Major recent contributions to the field of research

Discovering the benefits of screening programs

The Research Institute of the Hospital Clínic, where Dr. Antoni Castells works, has countless projects under development. Among them we can highlight, for example, "gene and cell therapies that are transforming areas such as oncology". This is the case of “carpi” cells, which are the patient's own T lymphocytes, genetically modified in the lab so that they can recognize and destroy cancer cells. This therapy is very useful for the treatment of leukaemias or lymphomas. Progress in the treatment of solid tumours is also worth mentioning.

The group coordinated by Dr. Castells made notable contributions in 2025 with a study resulting from fifteen years of work published in the prestigious journal The Lancet, "which showed that the stool blood test is as effective as a colonoscopy for the detection of colorectal cancer, and also for preventing the resulting mortality". Thanks to this research, it was possible to prove the effectiveness of "participating in population-level screening programs, using a safe, very affordable and sustainable test".

Cutting-edge research in respiratory medicine

As Dr. Javier Pérez Pallarés explains, the Pulmonology unit at the HLA La Vega Hospital in Murcia is focused on a number of research challenges. The first, a collaboration with Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, is based on the early detection of possible lung cancers through a nasal sample. The aim is to not need a biopsy to diagnose and study possible genetic mutations.

It also seeks to improve echobronchoscopy techniques, which enable visualizing and taking biopsies of nodes in the mediastinum (which is between the lungs). In fact, the so-called "Ariza-Pallarés method" for CryoEbus (which is the name given to this advanced endoscopic technique) today offers safer, more accurate and more effective biopsies, enabling maximum precision in diagnoses.

At the same time, Dr. Pérez Pallarés' group is researching a technique for the treatment of cancer in the mediastinal nodes using microwaves. As this talented researcher explains, "in recent times, we have been making incredible leaps in the field of pulmonology that allow us to better diagnose and multiply the survival rate, applying personalized treatments.

The possibility of stopping some of the most aggressive cancers

Pancreatic cancer is one of the cancers with the lowest survival rates. It is often diagnosed at very late stages; furthermore, there are no truly effective therapies to fight it. For this reason, although it does not belong to the group of those with the highest incidence, research in this area is still especially relevant.

Dr. Patricia Sancho's team, at the Aragón Health Research Institute (IIS Aragón), has discovered, working in animal models, that inhibiting the PPAR-delta protein with drugs can reduce the progression of pancreatic cancer and its metastasis. This protein acts as a sensor for cells, so it is responsible for the fact that, in a tumour environment with nutrient scarcity, cancer cells adapt to survive. The possibility of inhibiting PPAR-delta is a promising strategy that may lead to the development of new drugs. 

At the same time, the prestigious biochemist Mariano Barbacid, head of the Experimental Oncology Group at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), has designed a three-drug combination therapy that manages to eliminate pancreatic tumours in mice completely and enduringly, without significant side effects.

Prevent metastasis before it appears

The research group led by Dr. Toni Celià-Terrassa at the Hospital del Mar Research Institute, for its part, has focused on unravelling the mechanisms by which the most aggressive cancer cells manage to initiate metastasis, identifying the role played by the TIM-3 protein. It is, in fact, responsible for allowing tumour cells to suppress the immune system when they reach distant organs.

The moment of appearance in a new organ is a critical moment and difficult to identify, because there are no clinical or technical manifestations that allow it to be investigated. The aim of this research is to understand what happens in this phase in order to prevent the most dangerous phase of cancer from starting.