About Us

At Welab Barcelona we have end-to-end technological capabilities, expertise, and in-depth knowledge of the key steps of the pharmaceutical R&D process and standards. We aim to be your partner in the Discovery and Development of new drugs or repurposing approaches for providing next generation of therapies to patients.

Welab Barcelona platform offers drug discovery and development services along with know-how for supporting your drug R&D program, including gap identification, definition of the critical path, value proposition, and competitive differentiation.

Beyond pharma R&D services, scientific solutions

Pharmacological targets

We have a strong expertise on Sigma receptors. The sigma-1 and sigma-2 are both expressed in the CNS, regulating key aspects of neuronal survival in response to stress and are associated with various neurological disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease. Targeting sigma receptors has also emerged as a disease-modifying therapeutic strategy to prevent neurodegeneration. Moreover, the role of sigma-1 receptor in neuropathic pain has been widely demonstrated. Besides sigma receptors, we also actively work on other targets, permanently exploring new opportunities relevant for our areas of interest.

Molecular dynamics simulation of the Sigma-1 receptor structure, starting from the published crystal embedded in a phospholipid bilayer.

The R&D Site

Our R&D site is the largest integrated Drug Discovery Center in Spain, a first level infrastructure provided with cutting-edge equipment and technologies. Welab has 2,331 m² dedicated space to research laboratories. It is located in the Science Park of Barcelona, one of the biggest innovation hubs in Spain. Moreover, the life sciences and healthcare ecosystem in Catalonia is one of the most active ones in southern Europe, according to the report “The life sciences and healthcare sector in Catalonia - 2021 BioRegion Report”.

The team

Founded in 2020, through the acquisition of the Drug Discovery & Preclinical Development center from Esteve Pharmaceuticals S.A., Welab Barcelona is formed by experienced scientists with a proven track record across the entire drug discovery and development cycle, successfully translating new discoveries into clinical PoC. The team has an extensive network of past and present collaborations with universities, research centers, SMEs, and pharmaceutical companies, either through one-to-one collaborations or through both Spanish and European founded public-private partnerships. The leadership team is experienced in engaging with multiple regulatory authorities, including EMA, FDA, MHRA, BfArM, AEMPS, etc.

Our expertise

The research center has integrated capabilities spanning the entire drug discovery value chain, from target identification to pre-clinical development as well as clinical phase and regulatory support.