TACTIC holds its third general meeting to discuss the latest developments of the project

On 19 September, the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) hosted the third general meeting of the TACTIC project, which brought together the scientific and research support staff from VHIR and the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) participating in the initiative. During the meeting, the six research groups presented their scientific progress within TACTIC’s two transversal axes. The event was attended by Dr. Begoña Benito, Director of VHIR; Dr. Anna Santamaria, Director of Internal Strategy; and Joaquim Calbó, Director of Competitive Research.

TACTIC is a project of the Accredited Health Research Institute Vall d’Hebron Research Institute - University Hospital (IIS-IR-HUVH). Its goal is to enhance prevention, diagnosis, and treatment through computational biomedicine, innovative therapies, and knowledge transfer into clinical practice. It is part of the Fortalece–Salud programme of the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, with funding of €2.4 million over four years.

In the first transversal axis, Prognosis and Precision Diagnosis, progress in computational biomedicine was highlighted, such as the development of umbrella algorithms (featuring multiple specialised models). The VHIR Clinical Neuroimmunology Group presented advances in predicting multiple sclerosis prognosis, while the VHIO Cancer Computational Biology Group focused on optimising and simplifying diagnostic and stratification algorithms to facilitate clinical implementation. Promising results were also presented on non-invasive diagnostics for neuroblastomas and sarcomas, by the VHIR Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders Group.

In the second project axis, Innovative Therapies, the VHIR Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders Group has achieved progress in new therapeutic modalities through research driven by teams working in paediatric cancer and rare haematological diseases. The VHIR Therapies and Innovation in Neuropaediatrics and Other Rare Paediatric Diseases Group presented its results on a novel therapy based on personalised deep brain stimulation. Initial results were also shared from the collaboration between the VHIR Clinical Biochemistry, Drug Delivery and Therapy Group and the VHIO Hepatobiliary, Pancreatic and Endocrine Tumours Group, working on a new nanomedicine-based therapy for pancreatic cancer. A key component of this second axis is the discovery of new molecular mechanisms, where the VHIR Cardiovascular Diseases Group stood out with its research on cellular senescence mechanisms and their relationship with major chronic diseases, including the identification of new biomarkers.

Finally, as a core pillar of systems medicine — the central philosophy of the project — the VHIR Cardiovascular Diseases Group presented its advances in international coordination among different healthcare organisations, including primary care, to promote the integration and interoperability of clinical data.

Given TACTIC’s unique institutional nature as a project that aims not only to generate impactful research and innovation but also to strengthen and optimise research support activities within the institution, another highlight of the meeting was the presentation of the project’s new indicator tracking system. This system serves as a comprehensive and dynamic pilot support for research teams, providing a 360º view of all aspects of scientific output — from dissemination and innovation to publications and training of the next generations of scientists. The model is based on cooperation between all the units and research staff, and is implemented through personalised monitoring and an integrated data model.