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The Spanish Society of Medical Oncology awards two grants to Hospital del Mar and IMIM projects

Two projects by staff from the Hospital del Mar and the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM) have been awarded funding by the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology as part of its 2021 grants. The awards were presented on 13 October in Madrid and represent a new record for the organisation, with 44 scholarships and grants awarded with an endowment of nearly 1.4 million euros. All the money is earmarked for research and the training of medical professionals to improve the survival and quality of life of cancer patients.

Pioneering research in gastric cancer

The project "Utility of new serum oncometabolites for the early diagnosis, treatment response prediction, and prognosis of gastric cancer", led by Dr. Laura Visa, a consultant in the Medical Oncology Service and a researcher in the IMIM's Gastroesophageal Carcinogenesis Research Group, coordinated by Dr. Manuel Pera, has received a grant of 20,000 euros for two years. The project, which will be conducted in collaboration with the Applied Metabolomics Research Group at the IMIM, led by Dr. Òscar Pozo, will attempt to determine serum biomarkers for the early diagnosis of gastric cancer and establish their usefulness as predictive and prognostic markers for the disease.

The funding for the grant was raised by a patient diagnosed with gastric cancer, Roberto González, thanks to the charity activities he has organised. This is the first grant to be awarded with such funds.

Researcher Return Grant

Dr. Pedro Rocha has received the SEOM-BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM Researcher Return Grant, worth 30,000 euros. This funding will allow him to return to Hospital del Mar, where he trained as a resident in oncology, and to take part in the research led by Dr. Edurne Arriola in the field of lung cancer.

Specifically, the project focuses on the development of new therapeutic combinations in small cell lung cancer, for which there are few effective treatments. The group will be exploring the combination of an inhibitor acting on the mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET) gene and immunotherapy. They will also be looking at the development of potential biomarkers to monitor this strategy.

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