VHIO’s Scientific Management Area is a strategic Unit that supports our leadership and promotes the scientific activity of our research groups by facilitating the development and execution of scientific proposals and programs. In addition, we coordinate the activities of VHIO’s Task Forces to foster synergies between our multidisciplinary teams and spur joint research programs in oncology at the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital – HUVH (Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus).
Our responsibilities include financial and scientific management, strategic scientific support, and the implementation of institutional actions across transversal areas such as education, ethics and regulatory issues, scientific dissemination, and the coordination of research activities related to VHIO’s participation in several consortia and partnerships globally. Additional activities include the assessment and preparation of grant application proposals, dissemination of national and international funding opportunities for our research groups, as well as the continued monitoring and coordination of awarded research projects, among others.
Our group further optimizes opportunities for the internationalization of researchers by devising personalized plans for VHIO’s scientific groups, centralizes and conceptualizes research proposals from our Task Forces, and proactively matches selected research priorities with competitive calls. Importantly, we lead and co-lead EU initiatives including the Coordination and Support Action (CSA – 4.UNCAN.eu) of the UNderstand CANcer (UNCAN.eu) project linked to the EU’s Horizon Europe Mission on Cancer, among others. We also spearhead highly innovative technological project proposals to increase VHIO’s success rate in calls, such as the Innovative Health Initiative (IHI) within the Horizon Europe framework, and oversee VHIO’s involvement in European projects as project coordinators or partners.
Lastly, our Area is continuously working to enhance its organizational structure and project management processes with the goal of expanding VHIO’s capacity to conduct research of excellence in oncology.
Chief Scientific Officer
Alejandro Piris Giménez
Head of Management of Scientific Strategy and Translational Programs Unit
Javier Carmona
Head of Research Grants Pre-Award Unit
Sandra Porta
Head of Management of Institutional Scientific Programs Unit
Neus Bayó
Head of Management of clinical programs and Task Forces Unit
Javier Gonzalo
Head of Coordinated projects and consortia
Elena Chavarria
Head of Advanced Therapies Program
Silvia Martin-Lluesma
Scientific/ Project Managers
Berta Colldeforns, Natalia Czerniak, Alba Lopez, Goretti Mallorquí, María Marín, Mireia Monràs, Xenia Villalobos
Project Management Technicians Senior
Isabel Vallvé Junior: Marc López, Abraham Ruiz
Internship Students
Johan Barrezueta, Francesc Calabuig, Vanessa Elizabeth Guadamud, Marc Jerez, Ariadna Lechon, Joana Mackay, Laura Moncusi
Clinical Projects Manager
Arantxa Romero
Task Force Officers
Ana Carmona (Gastroesophageal Cancer and GI non-CRC)
Mireia Sanchís (Colorectal Cancer)
Advanced Research technician Colorectal cancer group
Joaquín Mestre
- Identify and promote new research opportunities involving academic and industry partners.
- Lead/co-lead EU initiatives/projects
- Write, coordinate and manage scientific proposals.
- Launch and monitor institutional research programs.
- Promote intramural research through education, networking and communication programs.
- In 2023, we maintained a good track record with a success rate of 30%, out of 243 grant (competitive) applications.
- Reflective of the research support that we provide to VHIO is our co-authorship of several publications (see Paper pick 2023).
- We have obtained funds from the prestigious AECC’s Excellence Program, CERTERA ISCIII, PragmaTIL and JOINT4ATMP to develop our Advanced Therapies Program that will allow us to consolidate as one of the pioneering centers in Spain in the development of cancer cell therapies.
- FORTALECE alongside CERTERA ISCIII are the first transversal joint initiative within Insitito Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Acreditado Institut de Recerca (Accredited Research Institute – Vall d’Hebron).
- We co-lead major EU consortia. Just some of these include the Coordination and Support Action (CSA – 4.UNCAN.eu) of the UNderstand CANcer, CCI4EU, and we chair the Cancer Core Europe (CCE) consortium. We are also collaborating with numerous project boards and are in involved in several other work packages.
Most relevant papers
- Saura C, Ortiz C, Matito J, Arenas EJ, Suñol A, Martín Á, Córdoba O, Martínez-Sabadell A, García-Ruiz I, Miranda I, Morales-Comas C, Carrasco E, Viaplana C, Peg V, Nuciforo P, Bayó-Puxan N, Gonzalez-Medina A, Miquel JM, Gómez-Rey M, Villacampa G, Arévalo S, Espinosa-Bravo M, Balmaña J, Dienstmann R, Arribas J, Tabernero J, Vivancos A, Sansó M. Early-Stage Breast Cancer Detection in Breast Milk. Cancer Discov. 2023 Oct 5;13(10):2180-2191.
