Seville, April 13, 2012. The researcher Nuria Hidalgo is the winner of the first Research Award cicCartuja Ebro Foods 2011, presented today at the Center for Scientific Research Isla de la Cartuja (cicCartuja), a joint center of the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Junta de Andalucía and University of Seville. The ceremony, which was presided over by the Secretary of State for Research, Development and Innovation, Carmen Vela, was also attended by the President of the CSIC, Emilio Lora-Tamayo, the Secretary General for Universities, Research and Technology of the Regional Government of Andalusia, Francisco Andrés Triguero, the Rector of the University of Seville, Antonio Ramírez de Arellano, and the President of Ebro Foods, among other authorities.

With this award, cicCartuja recognizes the work carried out by its youngest researchers. The cicCartuja Ebro Foods Research Award highlights the articles presented by scientists in high impact publications at international level, which are, in turn, disseminated on the cicCartuja website (www.ciccartuja.es), within the “Article of the Month” section. In this way, not only is the work of the scientists of this Center encouraged, but also the results of research that pursue excellence and innovation in different areas of knowledge are made known to society and companies.

The first author of the awarded article is Nuria Hidalgo Serrano, a researcher at the Institute of Materials Science of Seville (ICMS), of the cicCartuja. Nuria Hidalgo is linked to the research group led by Hernán Ruy Míguez, Research Scientist at CSIC, whose main line of work focuses on the development of optical nanomaterials. In this sense, the article by Nuria Hidalgo advances in the discovery of crystals that allow optical detection of liquids and gases. This study opens a door to the achievement of new materials with sensing qualities, which could be applicable at the industrial level or even in everyday life, such as pollution sensors in urban roads, fire detectors in buildings or gas detectors in factories. According to the award winner, the main innovation provided by this study consists of “the incorporation of a porous film inside a stack of dense layers”, which can respond “to a chemical species in its environment”.

In addition to this first prize, cicCartuja and Ebro Foods awarded two runners-up prizes to Alejandro Díaz-Moscoso, a researcher at the Instituto de Investigaciones Químicas (IIQ), who published an article on gene therapy; and Consolación Álvarez, from the Instituto de Bioquímica Vegetal y Fotosíntesis (IBVF), whose work is related to plant protection. Alejandro Díaz’s work is part of the study on gene therapy, a technique based on the introduction of DNA or RNA into cells to produce a protein or suppress a gene. This type of research allows progress to be made in the treatment of diseases such as leukemia or autoimmune diseases. On the other hand, the article by Consolación Álvarez deals with the role played by cysteine, an essential molecule in the interaction between a plant and a pathogen. According to this study, manipulation of this molecule could improve plant protection against adverse conditions, thereby increasing the yield of certain crops.

The Ebro Foods cicCartuja Prize is worth 4,000 euros for the winner and 2,000 euros for the first and second runner-up prizes. These amounts have been donated by Antonio Hernández Callejas, Chairman of Ebro Foods. The Evaluation Commission in charge of awarding these prizes met on February 17, 2012 and was made up of the following institutions: Centro de Investigaciones Científicas Isla de la Cartuja (cicCartuja), Ebro Foods Foundation, Social Council of the University of Seville, Parque Científico y Tecnológico Cartuja, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Vice-rectorate for Research of the University of Seville, Círculo de Empresarios del Parque Científico y Tecnológico Cartuja, Instituto de Bioquímica Vegetal y Fotosíntesis (IBVF), Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Sevilla (ICMS) and Instituto de Investigaciones Químicas (IIQ).