05/10/2022 - Press release
A study led by researchers at the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM-Hospital del Mar) has determined the role that fibroblasts, the cells that contribute to tissue formation, play in a tumour's ability to generate resistance to the most common biological treatment for HER2. The paper, published in the journal Nature Communications, demonstrates the ability of a new therapy, currently undergoing clinical trials, to promote a potent immune response by binding to the fibroblasts, enabling it to overcome resistance to anti-HER2 therapy in tumours with this cancer cell protection mechanism. To demonstrate this, the researchers created a 3D tumour model in which they were able to check the relationships between all the factors involved.
23/08/2022 - General information
A team from Hospital del Mar and the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute has validated the technique involving breast biopsy guided by contrast mammography to visualise suspicious lesions that cannot be observed via ultrasound or mammography. After analysing data from tests performed on 64 women, they have been able to verify that this technique offers the same or better results than the other diagnostic tool used in these cases, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The results have been published in the journal European Radiology. In the cases studied, contrast mammography-guided breast biopsy was successful in 95.4% of cases. In only three tests was the visibility of the findings not as expected. In comparison, MRI has a success rate of between 87% and 98%.
Més informació "Usefulness of breast biopsy guided by contrast-enhanced mammography is validated"
12/07/2022 - General information
This is one of the fifteen biomedical projects selected in the CaixaResearch Validate call. In this case, the study led by the researcher from the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute seeks effective immunotherapy treatment for breast tumours. The "la Caixa" Foundation is supporting 15 leading biomedical research projects in Spain and Portugal in the CaixaResearch Validate 2022 call. These are early-stage projects that the organisation wants to support to accelerate their arrival on the market, thereby helping them reach patients who may need them. Among those selected is a project led by Dr. Toni Celià-Terrassa, who heads up the Cancer Stem Cells and Metastasis Dynamics laboratory at the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM-Hospital del Mar).
17/06/2022 - Institutional news
The Friends of the Hospital del Mar Foundation and APRO, the Association for Oncological Research, have awarded Dr. Edurne Arriola more than 8,000 euros to boost immunotherapy and lung cancer research being carried out at Hospital del Mar and the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute. Lung cancer research at Hospital del Mar and the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute has received a new boost thanks to the Friends of the Hospital del Mar Foundation and APRO, the Association for Oncological Research. The two organisations have managed to raise 8,000 euros, which will be used to support the work of researchers in this field.
30/05/2022 - Press release
A group of genes has been identified in cancerous cells that survive chemotherapy treatment. The activity of these genes leads to treatment resistance and increased capacity for metastasis. This breakthrough opens the door to studying targeted treatments using drug inhibitors of these genes combined with chemotherapy, potentially providing alternatives for patients with a worse prognosis in this type of tumor, accounting for 30% of cases. The research, led by scientists from the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute, highlights that this type of tumor cell reverts to an embryonic state. Identifying the factor that triggers this change could aid in designing new treatments for high-risk patients.
31/03/2022 - General information
The project "Tumour microenvironment-derived factors in localised colon cancer: clinical impact and therapeutic implications' (TuMiCC)"aimed at demonstrating the value of the tumour microenvironment in predicting relapse in patients with localised colon cancer treated with adjuvant therapy, has reached the 16-month development milestone, with patient recruitment and interesting advances in the molecular characterisation of this type of tumour and its environment.
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"
17/02/2022 - General information
An IMIM-Hospital del Mar research project aimed at analyzing the mechanisms that generate resistance to immunotherapy treatment in metastatic breast cancer has been selected by the Metastatic Breast Cancer Association in the third edition of this award. The project, headed by doctors Toni Celià-Terrassa and Joan Albanell, will receive 100,000 euros for its development. This afternoon saw the presentation of the III M. Chiara Giorgetti Award for research into metastatic breast cancer. This year it recognises a project from the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM-Hospital del Mar), led by doctors Toni Celià-Terrassa and Joan Albanell. The award is promoted by the Metastatic Breast Cancer patients' association and involves a prize of 100,000 euros, 25,000 euros of which are provided by the AMAMA association.
Més informació "M. Chiara Giorgetti Award for a Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute project"
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"
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.
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