Three projects headed by researchers from the BIST Community have been selected in the 2024 CaixaImpulse Health Innovation Call, promoted by the “la Caixa” Foundation: Luciano di Croce from CRG, Maria J. Macías from IRB Barcelona and Salvio Suárez-García from ICN2. The researchers will aim to bring their life sciences and precision medicine innovations to market, with the help of financial as well as training and mentoring support.
Three researchers from the BIST Community were selected in the 2024 CaixaImpulse Health Innovation Call: Luciano di Croce (CRG), Maria J. Macías (IRB Barcelona) and Salvio Suárez-García (ICN2).
The “la Caixa” Foundation has announced the results of its 2024 CaixaImpulse Health Innovation Call, supporting 29 biomedical projects from research centres, hospitals and universities across Spain and Portugal. The foundation is committing a total of 3.4 million euros to this initiative, which aims to fast-track these innovations to market, making them accessible to patients who need them. In this way, the CaixaImpulse Innovation programme fosters the development of new products, services, and startups in the areas of life and health sciences.
The winning projects, chosen from over 400 applications, were evaluated by six panels of international experts and professionals in the field. Three projects led by researchers in the BIST Community were selected in this call: Maria J. Macías (ICREA Research Professor at IRB Barcelona), Luciano di Croce (ICREA Research Professor at CRG), and Salvio Suárez-García (Senior Postdoctoral Researcher at ICN2).
IRB Barcelona: Improving the quality of life of endometrial cancer patients
Approximately 400,000 new cases of endometrial cancer are diagnosed worldwide each year. Despite advances in molecular classification, almost two-thirds of patients still do not receive an accurate prognosis. This challenging scenario is further complicated when, after initial treatment, some women face relapses and develop metastases, increasing the complexity of their treatment and reducing their chances of survival.
In response to this challenge, a research team led by Dr. María J. Macías, head of the Structural Characterization of Macromolecular Assemblies Laboratory at IRB Barcelona, has developed an innovative methodology based on a combination of transcriptomics, clinical data and artificial intelligence algorithms to predict which patients are at greatest risk of relapse.
The researchers have identified specific biomarkers that allow prediction of relapse with great precision—something that current models fail to achieve accurately. In addition, it has been possible to classify tumours that conventional protocols could not identify.
“Now we intend to move forward in our search for more precise biomarkers to predict the recurrence of endometrial cancer. With these in hand, we will be able to develop diagnostic tools that allow us to offer more personalised and effective treatments, thus avoiding unnecessary treatments,” explains Dr. Macías. “The support of the “La Caixa” Foundation is essential for this project because, in addition to providing the necessary financial resources, they have linked us up with a network of technology transfer experts. We believe that this combination of training and mentoring will allow us to accelerate the process of bringing our research to society and improving the lives of patients,” she adds.
ICN2: Developing antimicrobial membranes for skin regeneration
The healing of burns and skin ulcers is a slow and complex process and, in many cases, there are no effective treatments available, which can affect patients’ quality of life. The development of biomaterials with antibacterial and regenerative properties is an important medical need that would open the door to precision medicine treatments based on the use of artificial skin.
The Nanostructured Functional Materials Group at ICN2 has already developed a range of artificial membranes inspired by adhesive substances produced by mussels, which have been validated in pre-clinical studies for cartilage and skin regeneration. These studies have demonstrated their biocompatibility, adhesion to biological tissue and ability to transfer cells to damaged tissue. In addition, thanks to their antimicrobial properties, they are effective in preventing bacterial infection.
Now, Dr. Salvio Suárez-García, senior postdoctoral researcher in the group, will head a project that aims to optimise and validate these membranes as artificial skin, with the goal of preparing the device for the first human clinical trial. The trial will focus on two types of skin lesions: burns and ulcers, such as those caused by diabetic foot disease, which present a major clinical challenge.
CRG: Towards a new treatment for the most deadly and aggressive paediatric brain tumour
Diffuse midline glioma is the most aggressive and deadly paediatric brain tumour. It is a very rare disease that affects between 300 and 400 children aged 6 to 12 in Europe each year. Its prognosis is dire, with less than two years of survival following diagnosis, due to the lack of effective treatments. Currently, the only therapy available is radiotherapy, which is applied to slow the growth of the tumour, although it is not curative.
A team led by Dr. Luciano di Croce, who heads the Epigenetic Events in Cancer group at CRG, aims to advance the development of a new therapy that could offer hope for these patients and their families. In previous work, the researchers have developed preclinical models that have allowed them to validate the tumour vulnerabilities identified in the laboratory. Using genetic tools and existing chemical compounds aimed at the main targets, they have been able to stop tumour growth in vivo.
Building on the promising results achieved in previous work, in the current project the team will continue to advance the identification and validation of these industrially valuable chemical compounds as a new treatment for this hitherto incurable disease.
