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The VHIR and VHIO projects, selected in the 2026 Health Research and CaixaImpulse Health Innovation calls, promote new approaches to the treatment of cancer, neurological diseases and mitochondrial disorders.
The ”la Caixa” Foundation has selected seven projects involving the Vall d’Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR) and the Vall d’Hebron Institut d’Oncologia (VHIO) through its 2026 Health Research and CaixaImpulse Health Innovation calls. The initiatives address a range of biomedical research challenges, from the development of new cancer therapies to treatments for rare neurological diseases and tools to advance towards more personalised medicine.
The projects combine innovative approaches such as gene therapies, intelligent systems to adapt treatments, the development of new pharmacological inhibitors, liquid biopsies and drug nanocarriers. The funding will support different stages of the development of these initiatives, from the validation of new therapeutic strategies to the preparation of potential clinical applications.
Some rare childhood brain disorders cause epilepsy, movement difficulties and progressive cognitive deterioration from the earliest stages of life. Currently, there are no treatments capable of modifying the course of these diseases.
The project aims to develop advanced gene therapies that can restore or correct the affected biological function in a localised and controlled manner. Specifically, it will focus on two severe paediatric encephalopathies and investigate strategies to deliver therapeutic instructions to the appropriate brain cells without causing unwanted effects.
The researchers will test the therapeutic candidates in disease models and assess their safety, durability and distribution. The aim is to obtain two candidates ready to progress towards clinical development and establish a platform that could contribute to the development of precision gene therapies for other childhood neurological disorders.
Project leader: Jorge Hernández, neurologist in the Movement Disorders Unit of the Neurology Department at Vall d’Hebron University Hospital and researcher in the VHIR Neurodegenerative Diseases group.
In advanced stages of Parkinson’s disease, patients may experience significant fluctuations in motor symptoms. Continuous infusions can help control these fluctuations, but current systems do not automatically adapt to each person’s changing needs and often require manual adjustments.
The VHIR-led project aims to develop an intelligent system capable of personalising treatment in real time. The proposal will combine wearable sensors to continuously monitor motor symptoms with artificial intelligence systems that analyse this information and recommend dose adjustments, which could subsequently be implemented by the infusion system.
This approach could improve motor symptom control, autonomy and quality of life for people with advanced Parkinson’s disease. At the same time, it could lay the foundations for a more personalised infusion therapy adapted to each patient’s changing needs.
Mitochondrial DNA maintenance disorders (MDDS) constitute a group of severe rare diseases that alter the quantity and quality of mitochondrial DNA, causing very serious impairments, often from childhood. Although the first treatment for a disease in this group (TK2 deficiency) has recently been approved, most of these diseases still lack effective therapeutic alternatives.
The VHIR-led project aims to demonstrate the feasibility of a new metabolic strategy designed to increase the availability of certain nucleotides essential for mitochondrial DNA replication. This approach could pave the way for the development of treatments for other forms of MDDS, such as those associated with mutations in the POLG or DGUOK genes, for which no therapeutic options currently exist.
If the results are positive, this strategy could improve patients’ quality of life, reduce the care burden associated with these diseases and, in the future, expand the number of diseases that can be diagnosed and treated early.
The Hedgehog signalling pathway plays a key role in tumour growth, cancer progression and treatment resistance in numerous tumours. Although drugs targeting this pathway exist, their efficacy is limited in most tumours that depend on ligand-mediated activation, which account for more than one-third of human cancers.
The VHIR-led project aims to develop a new molecule capable of inhibiting this form of Hedgehog pathway activation through an innovative strategy targeting the CDO coreceptor. Building on a previously developed compound that had already demonstrated antitumour activity in preclinical models, the researchers will design new variants with improved pharmacokinetic properties to increase their clinical potential.
Initially, the project will focus on paediatric sarcomas, although this approach could be applied in the future to other aggressive tumours that share this biological mechanism.
Aggressive cancers, such as hepatocellular carcinoma, often respond poorly to treatments and rapidly develop resistance, contributing to high mortality rates. The neoCDK project focuses on a relatively unexplored group of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs), on which tumour cells depend for survival, particularly in tumours driven by certain genetic pathways.
The team aims to develop the first selective inhibitors of these proteins as a new precision treatment option. The project builds on previous cellular studies that identified a compound with potent antitumour activity at very low concentrations, capable of halting cancer cell growth by causing DNA damage.
The next stages will include optimising the compound, testing it in animal models and preparing the programme to progress towards regulatory development. This strategy could open up new options for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma and few therapeutic alternatives. It could also be applicable to other aggressive tumours, such as small-cell lung cancer, colorectal cancer and glioblastoma.
Homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) is an alteration in the DNA repair mechanisms of tumour cells. Identifying this characteristic is important for predicting whether certain tumours may respond to targeted therapies, such as PARP inhibitors. However, current diagnostic tests may have difficulty detecting it when samples contain very little tumour material.
The CAN-HRD-LB project aims to provide a faster and more sensitive diagnostic tool to identify HRD-positive tumours. The test detects alterations in the copy number of genetic material associated with this deficiency, even in samples containing a low proportion of tumour cells. In addition, it is designed for use with both tissue samples and liquid biopsies.
The test aims to be more affordable and easier to implement than current tests, with a simplified bioinformatics workflow to facilitate its integration into clinical practice. This could help healthcare professionals select targeted treatments for more patients, particularly when tissue samples are limited or difficult to obtain, and help expand access to precision oncology.
Pseudomyxoma peritonei is a rare cancer in which a large amount of thick mucus accumulates in the abdomen, making it difficult for medicines to reach tumour cells. Current treatments, based mainly on surgery and chemotherapy, are often insufficient, highlighting the need for new therapeutic options.
The project aims to develop nanocarriers capable of actively moving through dense mucus, reaching cancer cells and delivering antitumour drugs to them more effectively. Building on previous evidence indicating that active carriers can penetrate mucus more effectively than passive particles, the researchers will design safer and more precise systems capable of transporting drugs and recognising tumour cells.
The new solutions will be tested in patient-derived samples and disease models to assess their movement, their ability to reach tumour cells and their therapeutic effect. The project combines expertise in nanotechnology, cancer biology, artificial intelligence and disease models, and will involve collaboration with patient associations to ensure that development takes their needs into account.
This technology could offer a new therapeutic option for people with pseudomyxoma peritonei and potentially be adapted to other tumours in which mucus or tissue density makes it difficult for treatments to reach their targets.
In addition to financial support, CaixaImpulse Health Innovation offers selected teams a support programme that includes mentoring, specialised advice and training in technology transfer, business development and research valorisation. The aim is to facilitate the transformation of scientific results into new solutions capable of reaching the healthcare system and generating a real impact on patients’ health.
Neurology, General Hospital
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