We are a leading healthcare campus encompassing all fields of health: from healthcare and research to teaching and management.
Professionalism, commitment and research by professionals on the Campus are the key elements in offering patients excellent care.
We are committed to research as a tool to provide solutions to the daily challenges we face in the field of medical healthcare.
Thanks to our healthcare, teaching and research potential, we work to incorporate new knowledge to generate value for patients, professionals and the organization itself.
We generate, transform and transmit knowledge in all areas of the health sciences, helping to train the professionals of the future.
We are defined by our vocation for communication. We invite you to share everything that happens at Vall d'Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus, and our doors are always open.
Hospital donations
Research donations
Dra. Ronit Satchi-Fainaro, ProfessorPhysiology & Pharmacology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine-Tel Aviv University, Israel
"Reverting cancer's poor prognosis using precision polymeric nanomedicines based on molecular fingerprints of long-term survivors"
Tumor progression is dependent on a number of sequential steps, including initial tumor-vascular interactions and recruitment of blood vessels, as well as established interactions of tumor cells with their surrounding microenvironment and its different immune, endothelial and connective cellular and extra-cellular components. Failure of a microscopic tumor, either primary, recurrent or metastatic, to complete one or more of these early stages may lead to delayed clinical manifestation of the cancer. Micrometastasis, dormant tumors, and minimal residual disease, contribute to the occurrence of relapse, and constitute fundamental clinical manifestations of tumor dormancy that are responsible for the majority of cancer deaths. However, although the tumor dormancy phenomenon has critical implications for early detection and treatment of cancer, it is one of the most neglected areas in cancer research and its biological mechanisms are mostly unknown.
We created several patient-derived cancer models mimicking pairs of dormant versus fast-growing, primary versus metastatic and drug-sensitive versus drug-resistant cancers using cutting-edge techniques of patient-derived xenografts, 3D-printing and genetically-modified mouse models. We investigated the molecular changes in tumor-host interactions that govern the escape from dormancy and contribute to tumor progression. Using our in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo models, we discovered novel targets which provided important tools for the design of novel libraries of cancer nano-sized theranostics (therapeutics and diagnostics) (1-3) that have the potential to be translated to the clinic. Our libraries of precision nanomedicines are synthesized as highly controlled micellar, nanogels, coiled or globular particulated supramolecular structures consisting of linear, hyperbranched or dendritic polymers based on polyglutamic acid (PGA), polyethyleneglycol (PEG), poly(N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide) (HPMA) copolymer, polyglycerol (PG), poly(lactic-coglycolic acid) (PLGA) and hybrid systems (4-9). We hypothesize that the acquired knowledge from this multidisciplinary research strategy will revolutionize the way we diagnose and treat cancer.
Host: CIBBIM-Nanomedicine. Drug Delivery and Targeting- simo.schwartz@vhir.org
By accepting these conditions, you are agreeing to the processing of your personal data for the provision of the services requested through this portal, and, if necessary, for any procedures required by the administrations or public bodies involved in this processing, and their subsequent inclusion in the aforementioned automated file. You may exercise your rights to access, rectification, cancellation or opposition by writing to web@vallhebron.cat, clearly stating the subject as "Exercising of Data Protection Rights". Operated by: Vall d’Hebron University Hospital Foundation – Research Institute. Purpose: Manage the user’s contact information. Legitimisation: Express acceptance of the privacy policy. Rights: To access, rectify, and delete personal information data, as well to the portability thereof and to limit and/or oppose their use. Source: The interested party themselves.