16/01/2026 - Press release
Researchers from the Hospital del Mar Research Institute and the Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology have demonstrated, in animal models, the role played by these cells in the development of cancer cells. The study, published in Science Advances, shows that eliminating these cells at an early stage of tumor growth promotes tumor proliferation and the formation of metastases. By contrast, combining their elimination with an inhibitor of the CCL2 molecule reduces tumor size and eliminates metastases.
04/12/2025 - Press release
A study from the Hospital del Mar Research Institute, published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, indicates that the high expression of the estrogen receptor is the main factor preventing the most common type of breast cancer, luminal breast cancer, from responding to immunotherapy. The high presence of the estrogen receptor sequesters the LCOR molecule, whose action on tumor cells is necessary to make tumors visible to the immune system. In experimental models, the researchers found that combining immunotherapy with endocrine therapy allows LCOR to function and the immune system to attack the tumor. At the same time, they have generated a modified version of the LCOR molecule that sensitizes tumors to immunotherapy, including those with hormone receptors. The next goal is to study this molecule combined with immunotherapy in clinical trials.
21/11/2025 - Institutional news
A project aimed at advancing knowledge of the tumour microenvironment in colon and rectal cancer in order to identify new therapeutic strategies, led by Dr Alexandre Calon, coordinator of the Translational Research Group in Tumour Microenvironment at the Hospital del Mar Research Institute, is one of those selected in the latest Health Research Call of the "la Caixa" Foundation. The proposal will receive nearly one million euros to seek solutions to the challenge of treatment resistance in this type of tumour.
20/11/2025 - Press release
This discovery, carried out by a multidisciplinary team led by researchers from the Hospital del Mar Research Institute and the Sant Joan de Déu Research Institute, opens the door to understanding the mechanisms that trigger tumour proliferation and to exploring potential therapeutic targets. Researchers suspect that the genetic alteration that activates the mechanisms behind this type of cancer occurs during embryonic development. Ewing sarcoma is a highly aggressive tumour that can affect bones and soft tissues, and is the most frequent bone tumour in childhood.
Més informació "Researchers identify the cell of origin of Ewing Sarcoma"
19/11/2025 - Events
Dr. María Martínez, Head of the Neuro-oncology Section at Hospital del Mar and researcher at the Hospital del Mar Research Institute, has been elected as a new member of the Board of Directors of the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM), following the vote held during the SEOM2025 congress. The vote served to partially renew the organisation's governing body, with the candidacy led by Dr. Antonio González, from the Clínica Universidad de Navarra, elected as the new vice-president of the Board.
17/11/2025 - General information
Dr José Yélamos López has received the Carmen Delgado/Miguel Pérez Mateo Grant in the basic research category. The award ceremony for the grant, worth 100,000 euros, took place on 5 November. These grants are awarded by the Pancreatic Cancer Association, in collaboration with the Spanish Association of Pancreatology and the Spanish Association of Gastroenterology, with the aim of promoting basic and clinical research in pancreatic cancer. They are made possible thanks to the public's participation in the Carrera de las Ciudades contra el Cáncer de Páncreas (Cities Race Against Pancreatic Cancer), which in 2025 reached its tenth edition.
Més informació "Carmen Delgado/Miguel Pérez Mateo Grant for Dr José Yélamos López"
11/11/2025 - General information
Dr. Anna Bigas, coordinator of the Stem Cells and Cancer Research Group at the Hospital del Mar Research Institute and the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute, has just joined the journal Development as an Associate Editor. The journal is published by The Company of Biologists, a non-profit organization led by leading scientists in the field. This is one of the reference publications in its area. Dr. Bigas will be responsible for evaluating and deciding on the publication of studies related to the development of hematopoietic stem cells and how their deregulation contributes to the onset of blood diseases.
Més informació "Dr. Anna Bigas begins a new chapter as Associate Editor of the journal Development"
23/09/2025 - General information
The "la Caixa" Foundation has announced the results of the 2025 CaixaImpulse call, which supports 31 biomedical projects from research centers, hospitals, and universities in Spain and Portugal. Among them is the project led by Dr. Aura Muntasell, aimed at developing a ready-to-use cell therapy to more effectively combat cancer.
10/07/2025 - Press release
The journal Cancer Cell has published a study led by the Hospital del Mar Research Institute, together with researchers from GEICAM, identifying malignant cells carrying the TIM-3 protein as a central factor in their ability to generate breast cancer metastasis. This molecule allows cancer cells to survive the most critical and challenging stage of metastasis-when they first reach a new organ-by evading immune system attacks. At the same time, it may serve as a marker of poor prognosis and metastasis risk in patients with TIM-3-positive tumors. This discovery opens the door to the potential use of treatments that block TIM-3 to prevent metastasis before it becomes clinically evident.
16/06/2025 - General information
The Head of the Gastrointestinal Surgery Unit of the General Surgery Department and researcher at the Hospital del Mar Research Institute had been a corresponding academic since 2024. On June 15, Dr. Manuel Pera, Head of the Gastrointestinal Surgery Unit at Hospital del Mar and researcher at its research institute, was appointed as a full academic member of the Royal Academy of Medicine of Catalonia. He now becomes one of the sixty full academic members of the institution, replacing Professor Lluís Morales i Fochs. The ceremony was sponsored by Professor Carmen Gomar and Professor Laureano Fernández-Cruz.
Més informació "Dr. Manuel Pera is now a full member of the Royal Academy of Medicine of Catalonia"
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