An initiative aimed at promoting collaborative research of excellence in oncology and, more specifically, recognizing the contributions of young cancer scientists, this year´s annual prize from the Red Temática de Investigación Cooperativa en Cáncer (RTICC) goes to VHIO´s Growth Factors Group for a study authored by Principal Investigator and ICREA Professor, Joaquín Arribas, and co-authored by several of his lab´s young researchers including Josep Lluís Parra and Beatriz Morancho, who delivered the special Award Lecture on behalf of the group.
Presented yesterday at the VIII Annual Meeting of the RTICC – a dedicated network initiated 12 years ago, thanks to the support of the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), to stimulate strong collaborative research at national level, this prize celebrates the best scientific paper published in an international scientific journal of excellence throughout the period 1 August 2014 – 31 July 2015, as selected by the RTICC´s Executive Committee. In line with RTICC´s collaborative ethos, submitted proposals each year must adhere to the criteria of including first or senior authors from at least two or more groups belonging to the network.
Joaquin´s winning paper, Effect of p95HER2/611CTF on the Response to Trastuzumab and Chemotherapy*, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI), evidenced the combined strategy of chemotherapy plus trastuzumab (a selective therapy against HER2 receptors) as effective in reducing tumors of a specific HER2+ breast cancer subtype know as p95HER2.
Funded by the Spanish Association against Cancer (AECC) and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) and carried out in collaboration with Atanasio Pandiella from the Cancer Research Center of Salamanca (CIC), the findings also indicated new therapeutic promise for patients with p95HER2-positive breast tumors – a subgroup that is notoriously resistant to therapy. Reflecting the significance of these insights, the prestigious journal Cancer Discovery selected the paper for a News in Brief: Chemotherapy Helps Overcome Trastuzumab Resistance**.
Demonstrating the high level of competition, the shortlisted proposals for this year´s Call included publications in other top-tier journals such as Nature Medicine, Gastroenterology, EMBO Molecular Medicine, and EMBO Journal.
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* J Natl Cancer Inst (2014) 106 (11): dju291 doi:10.1093/jnci/dju291 First published online September 24, 2014.
**Cancer Discovery January 2015 5:OF7; Published OnlineFirst November 13, 2014; doi:10.1158/2159
For more information surrounding VHIO´s Preclinical Research Program please contact: Amanda Wren, Director of Communications at VHIO, Email: awren@vhio.net. Tel. +34 695207886.
