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.
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.
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"
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"
06/02/2025 - Press release
The Micro Immune Response On chip (MIRO) allows tumours and their environment to be replicated in order to understand their response to treatment. The device, which has already been successfully tested on breast cancer samples, could be key to developing new treatments and determining the most appropriate therapy for each patient in a personalized way. The work, published in Nature Communications, is the result of a collaboration between the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia and the Research Institute of the Hospital del Mar.
18/11/2024 - Press release
The p95HER2 protein is found expressed in one third of HER2+ tumors, which represent 4% of all tumors. Led by VHIO investigators, CAR T cells targeting p95HER2 have been engineered to secrete the TECH2Me bispecific antibody. Both therapies specifically and independently recognize tumor cells. In addition, the TECH2Me bispecific antibody activates immune cells within the tumor microenvironment. This dual mechanism of action has demonstrated safety and achieved complete and durable antitumor responses in patient-derived models of HER2+ p95HER2-expressing solid tumors. Published in Nature Communications, results of this VHIO-led study have provided the rationale for the application of a phase 1 first-in-human clinical trial, currently in the approval process, to assess this novel therapeutic strategy in patients with HER2-driven solid tumors.
06/11/2024 - Press release
This study will be conducted in collaboration with the Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute, and researchers from Finland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom will participate. The goal is to develop and validate protocols and systems for generating laboratory-derived stem cells to regenerate patients' blood. The European Research Council, which provides these grants, is the leading funding organization for advanced and excellent research on the continent. It is an organization created by the European Union.
05/06/2024 - Press release
A scientific team led by Dr Anna Bigas, from the Hospital del Mar Research Institute and the Josep Carreras Institute, has described the role of the IκBα protein in the differentiation process of haematopoietic cells. In the absence of this protein, the stem cells enter quiescence, acquire a dormant state and maintain their potential, which may allow them to be transplanted for therapeutic uses in leukaemia or blood diseases of genetic origin. This is an important step towards being able to generate these types of cells in the lab, preventing them from differentiating and turning into other cells too early.
03/05/2024 - Press release
Natural Killer (NK) cells, when exposed to antibody treatment used against HER2-positive breast cancer, secrete specific types of cytokines that activate the immune response against tumor cells. Researchers have confirmed that patients with NK lymphocytes present in the tumor environment show a better response to treatment, thanks to this mechanism. This confirms the feasibility of using cytokines secreted by NK cells as markers of response to anti-HER2 antibodies with a simple blood test. It also reaffirms various clinical trials using these lymphocytes to bolster treatment in patients with metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer.
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