The Acción Estratégica en Salud (AES) of the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII) reaffirms, once again, as the main engine for biomedical and health research of excellence in Spain. Through these annual competitive grants, the ISCIII not only finances innovative and high-quality biomedical research projects, but also bets on strengthening the scientific fabric and developing research careers in our country.

In the call for the past 2025, the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) has once again been a beneficiary of these grants. In a year of memory, IDIBELL has received 2.6 million euros to finance 18 Health Research projects, and 1.7 million allocated entirely to a single independent clinical research project led by Dr. Ramon Salazar. The sum amounts to about 4.5 million euros total, exceeding by almost one million euros the grants received in the 2024 edition.

Grants that will promote 18 research projects in health…

These funds will allow to promote cutting-edge lines of research in three of the four areas of IDIBELL research: Cancer, Neuroscience and Translational Medicine. The 18 Health Research projects selected in this edition are led by the following researchers:

Translational Medicine Area (10)

• Jordi Adamuz, from the Nursing Research Group (HUB-IDIBELL)
• Sara Martí, from the Epidemiology of Bacterial Infections group (HUB-IDIBELL)
• Àlex Favà, from the Nephrology and Renal Transplantation group (HUB-IDIBELL)
• Vanesa Vicens and Maria Molina, from the Pneumology group (HUB-IDIBELL)
• José González Costello, from the Cardiovascular Diseases Research Group (HUB-IDIBELL)
• Octavi Camps and Maria Àngels Sánchez, from the Dental and Maxillofacial Pathology and Therapeutics group (UB-IDIBELL)
• Joan Berenguer Gornals, from the hepato-biliary-pancreatic pathology group (HUB-IDIBELL)
• Núria Lloberas, from the Nephrology and kidney transplant group (IDIBELL)
• Gabriela Abelenda, from the respiratory infections and immunocompromised host group (IDIBELL)

Cancer Area (5)

• Cristina Martínez, from the Tobacco Control Research Group (ICO-IDIBELL)
• David Garcia and Cristina Santos, from the tumor and estromal chemoresistance group (ICO-IDIBELL)
• Mireia Obon, from the Colorectal Cancer group (IDIBELL)
• Lorena Arribas, from the head and neck diseases group (ICO-IDIBELL)
• Bárbara Rivera, from the hereditary cancer group (IDIBELL)

Neurosciences Area (4)

• Jacinto Segalas, from the Psychiatry and Mental Health group (HUB-IDIBELL)
• Lucía Camacho and Fernando Fernández, from the Psychoneurobiology of eating disorders and addictive behaviors group (HUB-IDIBELL)
• Mónica Povedano, from the Neurological and Neurogenetic Diseases group (HUB-IDIBELL)
• Maria del Pino Alonso and Marta Subira, from the Psychiatry and Mental Health group (HUB-IDIBELL)

… and they will give air to Proyecto Tania in the fight against colorectal cancer

Among the projects funded in this call, the study led by Dr. Ramon Salazar, head of the Colorectal cancer research group at IDIBELL-ICO and head of Medical Oncology at ICO L’Hospitalet stands out for its size and scope. It has been the only independent clinical research project granted to IDIBELL, with an endowment of 1.7 million euros that will be used to promote a new immunotherapy in metastatic colorectal cancer.

This contribution adds to that made by Proyecto Tania, an initiative of the Peinado family and inspired by the history of Tania, a 30-year-old girl with metastatic colon cancer. Her family, together with the Jut Against Cancer Foundation, already made an economic donation at the beginning of the month for the research of Dr. Salazar. Now, their efforts are further boosted thanks to AES grants, giving air to research, which is committed to developing a personalized immunotherapy strategy for patients with colorectal cancer metastasis who do not respond to the usual treatment. Thanks to the aid received, next year it is planned to start a clinical trial to test this new strategy and reach patients immediately.

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)