A scientific paper by the research group at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) is one of the 50 most cited studies of the past five years on marine pollution. It was published in 2006 in the Marine Pollution Bulletin by the BCTA (Cell Biology in Environmental Toxicology Consolidated Research Group) of the Zoology and Animal Cell Biology Department, Faculty of Sciences and Technology.

The paper is a result of the research conducted by the Professors in Cell Biology Ionan Marigómez and Miren Cajaraville and it reveals the effects that the Prestige oil spill has had on mussels, anchovies and hake.

Professor Ibon Cancio collected the diploma awarded by the Marine Pollution Bulletin, certifying its inclusion in the Top-50 most cited articles in the 2005-2009 period, on behalf of the research team in the ceremony held in Hong Kong within the 6th International Conference on Marine Pollution and Ecotoxicology (ICMPE).

During the event, Professor Cancio presented the findings obtained after sequencing the transcriptome (the functional part of a genome, containing the necessary information for the production of proteins) of the European eel. The transcriptome will allow the study of the different relevant metabolic and physiological features to understand this species of great ecological, economic and cultural relevance. The BCTA research team will focus on the study of the reproduction process, immune response, lipid accumulation and response to environmental pollutants, both in aquaculture eels and in eels from different polluted areas.