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Research Programs
Our group focuses on the interplay between cellular plasticity, stem cells and cancer. Cellular plasticity is recognized today as a critical feature of cancer cells that enables them to transit between different cellular states, including reversible transitions.
We focus our research on mechanisms of resistance to targeted therapies and most importantly, how to overcome it by showing that breast cancers resistant to T-DM1, an antibody-drug conjugate ADC)- can be efficiently treated with the second generation ADC SYD985 (Nadal-Serrano et al.).
VHIO’s Cancer Genomics Group serves as a Core Technology laboratory. We are also dedicated to translational research as well as the development of novel genomic tests.
Our laboratory seeks to better understand how epigenetics and chromatin structure and dynamics affect cell behavior, with specific focus on cancer.
Our group conducts bench-to-bedside preclinical research in breast cancer to advance insights into biomarkers of response to targeted therapies. To do so, we generate preclinical models including patient-derived xenografts (PDXs), and patient-derived cultures (PDCs) from breast cancer patient samples.
We study primary brain tumors and brain metastasis; some of the most aggressive of all cancers. Both glioblastoma and brain metastasis are dismal diseases with limited therapeutic options. Advancing progress in this field towards improving outcomes for these patients is therefore critical.
Our group focuses on the pleiotropic and ubiquitous Myc oncoprotein, whose deregulation is implicated in almost all human cancers. The technical challenges of targeting nuclear transcription factors such as Myc –and the concern regarding potential side effects– had until recently precluded any preclinical validation of Myc inhibition as a possible therapeutic strategy.
Over the last decade, we have witnessed a revolution in the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) which is an advanced and lethal form of prostate cancer. A deeper understanding of its underlying biology has led to the development of compounds targeting the androgen signaling pathway and the immune system, as well as taxanes and radiopharmaceuticals.
Sarcoma encompasses >70 entities of mesenchymal origin, constituting 1-2% of all cancers. From a biological perspective sarcomas can be classified into two broad categories: genomically simple sarcomas driven by simple genetic alterations, such as translocations or specific activating mutations; and tumors with complex and unbalanced genomic aberrations.
Héctor G. Palmer’s Stem Cells & Cancer Group studies the mechanisms that enable tumors to evade effective treatments and progress to advanced stages.
Tumor cell communication with its microenvironment plays an important role in tumor initiation and progression. Cancer cells hijack the tumor microenvironment ecosystem via paracrine signaling to promote a pro-oncogenic microenvironment that is crucial for the development of primary and metastatic tumors.
Immunotherapies against cancer exploit the immune system to more effectively attack disease. Clinical studies have shown that immune checkpoint inhibitors and T-cell-based therapies can mediate tumor regression in cancer patients with metastatic disease. Thus, in addition to surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy, immunotherapy is increasingly representing the fourth pillar of anti-cancer therapy across various tumor types.
The main area of expertise of the Breast Cancer Group is clinical research focused on drug development and associated translational research. We also play a leading role in many of the clinical trials that we run.
We focus on proof-of-concept and proof-of-mechanism trials with targeted therapies, with particular emphasis on cell signaling, cancer stem cells, and immuno- oncology. These include first-in-human studies of targeted therapies, rational combinations of targeted therapies, biomarker-driven trials, and studies in molecularly selected populations.
VHIO’s Experimental Hematology Group conducts translational, pre-clinical and clinical research on hematological neoplasms of both lymphoid and myeloid origin. Our research team is composed of hematologists and biological scientists who work closely together to design, conduct and lead our programs.
VHIO’s Gastrointestinal & Endocrine Tumors Group continues to play an essential role in developing molecular therapies against GI malignancies. We make important contributions to advancing insights into prognostic and predictive factors of response and potentiating precision medicine in oncology.
Our clinical research group focuses on gynecological malignancies and the development of novel therapies against these tumor types. We are also members of some of the most relevant societies in gynecological oncology including the Gynecologic Cancer InterGroup (GCIG), the Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG), as well as the European Network of Gynecological Oncology Trial Groups (ENGOT).
We focus on the clinical development of PARP inhibitors (PARPi) in early gBRCA1/2 breast cancer, and novel combinations in the advanced setting. The consolidation of our collaboration with VHIO’s Experimental Therapeutics Group has resulted in a large collection of BRCA1/2-associated patient-derived xenografts (PDX) implanted in athymic mice.
VHIO’s ODysSey Group promotes translational research in precision oncology by integrating cancer molecular profiling data with clinical outcomes of oncology patients treated at the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital (HUVH).
Our group is integrated within the Radiation Oncology Department of the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital (HUVH), and focuses on the multidisciplinary treatment of patients with malignant tumors. We also participate either as Principal Investigators or research collaborators in a number of pioneering clinical trials, translational research projects, as well as technology development programs.
Focused on applying imaging biomarkers and radiomics to cancer discovery, our efforts center on advancing precision imaging in personalized medicine to ultimately improve outcomes for cancer patients.
Our Group is dedicated to advancing cancer treatment and care for patients suffering from thoracic malignancies, and head and neck cancers. We focus on disease prevention, early detection and the more precise diagnosis and staging of disease toward improving clinical outcomes.
VHIO’s Molecular Oncology Group applies state-of-the-art tissue-based technologies to basic, translational, and clinical research with a clear focus on developing and validating novel tumor biomarkers for precision medicine in oncology.
Our group serves as a Core Technology Platform. We provide state-of-the-art proteomic methodologies to investigators at VHIO, and incorporate new developments within the field to offer the very latest strategies and technologies in the field.
VHIO’s Bioinformatics Unit provides research groups with state-of-the-art computational resources for the analysis of omics data related to cancer.
We are dedicated to advancing clinical and translational research against cancer, with extensive experience and expertise in treating various neoplasms. We design and develop clinical trials for genitourinary malignancies at different stages of disease in collaboration with urologists and radiation therapists.
Introduction to data in cancer
Our VHIOTECA Unit was created in 2021 to support researchers for the obtention, registration and preservation of biological samples other than tumoral tissue (plasma, feces, saliva, etc.) from cancer patients, the use of these samples in research projects.
PRINCIPAL RESEARCHERS
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