20/07/2016 - Press release
Lung cancer is the most deadly cancer in the world, causing more than one and a half million deaths a year. The most common subtype of lung cancer is adenocarcinoma. The presence of other underlying conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which is also responsible for a high mortality rate in industrialised regions, increases the risk of developing it. Despite recent progress in therapeutic strategies for combatting this disease, the majority of patients who are diagnosed do not survive for more than five years. It is a cancer that can develop silently for many months and, in some cases, the symptoms can be confused with other diseases, such as the already-mentioned COPD. This is why it is usually diagnosed in very advanced stages. To all these impediments, it is necessary to add the difficulty of finding an appropriate treatment for each patient, since there is a high level of resistance to currently-used drugs.
Més informació "A combination of therapies improves lung cancer treatment"
06/07/2016 - Press release
ICS Girona primary healthcare is carrying out a cardiovascular risk self-screening study (ACRISC), in which a thousand people are participating, for the self-management of cardiovascular disease risk. Through software developed specifically for this project, the users take part in the collection and processing of their health data (e.g., blood pressure, lipid profile, weight, and eating habits) and the system, based on the principles of empowerment and interactivity, offers each person tailor-made recommendations, particularly with regard to their diet and physical activity. The study is a collaboration between the Mar Institute of Medical Research (IMIM), the Primary Healthcare Research Support Unit in Girona (IDIAP Jordi Gol) and the Institute of Biomedical Research in Girona (IdIBGi). The first patients, who have been taking part since March and who are aged between 35 and 74, are from the EAP Montilivi and it is expected that they will soon be joined by further participants from the EAP Celrà, to provide profiles of both urban and rural populations.
Més informació "System developed for self-management of cardiovascular risk"
16/06/2016 - Press release
An international study led by the Neurology Service at Hospital del Mar and the Neurovascular research group at the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM) has quantified the risk and developed predictors for ischemic stroke in patients with carotid artery stenosis. The results of the study, published in the journal Neurology, have confirmed that there is a high risk of recurrence in the first 14 days after the stroke, which is the recommended time for carotid revascularisation surgery. But since very urgent surgery entails a considerable surgical risk, it is necessary to determine the most appropriate time for undertaking this operation in the fourteen days following the stroke. The study provides a starting point and randomised trials are recommended to determine the benefits and safety of emergency revascularisation as opposed to subacute carotid revascularisation within 14 days after the onset of symptoms.
Més informació "When is the best time to have carotid stenosis surgery after a stroke?"
15/06/2016 - Press release
Bioinformatics Barcelona Association (BIB) launches its websitewww.bioinformaticsbarcelona.eu, which aims to be a reference in the bioinformatic sector at national and international level, and to become the platform for communication and interaction among BIB's partners. Through this website, the association has enhanced its digital presence to become a meeting-point facilitator of initiatives and a think tank for the bioinformatic community. The portal contains sections on the BIB partners and their research groups in the bioinformatic field, and on education and training, job offers and internships, news, activities and news clipping, as well as a section with specific information on the association itself. The website aims to boost the international visibility of our ready-and-available bioinformatic strength, which, through collaboration among partners and together with external agents, can extend current limits to achieve increasingly ambitious goals.
Més informació "BIB launches its website to boost visibility of catalan bioinformatic potential"
07/06/2016 - Press release
A team of scientists led by doctors Rafael de la Torre at Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM) and Mara Dierssen at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) have shown that epigallocatechin gallate together with a cognitive stimulation protocol, might improve some cognitive domains in individuals with Down’s syndrome. The results of the phase 2 study will be published on 6th June in the prestigious journal The Lancet Neurology. The findings suggest that participants who had received the treatment had better scores in the visual memory recognition and inhibition tasks, and improvement in adaptive behaviour than those in the control group (placebo and cognitive training). Though not a cure, this is the first time that a treatment has shown some effectiveness in this syndrome, and it opens the door to new research geared towards treating what was believed to be orphan of treatment.
Més informació "Clinical trial opens new avenues for pharmacological therapy in Down’s syndrome"
26/05/2016 - Press release
When bringing to market any new drug efficiency and safety are essential. R+D Departments in pharmaceutical companies spend lots of efforts to make sure the new compounds meet the highest standards. In the process, large amounts of useful information are produced, that traditionally end up buried in the archives of pharmaceutical companies. Committed to avoiding duplicating processes, wasting time and resources, 13 pharmaceutical industries, 7 academic institutions and 5 SMEs launched the eTOX project. The result of the project will be a comprehensive database with toxicity studies for thousands of drugs (or drug candidates) and a collection of original software applications for toxicity prediction.
26/04/2016 - Press release
The expansion of the genetic test allows the detection of newly identified mutations by a team of oncologists at Hospital del Mar and the IMIM that explain a further 10-15% of the resistance to a group of drugs developed by colorectal tumours The resistance caused by EGFR mutations described by the same team of oncologist has been shown to be important in more of 25% of the patients treated using anti-EGFR therapy This work is a clear example of how in just a short time the results of a research project have been transferred to industry, in this case the Belgian multinational Biocartis, and how they have an almost immediate application in patients, improving and personalising colon cancer treatments The patent for the first test was obtained in 2013, the detection kit was marketed in 2014, and it has now been expanded, with a new licence, to include the newly-detected mutations
31/03/2016 - Press release
The Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute and the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute, in collaboration with the MútuaTerrassa Foundation, were the only Spanish research centres to participate in the largest study to date into genome association with ischaemic stroke, and which involved around 38,000 patients and 400,000 control subjects. The study, published recently in Lancet Neurology by two international consortia, has led to the identification of a gene implicated in atherothrombotic ischaemic stroke. The team of Dr. Jordi Jiménez-Conde, head of the Genetics Area within the Neurovascular Research Group at the IMIM and a neurologist at the Hospital del Mar, took part in the discovery phase of the study. This first part involved the analysis of nearly 900 samples from stroke patients and 1200 controls from the Hospital del Mar, this being the second-ranked centre internationally according number of cases.
1/03/2016 - Press release
A study published in the prestigious journal Scientific Reports from the Nature group demonstrates, for the first time and using computational tools, that polyunsaturated lipids can alter the binding rate of two types of receivers involved in certain nervous system diseases. The work was led by members of the Research Programme on Biomedical Informatics at the IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute) and Pompeu Fabra University as well as researchers from the University of Tampere (Finland), and also involved scientists from the University of Barcelona. Using latest-generation molecular simulations, which are like “computational microscopes”, the researchers have demonstrated that a decrease in polyunsaturated lipids in neuronal membranes, as seen in Parkinson's and Alzheimer's sufferers, directly affects the binding rate of dopamine and adenosine receptors.
Més informació "Regulating neuronal membrane lipids could be the key to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's"
11/02/2016 - Press release
People with anxiety disorders have an increased risk of suffering chronic diseases such as heart disease, chronic pain, and peptic ulcers. This is one of the conclusions of a new study published in JAMA Psychiatry, led by the University of Otago (New Zealand) and involving Dr Jordi Alonso, director of the Epidemiology and Public Health programme at the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM) and a CIBERESP researcher. The study found that all kinds of mental health disorders, related to mood, anxiety, and impulse control, as well as substance use disorders, are associated with an increased risk of a wide range of chronic physical diseases. The researchers studied the relationship between mental disorders and ten diseases: arthritis, chronic pain, heart disease, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, asthma, chronic lung disease, peptic ulcers, and cancer.
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