exploring the methods dealing with confounding and discuss on missing data, quality control and validation amongst others. The team had insightful and interesting discussions and shared experiences and learnt lessons, while deriving recommendations for future work. Researchers from IDIAP Jordi Gol (Spain), Erasmus Medical Center (the Netherlands), PEDIANET (Italy), the Italian Society of General Practitioners (Italy), the University of Oxford …
In 2017 the European Prevention of Alzheimer’s Dementia (EPAD) project launched EPAD Academy that is aiming to efficiently leverage EPAD resources to foster and develop academic research capacity and output in AD across Europe for maximum global impact. One of the main actions of the EPAD Academy is to help create the next generation of AD researchers by creating and facilitating opportunities for junior researchers’ career advancement. The EPAD Academy has established a register for the EPAD Academy Fellows, all of whom are eligible for Academy activities. “The Academy originated from a realisation that EPAD was an ideal framework for …
From 25th to 29th of June 2018, the Oxford Summer School on Real World Epidemiology will be held at the Lady Margaret Hall college in Oxford. The Director of the course is Prof Dr Prieto-Alhambra, Associate Professor and Co-Chair of the Big Health Data User Group, NDORMS, University of Oxford. This four-day training targets pharmacists, clinicians, and academics interested in the use of routinely collected data for research. The course will handle the topics such are: Data discovery and Characterization, Epidemiological study designs, Prediction modelling, Big data methods. Eva Molero, Synapse CEO, will speak on Project Management in Real World …
On the 6th and 7th of February, the eTRANSAFE Consortium partners met in Basel to discuss the progress of the first six months of the project. Key topics such as data collection, interoperability, and integration were discussed. One of the project aims is to develop predictive services, contributing to the safety assessment of chemical compounds. Integrative analysis of preclinical and clinical data for generation of candidate translational biomarkers is another important goal of the project. Overall the Consortium was impressed by the progress made in almost all activities and the good team collaboration established in the different WPs. The need to get …
On January 25th, the eTOX Executive Committee members François Pognan (Novartis Pharma), Ferran Sanz (FIMIM), Thomas Steger-Hartmann (BHC) and Carlos Díaz (SYNAPSE) held the close out meeting of the eTOX project at the IMI´s offices in Brussels. IMI´s Executive Director Dr Pierre Meulien also attended the meeting. The main points addressed during the meeting were project’s objectives and outcomes, impact, sustainability and lessons learned. The eTOX project stems from the very first IMI Call (it started in 2010) and was the very first IMI project that Synapse has managed. The project successfully ended in December 2016. With a budget of …
ADVANCE organised a Bootcamp in Leuven (Belgium) on January 24th-26th to discuss the sustainability of the project. During three days the ADVANCE Steering Committee, including Synapse members Eva Molero and Natasha Yefimenko, exchanged views and outlined a hub/platform model for the sustainability phase. During the last day of the Bootcamp, Dr. Michel Goldman attended the bootcamp and provided insights on the strategy for the future of ADVANCE. This Bootcamp was a unique opportunity to exchange ideas and concerns about how public and private partners could interact and participate in a future sustainable framework for vaccine benefit-risk monitoring. The ADVANCE project …
Last Thursday Synapse´s CEO Eva Molero and Senior Project Manager Elena del Rey were invited to give a course to researchers and managers of the Andalusian Health Service on the success factors in obtaining funding for research projects in Horizon 2020 calls. During this one-day practical workshop, Eva and Elena addressed key points in the preparation of a strong proposal. The attendees learnt about the life cycle of a H2020 project, the structure of the proposal, and discussed critical aspects related to the consortium and the workplan design. Eva and Elena also reviewed the legal aspects, risk management strategies, exploitation …
The company’s annual retreat took place this year in Artchimboldi in Barcelona. The team was fully immersed in internal training sessions and strategic discussions. Eva Molero brought us back to 2008, when the company was created, and revisited the first IMI-JU projects that Synapse managed. Looking back over the past years, we discussed the future of the company and reflected on the strong position achieved in the management of ground-breaking biomedical projects, especially around the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI). The training sessions were focused on analysis of best practices when it comes to the management of complex distributed project, and …
