Ibima, a leading Spanish health research centre in Malaga

n recent years, both in SUR and other media, there have been many reports with headlines beginning with ‘Researchers from Malaga...’. In reality, these Malaga researchers, and all these publications, are the result of some of the hundreds of research projects being carried out at the Biomedical Research Institute of Malaga and Nanomedicine Platform (Ibima Plataforma Bionand), a centre based in the capital of the Costa del Sol, which in just a few years has become a leading national and international name in a multitude of areas related to medicine.

Although the name Ibima might ring a bell with some people, most of them do not know that part of this success is due to the collaboration between the University of Malaga (UMA) and the main hospitals in the province. In fact, many of these researchers - starting with its scientific director, Francisco Tinahones - simultaneously work with Ibima on some of its projects while carrying out their professional duties in a hospital centre or academic faculty. This has made it possible during this time not only to kickstart research projects, but also to conduct clinical trials, the main feature of which is that they require patients.

Before going into the projects in depth, it is necessary to define what exactly Ibima is. The biomedical research institute of Malaga and nanomedicine platform is a “multidisciplinary” research area in biomedicine and nanomedicine involving the two main hospitals in the province, the Clínico and the Regional, in addition to the Malaga-Guadalhorce primary healthcare district attached to these centres. The other major pillar is the University of Malaga, where basic, clinical and public health research is developed and integrated “harmoniously”, according to those responsible, “promoting translational research for a better transfer of the scientific advances obtained in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the most prevalent health problems at a regional, national and global level.”

Ibima was founded in 2010 following an agreement between the regional ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs, the regional ministry of University, Research and Innovation, Andalucía’s public health service (SAS) and the University of Malaga.

The aim was to create a “cutting-edge centre of excellence” specialising in biomedicine and nanomedicine. In addition, Ibima is one of the 35 institutes accredited in Spain for health research by the Carlos III health institute.

The main name that stands out at Ibima is that of Francisco Tinahones, the institute’s scientific director. Just below him are the two vice-directors, Raúl Andrade (linked to SAS) and Javier Márquez (linked to UMA).

In 2023 Ibima reached a record funding figure of just over 30 million euros, 12 million more than just five years ago. Within this funding pot, it is made up of funds obtained competitively (53%) and others that have come directly (47%). As for the former, the largest funder (or rather, the source of the money) is the Instituto Carlos III, with around 5 million euros (27% of the total) followed by the CSIC (the Spanish national research council, a state-run agency) with 8%.

In terms of non-competitive funding, the largest source is clinical trials, which account for 30% of the total and some six million euros. Eighty-seven per cent of the resources go to research, and the rest to the financing of both management and scientific structures.

During the year 2023, some 316 research projects funded through regional, national, and international competitive proposals were developed at Ibima. Of these 197 were projects managed directly by FIMABIS (Fundación Pública Andaluza para la Investigación de Málaga ) as the institute’s managing body. In addition, 53 new competitive projects were awarded to Ibima research groups, of which 43 were also managed by FIMABIS, with a success rate of 23% (43 awarded out of the 188 that were applied for).

In terms of clinical trials, 1,199 clinical studies were conducted in 2023 and 261 new studies were agreed and signed. Of the total number of studies conducted in 2023, 849 were clinical trials. Of the total of 261 new studies signed for, 194 were new trials. This is precisely one of the keys to Ibima’s success. The fact that Ibima can bring together researchers under the umbrella of the hospitals, the institute has at its disposal all the patients within the public health system, which has made it possible in recent years to develop this high number of clinical studies.

It is no coincidence that Ibima has two sites, one in Malaga’s TechPark and the other in the Hospital Clínico itself (next to the emergency department), which facilitates the work of its professionals.

At the organisational level, Ibima has several different areas. Although it would be impossible to go into detail for each project, it is possible to set out the key areas of research activity.

One such area is cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes. Then environmental determinants and lifestyle, coordinated by Manuel Jiménez Navarro. Melissa García Caballero heads up molecular and translational biology of cancer.

Next comes neurosciences, chronicity, ageing and health in vulnerable populations, coordinated by Antonia Serrano Criado and lastly the area of autoimmune, infectious, inflammatory and allergy diseases, coordinated by María José Torres Jaén.

Alongside all this research there is also Ibima Tech: technology in health and innovation, coordinated by Ezequiel Pérez-Inestrosa, the field of nanodiagnosis, whose coordinator is María Luisa García Martín, also nanosystems and advanced therapies, coordinated by Elena González Muñoz and, finally, CIMO - the Malaga oncology research centre - whose director is Emilio Alba.

Although it is difficult to highlight some of Ibima’s projects, the centre’s leading director himself, Francisco Tinahones, does highlight the institute’s main milestones. One of them is that the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) accredited Ibima as a health research institute in 2015, after an “exhaustive evaluation” that guarantees its quality and scientific excellence, making it only the third institute in Andalucía to carry this distinction. From that moment the centre began to face new challenges in the field of biomedical research “to respond to the health needs of the inhabitants of the province of Malaga”, says Tinahones.

Every five years Ibima undergoes this evaluation system for ISCIII that allows it to continue as a Health Research Institute of excellence.

In addition, Ibima merged with the Centro Andaluz de Nanomedicina y Biotecnología (Bionand) at the beginning of 2022. This represents a “clear commitment” to interaction and networking, allowing basic research to have access to equipment and services that were not available until then, while maintaining the rest of its spaces in the city’s public hospitals and the UMA.

The third major milestone over the years has been the commitment to provide the city’s two public hospitals with spaces dedicated to clinical research, both in early phases and in phase II and III clinical trials, starting with the Clínico and now joined by the Hospital Regional in Malaga city. Despite all this, Ibima stresses that the most important aspect of its work continues to be the patient, offering improvements in the quality of care by optimising “the prevention of numerous diseases.”