The funds raised in the latest edition of the Marató 3Cat will finance 26 research projects, led by 52 research teams that are experts in sexual and reproductive health. Resources that will be decisive in the coming years to find more answers to problems that, only in Catalonia, affect 3 million people, with 211,000 new cases each year, especially among women and young people.
Dr. Laia Alemany, researcher at IDIBELL and ICO, together with Dr. Marta del Pino from the Hospital Clínic Foundation, will promote the project entitled “Risk stratification: Exploring the bidirectional relationship between anogenital lesions related to the Human Papilloma Virus in immunocompetent women”, which has received an endowment of € 299,788.42. Drs. Gabriel Capellá and Jordi Guiu, from IDIBELL’s Oncobell and Regenbell programme, respectively, will carry out the project “Personalisation of endometrial cancer prevention in Lynch syndrome: Women’s empowerment in risk-reducing surgery decision-making”, with funding of €299,998.15. Finally, Dr. Mireia Martín Satué, researcher at IDIBELL and the UB, will develop the project “Discovering the molecular and phenotypic complexity of endometriosis through new models and integrating “omics”: towards personalized clinical management”, with funding of € 399,634.33, in coordination with Drs. Núria Eritja (Dr. Pifarré Foundation IRB Lleida), Irene Cervelló (Hospital Universitario La Fe) and Caroline Gargett (Hudson Institute of Medical Research – The Ritchie Centre).
The 52 award-winning teams collected the awards at an event held yesterday at the TV3 facilities, presented by the communicator Alba Riera. Speakers, among others, were the counselor of the CCMA-3Cat and vice president of the Board of Trustees of the La Marató de 3Cat Foundation, Carme Figueras; the director of the Foundation, Lluís Bernabé; Dr. Elisa Llurba, researcher at the Research Institute of Santa Creu i Sant Pau awarded by La Marató, and Anna Bofarull, witness of La Marató.
The 26 projects selected in accordance with the decision of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, at the proposal of the Scientific Advisory Committee, are the ones that have been best valued of the 108 that were submitted to the last call for research grants. The Agency for Health Quality and Evaluation of Catalonia (AQUAS), of the Ministry of Health, coordinated an international evaluation process in which 94 experts in sexual and reproductive health assessed the projects based on their quality and methodology, scientific, health and social relevance, and innovative and transformative value, among other aspects.
The Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) is a biomedical research center created in 2004. It 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 centers 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 has been an Accredited Center of the AECC Scientific Foundation (FCAECC).