On 5th and 6th of December 2017, Alzheimer Europe (AE) hosted its third annual Alzheimer’s Association Academy in Brussels, Belgium. The meeting was attended by nearly fifty organisations, including representatives from AE member organisations, expert speakers and company representatives. For two days 15 experts in the field of AD research presented on various topics, divided into five sessions. We are proud that representatives from EPAD, ROADMAP and AMYPAD, all managed by Synapse, were invited as expert speakers to present their work and the current progress of the projects. More about ROADMAP: https://roadmap-alzheimer.org/ More about EPAD: http://ep-ad.org/ More …
The APM Project Manager Awards 2017 were held on the 20th November at Old Billingsgate, London. The awards recognize the very best the profession has to offer. The EPAD project (European Prevention of Alzheimer’s Dementia Consortium) was one of the six finalists in the “Social Project of the Year” category, and the only finalist among all category finalists, representing a research project in the medical field. Sandra Pla from Synapse, with EPAD representatives from IQVIA and the University of Edinburg attended APM Awards evening. It is an enormous accomplishment for EPAD and Synapse to be one of the finalists since …
In the frame of our recently launched Social Programme, Synapse has sponsored the Enriqueta Villavecchia Private Foundation for Child Oncology. Last Friday we had the opportunity to meet the team and learn more about their activities. We could understand the impact that disease has, not only on the life of a child, but also on their families, and the difficulties they face every day. The involvement of the team in helping those children and their families is impressive, and the Enriqueta Villavecchia Foundation work is admirable and meritorious. We are proud to be able to support such an initiative. The …
Synapse has kicked-off its Social Programme as part of Synapse’s corporate social responsibility to support initiatives related with the citizen’s health care. Synapse’s Social Programme has started funding two local initiatives: ASIMAGA, a Spanish non-profit association created from the concern of families of children affected with the Cri du chat syndrome, which is considered a rare genetic disorder. The Enriqueta Villavecchia Private Foundation for Child Oncology, a non-profit organization from Barcelona (Spain), which provides integral care for children and youngsters suffering from cancer and gives support to their families. More info at: www.synapse/social-programme
RT @imi_paradigm: PARADIGM through the eyes of the four @eupatients alumni that took part in the First #patientengagementforum last week. H… 3 days ago
• Master in Communication, PR and Protocol, ESERP Business School
• Extensive knowledge in events, communication, students & alumni engagement
• Experience in higher education and in the R&D research field
Anna Boixados - Executive Assistant
• Degree in Linguistics, Universitat de Barcelona
• Postgraduate in Documentation and Information Systems, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya
• Experience in Consultancy, CRM, Communication
Nuria Subirats - Executive Assistant
• Degree in Tourism, Universitat de Barcelona – Centre d’Estudis Tècnics Turístics
• Extensive experience in administrative functions
Gloria Garcia - Project Assistant
• MSc in Neuroscience, Universitat de Barcelona, Universitat Pompeu Fabra
• Extensive knowledge in R&D research, specifically in Neuroscience and Molecular Biology
• Experience in management of feasibility studies
Susana Vaquero - Project Assistant
• PhD in Physical Chemistry, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
• Postgraduate in European Project Planning and Management, Pixel (International Education and Training organization), Florence
• Experience in R&D centres as researcher
Iva Knezevic - Project Assistant
• Ph.D. In Biomedical Research, Universitat Pompeu Fabra
• Postgraduate in Pharmacoeconomic, UPF Barcelona School of Management
• Extensive knowledge in Molecular Biology and Genetics
• Experience in R&D research
Anna Beltrami - Project Assistant
• Master’s degree in History, University of Turin (IT)
• Master in European Project Planning & Management, Pixel (IT)
• Management of IMI2, H2020 and Erasmus + projects
Luca Bertoglio - Project Assistant
• Master in European Studies and Project Management, Université Catholique de Louvain and Belgian Italian Chamber of Commerce
