Seven Vall d’Hebron projects receive PERIS grants to boost strategic research on campus

The Department of Health of the Government of Catalonia has awarded 36 grants to intensify research activity among health science professionals within the framework of the Strategic Plan for Health Research and Innovation (PERIS 2022–2027). In total, the call is funded with nearly €5 million.

In this call, seven professionals from the Vall d’Hebron campus have been awarded grants: four from the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) and three from the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO). This funding will allow them to partially step back from clinical duties for three years in order to promote research projects with high clinical impact and aligned with the priority challenges of the healthcare system.

Personalized medicine in obesity

Dr. Albert Lecube, Head of the Endocrinology and Nutrition Section at Vall d'Hebron University Hospital and Principal Investigator of the Diabetes and Metabolism Research Group at VHIR, has received €140,400 to lead a project focused on identifying new clinical obesity phenotypes associated with response to bariatric surgery.

Through the analysis of clinical, genetic, epigenetic, and molecular biomarkers in a cohort of 168 patients, and using artificial intelligence techniques, the project aims to improve outcome prediction and move toward truly personalized medicine.

The expected impact includes improved therapeutic selection, reduction of stigma associated with “failure” in weight loss, and identification of new biological mechanisms involved in treatment resistance.

European leadership in bronchiectasis

Dr. Eva Polverino, Principal Investigator of the Pneumology Research Group at VHIR, has been awarded €149,760 to promote several projects linked to EMBARC, the European bronchiectasis registry. The goals include defining biological endotypes, reaching consensus on the definition of bronchiectasis-associated asthma, and establishing standards of care and quality indicators.

This line of research will help harmonize international clinical practice and implement personalized medicine strategies in chronic respiratory diseases.

Precision in aortic risk for rare syndromes

Dr. Gisela Teixidó, Principal Investigator of the Cardiovascular Diseases Research Group at VHIR, has received €93,600 for the AGM4Gen project, aimed at refining the computational tool autoAGM to automatically analyze aortic growth in patients with Marfan syndrome and Loeys-Dietz syndrome.

Using a multicenter cohort of 250 patients, the project will integrate genetic and geometric data to improve risk stratification and optimize preventive surgery indications in high-risk rare diseases.

A new model to address metabolic fatty liver disease in Catalonia

Dr. Juan Manuel Pericàs, Principal Investigator of the Liver Diseases Research Group at VHIR, has been awarded €149,760 for the INTE-GRAS project, which seeks to establish a transdisciplinary and multilevel model to address metabolic fatty liver disease (MAFLD), affecting one in four adults in Catalonia.

The project includes analysis of large databases, identification of healthcare barriers, and a pilot implementation study in primary and hospital care settings, with cost-effectiveness evaluation. The goal is to lay the foundations for a future Catalan plan on metabolic-liver health.

Genomic monitoring in metastatic prostate cancer

Dr. Joaquin Mateo, oncologist at Vall d'Hebron University Hospital and Head of the Prostate Cancer Group at VHIO, has received €149,760 for the project “Serial ctDNA analysis to guide personalized therapeutic strategies in metastatic prostate cancer.”

The project aims to validate circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) as a dynamic biomarker to guide treatment decisions. Using thousands of plasma samples, ctDNA dynamics will be analyzed to enable early detection of response, resistance, and prognosis, with the goal of integrating this monitoring into clinical practice and therapeutic guidelines.

This approach may improve clinical decision-making, patients’ quality of life, and healthcare system sustainability.

Improving breast cancer risk estimation

A second VHIO project, led by Dr. Judith Balmaña, Medical Oncologist at Vall d'Hebron University Hospital and Head of the Hereditary Cancer Genetics Group at VHIO, with funding of €149,760, focuses on validating a multifactorial model to estimate personalized breast and ovarian cancer risk in healthy women carrying moderate-penetrance genetic variants.

Integrating the polygenic risk score (PRS) with the BOADICEA (CanRisk) model will enable more accurate individualized risk prediction and assessment of real-world implementation within the healthcare system.

The objective is to advance toward preventive strategies better tailored to each woman’s genetic profile.

Breast milk as a liquid biopsy

Dr. Cristina Saura, Head of the Breast Cancer Unit at Vall d'Hebron University Hospital and Head of the Breast Cancer Group at VHIO, has received €149,760 in funding for a project proposing the development and validation of a non-invasive diagnostic test based on next-generation sequencing to detect breast cancer in pregnant or breastfeeding women.

By identifying circulating tumor DNA in breast milk, the VHIO-YWBC panel could transform early diagnosis at a time when women are typically excluded from standard screening programs.

This approach opens the door to a new diagnostic paradigm, with a clear focus on improving equity and patient-centered care.