- Serra-Camprubí Q, Verdaguer H, Oliveros W, Lupión-Garcia N, Llop-Guevara A, Molina C, Vila-Casadesús M, Turpin A, Neuzillet C, Frigola J, Querol J, Yáñez-Bartolomé M, Castet F, Fabregat-Franco C, Escudero-Iriarte C, Escorihuela M, Arenas EJ, Bernadó-Morales C, Haro N, Giles FJ, Pozo ÓJ, Miquel JM, Nuciforo PG, Vivancos A, Melé M, Serra V, Arribas J, Tabernero J, Peiró S, Macarulla T, Tian TV. Human Metastatic Cholangiocarcinoma Patient-Derived Xenografts and Tumoroids for Preclinical Drug Evaluation. Clin Cancer Res. 2023 Jan 17;29(2):432-445.
- Carbonell C, Frigola J, Pardo N, Callejo A, Iranzo P, Valdivia A, Priano I, Cedrés S, Martinez-Marti A, Navarro A, Lenza L, Soleda M, Gonzalo-Ruiz J, Vivancos A, Sansó M, Carcereny E, Morán T, Amat R, Felip E. Dynamic changes in circulating tumor DNA assessed by shallow whole-genome sequencing associate with clinical efficacy of checkpoint inhibitors in NSCLC. Mol Oncol. 2023 May;17(5):779-791.
- Cedres S, Serna G, Gonzalez-Medina A, Valdivia A, Assaf-Pastrana JD, Iranzo P, Callejo A, Pardo N, Navarro A, Martinez-Marti A, Priano I, Fasani R, Guardia X, Gonzalo J, Carbonell C, Frigola J, Amat R, Navarro V, Dienstmann R, Vivancos A, Nuciforo P, Felip E. Expression of TILs and Patterns of Gene Expression from Paired Samples of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (MPM) Patients. Cancers (Basel). 2023 Jul 14;15(14):3611.
- Elez E, Ros J, Fernández J, Villacampa G, Moreno-Cárdenas AB, Arenillas C, Bernatowicz K, Comas R, Li S, Kodack DP, Fasani R, Garcia A, Gonzalo-Ruiz J, Piris-Gimenez A, Nuciforo P, Kerr G, Intini R, Montagna A, Germani MM, Randon G, Vivancos A, Smits R, Graus D, Perez-Lopez R, Cremolini C, Lonardi S, Pietrantonio F, Dienstmann R, Tabernero J, Toledo RA. RNF43 mutations predict response to anti-BRAF/EGFR combinatory therapies in BRAFV600E metastatic colorectal cancer. Nat Med. 2022 Oct;28(10):2162-2170.
- Tamborero D, Dienstmann R, Rachid MH, Boekel J, Lopez-Fernandez A, Jonsson M, Razzak A, Braña I, De Petris L, Yachnin J, Baird RD, Loriot Y, Massard C, Martin-Romano P, Opdam F, Schlenk RF, Vernieri C, Masucci M, Villalobos X, Chavarria E; Cancer Core Europe consortium; Balmaña J, Apolone G, Caldas C, Bergh J, Ernberg I, Fröhling S, Garralda E, Karlsson C, Tabernero J, Voest E, Rodon J, Lehtiö J. The Molecular Tumor Board Portal supports clinical decisions and automated reporting for precision oncology. Nat Cancer. 2022 Feb;3(2):251-261.
- Verdaguer H, Saurí T, Acosta DA, Guardiola M, Sierra A, Hernando J, Nuciforo P, Miquel JM, Molero C, Peiró S, Serra-Camprubí Q, Villacampa G, Aguilar S, Vivancos A, Tabernero J, Dienstmann R, Macarulla T. ESMO Scale for Clinical Actionability of Molecular Targets Driving Targeted Treatment in Patients with Cholangiocarcinoma. Clin Cancer Res. 2022 Apr 14;28(8):1662-1671.
- Monti M, Degenhardt T, Brain E, Wuerstlein R, Argusti A, Puntoni M, Rollandi GA, Corradengo D, Boni L, Ilhan H, Nanni O, Cortes J, Piris-Gimenez A, Piccardo A, Iacozzi M, Matteucci F, Di Iorio V, Alberini JL, Schröder C, Harbeck N, Gennari A. ERANET JTC 2011: Submission and Activation of an International Academic Translational Project in Advanced Breast Cancer. Experience From the ET-FES Study. Front Med (Lausanne). 2022 Jan 13;8:817678.