• Master in European Studies and International Relations; University of Genova
David López - Accounting Manager
• Degree in Social Sciences, Universidad de Vigo
• Postgraduate in Accounting, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia
• Master in Financial Management, ESERP Business School
• Master in Finance, Universidad de Vigo
• Executive programme in management control, Wolters Kluwer
• Chartered Controller Analyst, Global Chartered Controller Institute
Scott Boyer - Senior Advisor
• Ph.D. in Molecular Toxicology, University of Colorado Boulder
• Co-founder of the Computational Toxicology group within the Swedish Toxicology Sciences Research Center, Swetox
• Founder and CEO of Klaria, a drug delivery company
• Expertise in predictive models of biological endpoints, data mining, chemical genetics and human adverse event modelling
Saira Ramasastry - Senior Advisor
• B.A. in Economics with Honors and Distinction from Stanford University
• Advanced degrees in Management Science & Engineering and Management Studies from Stanford University and the University of Cambridge
• Lecturer for the Bioscience Enterprise Program and serves on the Advisory Council for the University of Cambridge Judge Business School
• Founder of Life Sciences Advisory, LLC a firm focused on innovative public-private collaborations for the biopharmaceutical industry
• Seasoned biopharmaceutical advisor
Montserrat Cases - Project Manager
• Ph.D. In Computational and Theoretical Chemistry, Universitat de Girona
• Postdoc and Associate Researcher at Barcelona Biomedical Research Park, Barcelona
• Previously Scientific Manager at Bayer AG.
• Extensive knowledge in Data Management (standards (CDISC, SEND), controlled terminologies (SEND, INHAND, ICD, SNOMED, MeSH), Pharmacology, Translational Science, Regulatory Guidelines, and Change Management
Contact Us
Gilberto Gonçalves - IT Manager
• Associate Degree of System Analyst and Infrastructure
• Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate
• Apple Certified Technical Coordinator
• Cisco Certified Network Associate
• Seasoned IT Support Analyst
• Experienced working with critical mission servers in complex network environments
Natasha Yefimenko - Project Manager
• PhD in Biomedicine, specialised in neuroscience (MSc) and psychobiology (MSc), Universitat de Barcelona
• MBA degree, specialised in neuromarketing
• Researcher and visiting researcher involved pre-clinical drug-development projects in the biomedical field (neurodegenerative diseases)
• Lecturer of post-graduate courses in the area of psychobiology in several European institutions
Montse Camprubí - Senior Project Manager
• Translation degree, Universitat Pompeu Fabra
• Involved in the coordination of IMI projects, and previously FP6, FP7 projects
• Highly skilled in the managing of research projects, from financial and administrative aspects of EU funded projects to dissemination and development of communication tools
Elena del Rey - Senior Project Manager
• Law Degree, Universidad de Valencia
• Master in European Studies, Univeristé Catholique de Louvain
• Postgraduate in Regional Strategy and Competitiveness, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya
• Extensive knowledge in legal matters, governance and procedures related to EU projects
• Teaches courses in European R+D project management for a variety of institutions
Sandra Pla - Senior Project Manager
• University degree in Political and Administration Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra
• Master in Public and Social Policies, Johns Hopkins University
• Wide experience in managing and coordinating complex and distributed research projects, especially in the framework of IMI projects
• Teaches courses in European R+D project management for a variety of institutions
• Master in Communication, PR and Protocol, ESERP Business School
• Degree in Linguistics, Universitat de Barcelona
• Degree in Tourism, Universitat de Barcelona – Centre d’Estudis Tècnics Turístics
• MSc in Neuroscience, Universitat de Barcelona, Universitat Pompeu Fabra
• PhD in Physical Chemistry, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
• Ph.D. In Biomedical Research, Universitat Pompeu Fabra
• Master’s degree in History, University of Turin (IT)
• Master in European Studies and Project Management, Université Catholique de Louvain and Belgian Italian Chamber of Commerce
• Degree in Social Sciences, Universidad de Vigo
• Ph.D. in Molecular Toxicology, University of Colorado Boulder
• B.A. in Economics with Honors and Distinction from Stanford University
• Ph.D. In Computational and Theoretical Chemistry, Universitat de Girona
• Associate Degree of System Analyst and Infrastructure
