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"
06/06/25 - Press release
Having high blood levels of a type of molecule, spermidine, before surgery increases the risk of tumor recurrence after surgery by 4.7 times. This risk decreases if spermidine levels in the patient's blood drop after surgery. The study is published in the Annals of Surgery journal and opens the door to determining which individuals are at higher risk, either before entering the operating room or just afterward, in order to offer them complementary or specific treatment.
16/05/2025 - Press release
Researchers from the Stem Cells and Cancer team at the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute and the Hospital del Mar Research Institute have developed a method to confidently produce blood cell precursors from stem cells in mice, by activating a set of seven key genes in the laboratory. The team, led by Dr. Anna Bigas, takes a step forward towards the production of precursor cells able to restore the bone marrow of blood cancer patients, in a successful example of regenerative medicine.
25/04/2025 - General information
Dr. Anna Bigas, coordinator of the Stem Cells and Cancer Research Group at the Hospital del Mar Research Institute, has been appointed Visiting Professor at Åbo Akademi University in Turku, Finland. Her appointment aims to strengthen the InFLAMES project, a joint initiative between Åbo Akademi and the University of Turku. Dr. Bigas focuses part of her research on generating blood stem cells in the lab, as well as understanding chemotherapy resistance mechanisms in acute leukemias. With her incorporation into Åbo Akademi University, the institution seeks to boost its research capabilities in the field of hematopoietic stem cells and blood-related disorders.
Més informació "Finnish Åbo Akademi University appoints Dr. Anna Bigas as Visiting Professor"
15/04/2025 - Press release
A study by researchers from the Hospital del Mar Research Institute, IIBB-CSIC-IDIBAPS, Mayo Clinic, IBYME (CONICET), and CaixaResearch Institute demonstrates the role of the Galectin-1 protein in the nucleus of the cells surrounding the tumor-fibroblasts-contributing to their activation. Activated fibroblasts promote tumor growth and spread, while also conferring resistance to treatments. This may be one of the reasons behind the high aggressiveness of pancreatic cancer, which has a five-year survival rate of only 10%. The study's findings open the door to new therapeutic strategies against this type of cancer, focusing on the possibility of inhibiting this protein within the cells that surround and protect the tumor.
Més informació "Key to the high aggressiveness of pancreatic cancer identified"
11/04/25 - Institutional news
Dr. Jenniffer Linares, a researcher with the Colorectal Cancer Precision Medicine Research Group at the Hospital del Mar Research Institute, has received the CRIS Program for Translational Medical Talent, awarded by the CRIS Against Cancer Foundation. A total of 11 million euros in funding has been granted through the CRIS Research Programs 2024, with the aim of promoting cancer research that places the patient at the center of scientific advancement. The awarded project, "Uncovering the Clinical Impact of Stromal-Derived Mechanisms of Resistance to Anti-EGFR Therapy in Colorectal Cancer," seeks to understand the mechanisms of resistance to anti-EGFR therapies derived from the tumor microenvironment in patients with RAS wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer. The goal is to identify predictive markers and develop new therapeutic strategies to overcome these mechanisms. The project will receive funding of 400,000 euros.
Més informació "CRIS Against Cancer Awards Dr. Jenniffer Linares"
24/03/2025 - Press release
The genetic modification of the Natural Killer (NK) cells, lymphocytes forming part of the body's immune system, would make it possible to retain their capacity of eliminating tumour cells in solid tumours. Some types of tumours secrete two molecules, TGF-β and Activin A, which supress the capacity of NK cells to attack them. A team of researchers from the Hospital del Mar Research Institute, the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and the Pompeu Fabra University has developed a new tool that allows modifying these NK cells to make them immune to the tumour's defense mechanism.
Més informació "New tool to boost cancer immunotherapy effects"
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