Vall d'Hebron participates in the final meeting of the European UNDINE project, dedicated to uncovering the factors that determine the different manifestations of COVID-19

El European project UNDINE (The human genetic and immunological determinants of the clinical manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection: Towards personalized medicine), in which Vall d’Hebron has participated, held its final meeting after four years of collaborative work, with a session devoted to presenting the project's main achievements. The meeting took place in May 2026 at the Royal Academy of Sciences and Arts of Barcelona.

The meeting, organised by the Catalan research groups under the umbrella of the Catalan Health Institute (ICS), brought together the different partners of the international consortium, who shared project progress, coordinated the final dissemination activities, and explored new opportunities for collaboration among the members. Representing the Infection and Immunity in Pediatric Patients Group at the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) were Dr Pere Soler, Dr Jacques Rivière, Dr Luca Zanieri and Míriam González.

The aim of the UNDINE project, funded through a European H2020 grant, was to decipher the genetic and immunological basis of the different clinical manifestations of COVID-19 in order to identify individuals at greater risk of developing severe complications. Based on the hypothesis that many individuals harbour pre-existing genetic or immunological alterations that influence the response to infection, the UNDINE project has identified genetic, immunological and autoimmune determinants associated both with resistance to the virus and with severe forms of the disease and its complications.

The Infection and Immunity in Pediatric Patients Group at VHIR, which forms part of the ICS node together with the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP) and the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), has played a key role in the development of the project, particularly in Work Package 1 (WP1). WP1, led by Dr Pere Soler Palacín and Dr Isabelle Meyts (KU Leuven, Belgium), focused on establishing and monitoring the clinical cohorts that formed the basis for all the consortium's studies. As a result, a clinical and biological platform has been established, comprising more than 8,000 patients and controls with highly diverse clinical profiles, including severe COVID-19 pneumonia, multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C/A), Neuro-COVID and long COVID, as well as asymptomatic infections, cases of resistance despite high exposure, vaccine failure, and inborn errors of immunity.

“UNDINE’s findings help us understand why the same infection can lead to such different outcomes in different individuals. The project has laid the groundwork for improving early diagnosis, prevention and personalised treatment, while also contributing to preparedness for future pandemics and the emergence of new viruses”, explains Dr. Pere Soler Palacín, Head of the Department of Pediatrics at Vall d’Hebron University Hospital and leader of the Infection and Immunity in Pediatric Patients group at VHIR.