17/03/2022 - Press release
Researchers at the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute and Hospital del Mar have transformed immunotherapy-resistant tumours into tumours that respond to this treatment, achieving cures in animal models through an innovative therapeutic strategy in triple-negative breast cancer, the most aggressive subtype. Researchers have discovered the essential role of a new factor, LCOR, in enabling cancer cells to present tumour antigens on their surfaces. These antigens allow the immune system to recognise the tumour, an essential step if immunotherapy treatment is to succeed. On the other hand, they have shown that cancer stem cells have very low levels of LCOR, making them invisible to the immune system and therefore resistant to treatment. The work that has just been published used an innovative experimental messenger RNA system, similar to the technology used for COVID-19 vaccines, to produce LCOR in tumour cells. In this way, the resistant tumour cells of triple-negative cancer become visible and sensitive to the immune system. This approach is also being investigated in other breast cancer subtypes
Més informació "Radical increase in the effectiveness of breast cancer immunotherapy"
08/02/2022 - Press release
Drugs which are commonly-used as the first line of treatment for colorectal cancer cause the tumour cells to oversecrete proteins known as mucins, according to a new study published today in the journal eLife. The proteins alter the mucous layer, forming a physical barrier that prevents drugs from reaching their intended target. Using different techniques involving genetic manipulation and the use of chemical inhibitors, the research team were able to experimentally regulate mucin secretion in cancer cell lines and patient-derived organoids, paving the way for the development of future treatments that can be used alongside chemotherapy to target drug-resistant forms of colorectal cancer. The experiments also revealed potential new biomarkers for the prognosis of the disease.
Més informació "Colorectal cancers raise defensive barrier in response to chemotherapy"
27/01/2022 - Press release
This is a new valid marker for diagnosing this type of tumour, one of the cancers with the worst prognosis. It is, in fact, the third leading cause of cancer death in developed countries. The study, published in the journal eBioMedicine, was led by researchers from the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute and IBB-CSIC-IDIBAPS. Their results point to a protein present in tumour cells as an indicator of pancreatic cancer in early stages of the disease. This marker can be detected through a simple blood test, facilitating its application in clinical practice. A team of researchers from the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM-Hospital del Mar) and IIBB-CSIC-IDIBAPS have identified a new viable early diagnostic marker for the most common type of pancreatic cancer, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. The study has been published in the journal eBioMedicine, from The Lancet group, and may represent an important step in the early detection and treatment of this type of tumour, with one of the worst prognoses. Doctors and researchers from the Digestology and Medical Oncology Departments at Hospital del Mar, as well as from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas; CNIO), the Ramón y Cajal Institute for Health Research (Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria; IRYCIS) and CIBER also collaborated in the study.
Més informació "New diagnostic marker for pancreatic cancer identified"
04/02/2022 - Institutional news
This morning, Minister Diana Morant visited the facilities of the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute, accompanied by the manager of the Parc de Salut Mar, Dr. Olga Pané, the director of the IMIM, Dr. Joaquín Arribas, and the director of the IMIM's Cancer Research Programme, Dr. Juan Albanell. During the event, she visited the laboratory of the New Molecular Targets in Cancer Research Group and met with the heads of the IMIM's cancer research groups.
20/01/2022 - Institutional news
The head of the Gastrointestinal Surgery Section of the Surgery Service of the Hospital del Mar and coordinator of the Gastroesophageal Carcinogenesis Research Group of the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM-Hospital del Mar), thus becomes the only surgeon in the State to be an honorary member of this institution, in recognition of his career. Dr. Manuel Pera has become an honorary member of the European Board of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery, within the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS) at the proposal of the institution's examining committee. So far, among the more than forty professionals who have obtained the Board, only three other surgeons from the State have managed to become fellows of the entity. Dr. Pera is the first to do so as an honorary member.
17/11/2021 - Press release
Hospital del Mar, in collaboration with Roche, is working on a pioneering artificial intelligence tool to improve the diagnosis and prognosis of patients with small cell lung cancer, one of the cancers with the worst outlook. Based on digitised images from patient biopsies and survival data, the aim is to test whether the tool can reliably predict the benefit of the various treatments. This would allow more effective selection of the most appropriate type of treatment. At a later stage, the aim is to evaluate the specific mutations present in each tumour and to analyse whether digital imaging is capable of predicting these. Hospital del Mar, in collaboration with Roche, has initiated the development of a pioneering artificial intelligence device to improve the diagnosis and prognosis of patients suffering small cell lung cancer. This is one of the lung cancers with the worst prognosis and having such a reliable tool will allow medical teams to determine the best treatment for each type of patient.
Més informació "Artificial intelligence for selecting the best lung cancer treatment"
11/11/2021 - General information
The AECC has awarded 186 grants in 2021, totalling approximately 20 million euros. Two of these will benefit IMIM researchers, Teresa Lobo, who is receiving a postdoctoral grant, and Arnau Sabater, who has been able to participate in the laboratory internship programme. The Spanish Association Against Cancer awarded its 2021 research grants at a ceremony held on 11 November at its headquarters in Barcelona. In total, 186 projects and nearly 20 million euros have been allocated with the aim of continuing progress into cancer research, focusing on the patient and further increasing cancer survival. In this edition, two researchers linked to the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM) will benefit from the grants.
Two projects by staff from the Hospital del Mar and the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM) have been awarded funding by the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology as part of its 2021 grants. The awards were presented on 13 October in Madrid and represent a new record for the organisation, with 44 scholarships and grants awarded with an endowment of nearly 1.4 million euros. All the money is earmarked for research and the training of medical professionals to improve the survival and quality of life of cancer patients.
05/11/2021 - General information
A study led by the Colon and Rectal Surgery Unit, part of the Surgery Service at Hospital del Mar, has received two research grants, one from the Catalan Society of Surgery during the inaugural ceremony of the academic year on 15 October; and another from the Spanish Association of Coloproctology, during the organisation's conference, held from 20 to 22 October. The funding goes towards a multicentre project entitled 'Determining proangiogenic proteins in serum as a prognostic factor for recurrence after curative colon cancer surgery', led by Dr. Marta Pascual, head of the Colon and Rectal Surgery Unit, and Dr. Clara Téllez, a resident in the same department, in collaboration with Dr. Xavier Mayol, a researcher in the Cancer Research Programme at the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM-Hospital del Mar).
15/09/2021 - Institutional news
Dr. Pedro Rocha is one of the nine people to receive an award from the European Society of Medical Oncology. In his case, this means joining the lung cancer team at Hospital del Mar led by Dr. Edurne Arriola. He will also take part in the research being carried out by this team at the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute in the field of small cell lung cancer. These ESMO Research Fellowship grants allow young doctors and researchers the opportunity to develop a research project in a European reference centre. As explained by Dr. Arriola, "The awarding of this grant establishes Hospital del Mar as a world-class centre of interest in the field of oncology." Dr. Rocha is currently working at the MD Anderson Cancer Centre at the University of Texas, in the United States.
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