Twelve years ago, Andreu began noticing shortness of breath. Everyday activities, walking, and keeping up with daily life became increasingly difficult. At Bellvitge, he was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a rare disease he already knew firsthand because his brother had also suffered from it. In this condition, lung tissue gradually becomes stiff and scarred, making breathing increasingly difficult. This process cannot be reversed, which is why it is essential to act as early as possible to slow its progression through early diagnosis and appropriate treatment that helps preserve healthy lung tissue.
At Bellvitge Health Campus, the REMMA program has a research team specialized in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis that is internationally recognized. Thanks to the close connection between hospital care and laboratory research, and the combination of multiple areas of expertise within the same environment, researchers work together to provide answers for patients affected by this rare disease.
Research to gain time
In Andreu’s case, research has had a very tangible impact. Over the years, he has been able to access various treatments, studies, and clinical trials that have helped slow the progression of the disease. “Thanks to these research teams, some of us are still here,” he explains. Now, after some time on his current treatment, it is no longer as effective, and the team is seeking new options to continue slowing the disease.
At Bellvitge, the management of interstitial lung diseases combines patient care, research, and teaching within a single Campus. The team is made up of experts from different fields who collaborate to translate laboratory discoveries into clinical practice as quickly as possible. As Dr. Guadalupe Bermúdez, researcher in pulmonology at IDIBELL and Bellvitge University Hospital, explains: “We are a multidisciplinary team of researchers, pulmonologists, biologists, and technicians working to bring research advances into medical consultations.” This model allows questions arising from patient care to drive new lines of research, while laboratory findings can be transformed into new diagnostic tools or more tailored treatments.
Diagnosing earlier to treat better
In addition to discovering new treatments, accelerating the diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis is essential to gaining more time for patients. One of the Bellvitge team’s major achievements has been the implementation of a rapid diagnostic pathway in collaboration with Primary Care, reducing the time to diagnosis from two years to six months (read more about it).
“Thanks to this advance, we can begin treatment earlier, when there is still more opportunity to preserve healthy lung tissue, slow deterioration, and gain more years of life,” says Dr. Bermúdez.
Research is also helping predict disease progression more accurately for individual patients. Bellvitge is currently working on the clinical validation of SEPI-AI, an artificial intelligence tool that could help identify lung lesions that are not visible to the naked eye and anticipate the progression of fibrosis (know more here). At the same time, the team collaborates with other centers, laboratories, and biomedical companies to develop new antifibrotic molecules and conduct clinical trials aimed at slowing disease progression and preserving respiratory function.
Andreu is clear about the importance of this work: “We know this drug is not a cure, but it prevents further lung deterioration. Most importantly, we want other patients to know: there is still a road ahead.”
Researching unique challenges together
Pulmonary fibrosis is just one of more than 400 rare adult diseases studied by REMMA Bellvitge, a program promoted by IDIBELL at the Bellvitge Health Campus and the first specialized initiative of its kind in Spain. Bellvitge is a reference center for rare adult diseases thanks to its concentration of expertise, multidisciplinary coordination, broad territorial coverage, and the integration of clinical care and laboratory research within the same Campus. In these disorders, every case is a complex and unique challenge that can only be addressed through a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach. To accelerate diagnosis, discover new treatments, and provide better support for patients, at REMMA Bellvitge, we research unique challenges together.