Two Vall d’Hebron projects, selected at CaixaImpulse programme 2025

The ”la Caixa” Foundation has announced the results of the 2025 call for proposals for its CaixaImpulse programme, through which it supports 31 biomedical projects from research centres, hospitals and universities in Spain and Portugal. In total, the organisation will allocate 3.8 million euros to this initiative, which aims to speed up the arrival of these innovations on the market so they can reach the patients who may need them. CaixaImpulse also promotes the creation of new products, services and companies linked to the life sciences and health. Among the projects selected is a project led by Dr. Marc Ribó, neurologist at the Stroke Unit of Vall d'Hebron University Hospital and researcher at the Stroke Research Group of the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), and another one led by Dr. Joan Seoane, director of the Immuno-Oncology and Tumour Microenvironment Programme and Head of the Gene Expression and Cancer Group at the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO).

The winning projects – chosen from among 428 applications received – were assessed by six panels of international experts and professionals in the field.

In terms of funding, the awardees receive between 50,000 and 500,000 euros to develop their projects over the following years, depending on their stage of maturity. In this call, 17 projects entered phase 1 (up to 50,000 euros), 11 entered phase 2 (up to 150,000 euros) and 3 reached phase 3 (up to 500,000 euros). The programme allows projects, once they achieve specific development milestones and following assessment by the evaluation committee, to progress to later phases with greater funding.

A new device for safer and more effective stroke treatment, led by Dr. Marc Ribó (phase 2)

Many people around the world experience strokes every year, and these medical emergencies can lead to serious disabilities or even death. While some strokes block larger blood vessels in the brain and can be treated successfully with current medical tools, a significant number are caused by blockages in medium-sized blood vessels. These cases are much harder to treat with existing methods, and many people do not recover fully or face complications.

The main problem is that current medical devices are not well suited for these complex blockages. These tools cannot always reach the blocked area safely, and trying to remove the blockage can lead to bleeding or damage to the delicate blood vessels. As a result, many patients are left with lasting disabilities or do not survive.

This project aims to solve this problem by creating and testing a new medical tool. This new tool is designed to reach the blocked blood vessels more easily and to remove the blockage gently and effectively, without harming the blood vessels. The tip of the device is specially shaped to move through the twists and turns of the brain’s blood vessels, and its unique design helps remove blockages without causing injury.

The project involves two main steps. First, experts will design and build the new device using advanced manufacturing. Next, they will test the device in models that closely mimic how blood flows in the brain. If successful, this new tool could make stroke treatment safer and more effective for many people, helping them recover better and reducing the risk of disability or death.

Advancing safer and more precise treatments for solid tumors using modified immune cells, led by Dr. Joan Seoane (phase 2)

Many people with cancer have experienced important improvements due to therapies that use their own immune cells to fight the disease. While these treatments have shown great results in cancers of the blood, they still face serious challenges for cancers that form solid masses in the body, such as those in the brain. These solid tumours can hide from the immune system or create protective barriers that make it very difficult for treatments to succeed.

This project is developing a new strategy to help immune cells find and attack these hidden cancer cells, while also making the treatment as safe as possible. The process begins by collecting a person’s immune cells and carefully changing them in the laboratory. The main goal is to help these cells better recognize and destroy cancer, and to provide them with a special system that controls when and where they release helpful substances. This system is designed, so these substances are only released inside the tumour, reducing the risk to healthy parts of the body.

This approach may make treatment much more effective for people with solid tumours, who often have limited options. At the same time, it helps lower the chance of dangerous side effects, since the helpful substances act exactly where they are most needed. The technology is flexible, so it can be adapted for many kinds of cancer and could also be used with other types of immune cell treatments in the future.

If this technology is successful, it may give new hope to people whose cancers have not responded to other therapies and could help them live longer and healthier lives.

Training and expert support for the projects

CaixaImpulse supports biomedical projects in the field of innovation and knowledge transfer, helping researchers to validate their assets and define their exploitation and valorisation strategy in order to bring research results closer to the market. In addition to financial support, they also have access to mentoring, consultancy and guidance from international experts across various areas of the innovation ecosystem.

In addition, the researchers leading projects in phase 2 will receive four weeks of specialised training on technology transfer, intellectual property law, pitching to investors and closing commercial agreements.

The call is carried out in collaboration with Criteria Bio Ventures, CriteriaCaixa’s venture capital fund specialising in biotechnology and the life sciences.