The THOR project of the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), led by Rafael Moreno, has been the winning initiative of the IV VTSO-XarSMART Health Innovation Awards that have been delivered this morning in a ceremony held in Viladecans The Style Outlets. The award, endowed with 25 thousand euros —10 thousand in cash and 15 thousand through XarSMART services— has also granted two runners-up prizes of 2,500 euros each for SUCC2M of the IISPV in Reus, which proposes a therapy that addresses the multifactorial nature of inflammatory bowel disease, and for LiverColor of the UPF in Barcelona, which analyses the health of the donor liver through AI to decide if it is suitable.
THOR, a project with a potentially revolutionary impact on oncology
The THOR platform developed at IDIBELL proposes a universal and modulable CAR-T therapy that allows the treatment of various tumours, from a single cell bank, without the need to constantly redesign it. The jury of the awards, in which leading institutions of the biomedical industry and experts in the consolidation of start-ups such as the Catalan Institute of Health or the European infrastructure for translational medicine (EATRIS) participate, has valued the potential that the biomedical initiative has to improve accessibility and clinical effectiveness in patients where every day counts: the immediate availability of the cell bank eliminates the waiting times for individualized manufacturing, critical in rapid progressions. In addition, controlled activation modulates the immune response, reducing typical adverse effects of conventional CAR-T and favoring better tolerance and recovery.
Two well-deserved secondary awards: SUCC2M and LiverColor
SUCC2M (IISPV), led by Isabel Huber, proposes an alternative based on an oral administration enzyme therapy that addresses the multifactorial nature of inflammatory bowel disease, while facilitating adherence to treatment. Current treatments are expensive and have limitations, not being effective in 50% of patients: they lose effectiveness over time and generate severe adverse effects. SUCC2M offers an innovative mechanism of action that controls inflammation, restores microbial balance, and protects epithelial integrity. It is the first oral enzymatic therapy that can significantly improve the quality of life of patients, reduce the progression of the disease and avoid the use of biologicals, directed therapies or surgery.
In the case of LiverColor (UPF), it is an AI-based medical platform, developed by the team of Dr. Gemma Piella, which would allow using a simple photograph of the operating room to analyse the health of the donor liver and decide whether it is suitable for transplantation or not. The tool would transform a now subjective decision into an objective data, with a precision of more than 90%, being able to rescue up to 50% of previously discarded liver.
Awards with a positive impact on the biomedical research ecosystem of Catalonia
The vocation of the VTSO-XarSmart Health Innovation Awards is to guarantee success in consolidating as a real and scalable healthcare proposal for the health system of the developments that public research groups throughout Catalonia carry out in laboratories. An example of the relevance of this task are the advances of the winning project of the third edition of the awards, Gain-EC, which proposes a tool to identify endometrial cancer from a urine test.
With 12 months of close accompaniment by the XarSMART team and thanks to the economic contribution of VTSO, the initiative is in an advanced phase of application of the test with the participation of more than 400 women in various national and international territories. In addition, the team of researchers, led by Laura Costas, has identified a new potential for the monitoring of relapses in endometrial cancer that could improve clinical control after treatment in a comfortable and accessible way. The project is participated by the Bellvitge University Hospital, the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, the Vall d’Hebron Hospital, the University Hospital of Amsterdam (UMC Amsterdam) and the University of Granada.
The fourth edition of the awards shows that the Catalan healthcare and biomedical research ecosystem operates at full capacity. This year, all expectations have been exceeded with a record of 73 applications submitted, from 39 different institutions. 41% of the initiatives are led by women, and the category that has received the most nominations has been Oncology (12), followed closely by Neurology (8), Cardiology (7), Paediatric Indications (6) and Immunology (4). In addition, 13 of the proposals use artificial intelligence, which demonstrates the rapid adaptation of technological advances to the world of research and the commitment that is being made in favour of new AI tools as a complement to the work of health teams.
In the words of Miguel Ángel Souto, Director of Business Development at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, IDIBELL, “most biomedical projects do not fail due to lack of visibility and scientific quality, but because the path to their consolidation is complex. Support is needed to allow researchers not to lose their scientific focus while advancing on key issues such as business plan design, regulatory or commercial approach. This is what we do from XarSMART”. In this sense, he recommended to the finalists vision and focus: vision to incorporate the best talent into the projects, and focus to move away from scientific development when it comes to starting to actively participate in business development.
For María Jesús Montesinos, manager of Viladecans The Style Outlets, “Initiatives such as this award are essential for scientific developments to reach patients as soon as possible. We highlight the importance of promoting more support and projects that make a commitment to innovation in health, a strategic value that can only deploy its full potential if we work together: institutions, research centres, professionals and companies, in a shared and sustained effort over time”.
About XarSMART
XarSMART is an initiative of the Catalan health sciences ecosystem that emerged with the main objective of accelerating the transfer of research results to the market. Led by the IDIBELL Business Development and Innovation team, it has been organizing three editions of one of the most important public-private biomedical innovation awards in Catalonia, together with Viladecans The Style Outlets (VTSO). The initiative is developed with the support of the City Council of Viladecans, Eatris and AEBALL.
About Viladecans The Style Outlets (VTSO)
It is the only outlet centre in the metropolitan area of Barcelona and is managed by NEINVER, a Spanish multinational leader in the outlet sector in Europe. Within its sustainability strategy, the center promotes various initiatives related to the promotion of employment, training and support for innovation, in collaboration with entities such as the City Council of Viladecans, Innobaix, Netmentora Catalunya and IND+i Viladecans. In collaboration with XarSMART, it promotes the Viladecans Health Innovation Awards The Style Outlets. Likewise, the center is part of the Viladecans Climate Neutral City 2030 mission and has certifications that guarantee its responsible management, including BREEAM, Biosphere, AIS, ISO 14001 and Zero Waste.
About IDIBELL
The Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) is a research center created in 2004 and specialized in cancer, neuroscience, translational medicine and regenerative medicine. It has a team of more than 1,500 professionals who, from 73 research groups, publish more than 1,400 scientific articles per year. IDIBELL is participated by the Bellvitge University Hospital and the Viladecans Hospital of the Catalan Institute of Health, the Catalan Institute of Oncology, the University of Barcelona and the City Council of L Hospitalet de Llobregat.
IDIBELL is a member of the Campus of International Excellence of the University of Barcelona HUBc and is part of the CERCA institution of the Generalitat de Catalunya. In 2009 it became one of the first five Spanish research centres accredited as a health research institute by the Carlos III Health Institute. In addition, it is part of the HR Excellence in Research program of the European Union and is a member of EATRIS and REGIC. Since 2018, IDIBELL is an Accredited Center of the AECC Scientific Foundation (FCAECC).