Research team

NuBE

The Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Nutrition and Biotechnology (LBNB) of the University of the Balearic Islands, directed by Professor Andreu Palou,  houses the work  of the Nutrigenomics, Biomarkers and Risk Evaluation (NuBE) research group.

Group members

University staff

Prof. Andreu Palou Oliver - Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the UIB. Director of the Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Nutrition and Biotechnology (UIB) since 1995. Throughout his scientific career he has held positions such as: Vice-President of the Scientific Committee on Food of the European Commission (SCF, 1997-2003) and of the Scientific Panel on Nutrition of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA, 2003-2009); first president of the Scientific Committee of the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN, 2003-2010), and member of the Board of Directors of CIBEROBN (2010-2019). He is currently president of the Regulatory Board of the PGI Sobrassada de Mallorca, president of the Scientific Committee in the company Alimentómica, and director of the Master’s degree in Aesthetic Medicine (UIB).

Prof. Catalina Picó Segura - Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the UIB. Principal Investigator (PI) of the NuBE group at the UIB, at the Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa) and at the CIBER of Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBEROBN). Deputy Director of the LBNB (UIB). At the UIB she is also vice-dean of the Faculty of Medicine and co-director of the Interuniversity Master's Degree in Nutrigenomics and Personalized Nutrition. Coordinator of the European project INTEGRActiv (2022-25). She has also been deputy coordinator of the European project BIOCLAIMS (2010-15) and co-PI of other national projects such as XMilk (2019-22) and INTERBIOBES (2016-2018). She has been a member of the Scientific Committee of AECOSAN (2011-15).

Prof. Francisca Serra Vich - Professor of Nutrition and Bromatology at the UIB. R+D Director at Alimentòmica SL, from where she has coordinated the activities of the European project PREVENTOMICS (2018-22) and the national project SMARTFOODS. Co-PI of the national projects BioMarkUrin (2021-23) and miRNA-milk (2018-20). She has been director of R+D at the UIB (1993-96) and national expert at the European Commission (1997-2000) at the Directorate-General for Science, Research and Development (Brussels). She investigates the molecular basis of obesity, including nutrigenomics, nutrigenetics and epigenetics.

Prof. M.ª Luisa Bonet Piña - Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the UIB. She is currently co-director of the Interuniversity Master's Degree in Nutrigenomics and Personalized Nutrition, senior researcher and scientific secretary of the LBNB. PI of a project promoting international collaboration in R+D funded by the Government of the Balearic Islands (2022-23), and co-PI of the ALIÓPTIMA contract (SMARTFOODS subproject). She investigates the molecular and cellular basis of weight control and body adiposity and their interaction with nutrients and bioactive components of food (molecular nutrition). 

Prof. Paula Oliver Vara - Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the UIB. She is currently co-PI of the NuBE group in CIBEROBN and IdISBa. She has been co-manager for the European project DIABAT (2011-15) and a subproject of the national project SMARTFOODS, as well as co-PI of the METAHEALTH-TEST project (2018-20). She investigates molecular markers of the effects of diet and its compounds on metabolism and health using blood cells, as well as the activation of brown adipose tissue as prevention of obesity. 

Prof. Joan Ribot Riutort - Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Specialist in Clinical Biochemistry. He is currently dean of the Faculty of Sciences (UIB) and coordinator of the "Biochemistry of Nutrition Group of the Spanish Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology". He has been PI of the NuBE group in the Spanish Carotenoid Network (CaRed) (2019-20) and member of the Management Committee of EUROCAROTEN (2016-20). It investigates the molecular and cellular basis of weight control and body adiposity and the effects of active and functional compounds in food on these processes. 

Prof. Juana Sánchez Roig - Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the UIB. She is currently director of the Interuniversity Doctorate in Nutrigenomics and Personalized Nutrition. Co-PI of the BioMarkUrin (2021-23) and miRNA-Milk (2018-20) projects. She investigates the effects of maternal nutrition during neonatal development and body weight in adulthood, as well as the identification and characterization of nutrigenomic biomarkers predictive of a protective "healthy phenotype" for the development of overweight/obesity and its complications.

Dr. Ana M.ª Rodríguez Guerrero - PhD in Biochemistry. She is currently director of the Doctoral School at the UIB and senior lecturer of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Her research focuses on gene-nutrient interactions, gene expression and epigenetics, along with the relationship of nutrients and early nutritional interventions with the metabolic programming of diseases associated with energy control, obesity and its complications, as well as their prevention.

Dr. Mariona Palou March - PhD in Nutrition and Metabolism. She is currently secretary of the academic committee of the Interuniversity Doctorate in Nutrigenomics and Personalized Nutrition (UIB), senior lecturer in the Department of Fundamental Biology and Health Sciences, and collaborator in the technology-based company Alimentómica SL. Her research focuses on body weight regulation and energy homeostasis, perinatal body weight programming, and metabolic health.

Post-docs

Dr. Bàrbara Reynés Miralles - Assistant professor and researcher in the NuBe group at the UIB. She teaches in the degrees of Biochemistry and Medicine and in the Master of Nutrigenomics and Personalized Nutrition (UIB). PhD in Nutrigenomics and Personalized Nutrition (UIB, 2015) with International Mention.

Dr. Catalina A. Pomar Oliver - Assistant professor and researcher in the NuBe group at the UIB. She teaches in the degrees of Biochemistry and Biology and in the Master of Nutrigenomics and Personalized Nutrition (UIB). PhD in Nutrigenomics and Personalized Nutrition (UIB, 2018) with International Mention.

Dr. Sebastià Galmés Monroig - Postdoctoral researcher in the field of Nutrigenetics and Personalized Nutrition. He combines his research work with teaching in the degrees of Biochemistry and Human Nutrition and Dietetics and in the Master of Nutrigenomics and Personalized Nutrition. PhD from the UIB in 2019 with International Mention. He holds a contract by the Center for Biomedical Research Network for the study of the Pathophysiology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBEROBN).

PhD students

Rocío A. Martín Chamorro – FPI PhD fellowship.

María de Lucas de Santos – PFIS PhD fellowship.

Pere Bibiloni Coll – FPU PhD fellowship.

Carmen García Ruano – FPU PhD fellowship.

Ana Valle Cabello – FPU PhD fellowship.

Technicians

Margalida Adrover Vidal  Research assistant NuBE.

Sophie Bernard Lacombe – Research assistant NuBE.

Alicia Domínguez Flores – Research assistant NuBE.

Alimentomica S.L.

Andreu Palou March – Executive Director.

Raúl Gil Caraballo – Management and Research Technician (Alimentòmica SL).

Dr. Gabriel Vidal Sitges – PhD in Nuclear Physics and expert in Machine Learning.