2025/10/22

Jesús Jiménez-Barbero receives the prestigious Prof. Avadhesha Surolia Award for Excellence in Glycobiology in India

Professor Jesús Jiménez-Barbero has received in India the Prof. Avadhesha Surolia Award for Excellence in Glycobiology, in recognition of his outstanding scientific career in glycosciences, further strengthening CIC bioGUNE’s leadership in world-class Life Sciences research.

Jesús Jiménez-Barbero, Ikerbasque Research Professor and Scientific Director of CIC bioGUNE, has been honored with the Prof. Avadhesha Surolia Award for Excellence in Glycobiology, a prestigious international recognition granted by the Indian Institute of Science Alumni Association (IIScAA) and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore, India.

This biennial award was established by Prof. Avadhesha Surolia, former Chairman of the Molecular Biophysics Unit at IISc and former Director of the National Institute of Immunology in New Delhi. The award aims to honor global excellence in Glycobiology, Membrane Biology, Immunology, and Neuroscience.

The distinction acknowledges Prof. Jiménez-Barbero’s research career in glycosciences, a field in which he has made fundamental contributions to understanding the molecular mechanisms of glycan recognition and their roles in biological and biomedical processes.

The award presentation ceremony was recently held in the auditorium of the Division of Biological Sciences Auditorium of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), where Prof. Jiménez-Barbero delivered his award lecture titled “Breaking the limits in understanding glycan recognition by NMR.”

Prof. Jiménez-Barbero has a distinguished career spanning more than three decades at the intersection of chemistry, biology, and biomedicine. His research has been pivotal in advancing the structural understanding of carbohydrate–protein interactions, using cutting-edge NMR spectroscopy, computational methods, and chemical biology tools. At CIC bioGUNE, his research group focuses on elucidating how glycans modulate biological recognition processes relevant to cancer, infection, and inflammation, paving the way for the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

“I am truly grateful for receiving such prestigious international award, which pays tribute to one of the giants of Glycosciences, Prof. Surolia. This is one additional stimulus for continuing with our work on the role of glycans in health and disease,” said Prof. Jiménez-Barbero following the ceremony.

With this award, Prof. Jiménez-Barbero is consolidated as an international leader in glycosciences, reinforcing CIC bioGUNE’s, member of BRTA, position as a reference center in cutting-edge biomedical research.

About CIC bioGUNE
The Centre for Cooperative Research in Biosciences (CIC bioGUNE), member of the Basque Research & Technology Alliance (BRTA), located in the Bizkaia Technology Park, is a biomedical research organisation conducting cutting-edge research at the interface between structural, molecular and cell biology, with a particular focus on generating knowledge on the molecular bases of disease, for use in the development of new diagnostic methods and advanced therapies.

About BRTA
BRTA is an alliance of 4 collaborative research centres (CIC bioGUNE, CIC nanoGUNE, CIC biomaGUNE y CIC energiGUNE) and 13 technology centres (Azterlan, Azti, Ceit, Cidetec, Gaiker, Ideko, Ikerlan, Leartiker, Lortek, Neiker, Tecnalia, Tekniker y Vicomtech) with the main objective of developing advanced technological solutions for the Basque corporate fabric.

With the support of the Basque Government, the SPRI Group and the Provincial Councils of the three territories, the alliance seeks to promote collaboration between the research centres, strengthen the conditions to generate and transfer knowledge to companies, contributing to their competitiveness and outspreading the Basque scientific-technological capacity abroad.

BRTA has a workforce of 3,500 professionals, executes 22% of the Basque Country's R&D investment, registers an annual turnover of more than 300 million euros and generates 100 European and international patents per year.

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