On 24 April, members of the “El Rosa Melocotón” association visited VHIO’s facilities to present their annual fundraising donation in support of breast cancer research.
The association, made up of people committed to building a supportive community and network for breast cancer patients, organises a wide range of charitable activities and fundraising markets where handmade products are sold. Examples include the solidarity hair ties crafted by the association’s volunteer seamstresses and their rose stall during Sant Jordi celebrations.
Thanks to these initiatives, the association has raised funds this year. This enabled them to donate 12.000€ donation to the VHIO Breast Cancer Group.
“As an association, we are deeply grateful to the healthcare professionals who have helped us move forward. This is a small way of giving something back for everything you do for patients,” said Andrea Ayar, President of El Rosa Melocotón and a breast cancer patient herself.
During the meeting with Dr Cristina Saura, Head of the Breast Cancer Unit at Vall d’Hebron University Hospital and Head of the VHIO Breast Cancer Group, discussions focused on the new research lines currently under development and the projects being carried out at VHIO.
“Our mission is to find better treatments for patients, and thanks to donations like yours, we can fund research projects within our group. We are extremely grateful for your support,” explained Dr Saura.
Dr Saura provided a detailed overview of the group’s ongoing projects and future directions. This was aimed at improving treatments and, in particular, enhancing patients’ quality of life. She highlighted the high number of patients enrolled in clinical trials. In addition, she highlighted the group’s clinical and translational research projects focused on developing new treatments for HER2-positive, luminal and triple-negative breast cancer.
She also discussed the group’s interest in international research collaborations. She explained how the MMaterna project, which explores liquid biopsy using breast milk, was conceived. This innovative approach could potentially contribute to breast cancer early detection in the future.
The visit concluded with a tour of VHIO’s facilities. This gave the association’s members the opportunity to see first-hand how research is carried out in the institute’s laboratories.
Thank you to “El Rosa Melocotón” for your support and trust in breast cancer research conducted at our centre.
