Announced in October this year, the ”la Caixa” Foundation, one of our Patrons and Institutional Supporters, concluded the 2024 call for the CaixaImpulse Innovation program, providing support to 29 new biomedical projects from research centers, hospitals and universities in Spain and Portugal. In total, the Foundation has allocated €3.4 million to this initiative, which aims to accelerate the arrival of these innovations to the market and bring them closer to the patients who may need them. Additionally, CaixaImpulse Innovation promotes the creation of new products, services and companies related to life sciences and health.

The winning projects were selected from over 400 applications that were evaluated by six panels of international experts and professionals in this field.Marcos Malumbres, an ICREA Research Professor, Director of the Systems Oncology Program at VHIO, and Head of our Cancer Cell Cycle Group, received €150,000 in funding for a project to develop a new generation of therapies specifically targeting cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs)—those for which there are currently no inhibitors—in hepatocellular carcinoma, a deadly type of liver cancer.

These new compounds will be patented, a business model implemented, and the product will be licensed. The ultimate goal is to create a spin-off company to transfer this new generation of cancer therapies to society.

VHIO’s newest Patron and Institutional Supporter, the Cris Contra el Cáncer Foundation, celebrated the third edition of its CRIS Research Programs Award Ceremony which took place at the Ramón Areces Foundation in Madrid. From the 2023 national and international calls, the Cris contra el Cáncer Foundation has provided almost €11.4 million—contributed by civil society to cancer research—to support five-year projects at 80 research centers in 16 countries. Additionally, renewed funding was granted to two public Spanish hospital CRIS Units.

The following two VHIO five-year projects were awarded:

César Serrano, Head of VHIO’s Sarcoma Translational Research Group, received a CRIS Excellence Program Award for a project focused on the discovery of new genomic-level alterations in genomically-simple sarcomas. The investigators will perform computational analysis of massive sequencing data followed by functional and preclinical studies to identify which genetic and genomic alterations could result in therapeutic vulnerabilities toward the development of biomarker-targeted therapies.

The CRIS Excellence Programme, endowed with €1.25 million over 5 years, seeks to promote the development of outstanding researchers in clinical and translational cancer programs, with projects with clear potential to make a real impact on patient treatment. Two grants are awarded annually.

Elena Élez, Head of our Colorectal Cancer Group and a Medical Oncologist at the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, received a CRIS Translational Physician Talent Program Award for research focused on BRAF-mutated advanced colorectal cancer to identify new therapeutic strategies and enhance treatment selection based on cancer molecular profiling. The investigators are studying circulating tumor DNA by liquid biopsy to identify new predictive biomarkers of treatment response and develop strategies to overcome acquired resistance. This work will guide the development of new clinical trials evaluating emerging targeted therapies, including novel-novel combinations.

The CRIS Translational Physician Talent Programme, endowed with €400,000 over 5 years, is aims to foster the careers and training of outstanding clinician-researchers with a creative and transformative mindset, who will lead their respective fields in the future. Two of these grants are awarded annually.

This year, several research institutes and units to have received the Severo Ochoa and Maria de Maeztu accreditations of excellence from the calls 2018 to 2023, gathered together at the CaixaForum in Madrid to celebrate these prestigious distinctions. Diana Morant, Minister for Science, Innovation and Universities in Spain, presided over the ceremony and highlighted the impact of their research on the well-being of citizens, role of these institutes and units of excellence in the development of a competitive and innovative industry, and their capacity to attract national and international research talent.

Since 2022 VHIO is accredited as a Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence (2022-2026). This prestigious distinction is granted within the subprogram of the Spanish Institutional Strengthening of the State Plan for Scientific and Technical Research & Innovation and is managed and supported by the Agencia Estatal de Investigación - AEI (Spain’s State Research Agency), a body affiliated with the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation).

This accreditation recognizes national research centers that demonstrate scientific leadership of excellence and impact at global level, and is renewable each 4 years through re-application under the same rigorous independent evaluation conducted by an international scientific committee.

In addition to the institutional support that VHIO receives through the Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer – AECC (Spanish Association Against Cancer) Excellence Program - Advanced Therapies Accelerator Program, AECC is a longstanding supporter of several VHIO groups and investigators.

In 2024, the Scientific Foundation of the Spanish Association against Cancer (FCAECC) launched the largest national call with the aim of impacting on the mission of the organization in an innovative, measurable, flexible, and high impact manner. The focus of the AECC 70% Survivorship Challenge Awards (Reto AECC 70% Supervivencia), which provide up to €10 million over a period of between five to seven years, is to promote nationwide, multidisciplinary consortium projects of scientific excellence that bring together researchers and healthcare professionals from at least five Spanish provinces, to address an unmet clinical need for cancers with a low survival rate and a broad national geographic distribution of cases and samples.

Celebrated at AECC’s headquarters in Madrid, one of the two grants was presented to Luis Paz-Ares of the Hospital 12 de Octubre, Madrid, and Marcos Malumbres, Head of VHIO’s Cancer Cell Cycle Group, joint coordinators of the awarded SOSCLC – AECC Consortium. Focused on small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and entitled From biological networks to personalized therapy, the main objective of this project is to improve the survival and quality of life of patients with SCLC by studying the distribution and risk factors of SCLC in Spain. The investigators will analyze cancer cell immune evasion toward developing new therapeutic strategies, promote and strengthen patient involvement in research, and increase public awareness about this disease.

Incorporating 40 research groups from 15 different provinces in Spain in 31 institutions, this five-year project received €10 million in funding, and brings together 330 scientists, of whom 58% are women.

The second AECC 70% Survivorship Award, totaling €8 million, was presented to Josep M. Llovet of the August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS) in Barcelona, and Xosé R. Bustelo of the Salamanca Cancer Research Center (CIC), co-coordinators of a consortium focused on liver cancer.

Laura Soucek, an ICREA Research Professor, Director of VHIO’s Experimental Therapeutics Program, and Head of our Models of Cancer Therapies Group, received a €2.5 million European Research (ERC) Advanced Grant for the MYCiMAX project focused on maximizing the use of the first clinically viable MYC inhibitor, Omomyc (OMO-103).

Developed by the Soucek lab and VHIO spin-off Peptomyc, also directed by Laura, Omomyc is the first MYC inhibitor to have successfully completed a phase I clinical trial, demonstrating safety and clinical activity in patients. Its efficacy is now being evaluated in two more clinical trials, in pancreatic cancer (phase 1b) and advanced osteosarcoma (phase 2).

Key objectives of the MYCiMAX project are to maximize the use of this compound as a therapeutic and study tool, open new lines of research to decipher different aspects of MYC biology, and identify a means for Omomyc to efficiently cross the blood-brain barrier for the treatment of patients with glioblastoma and/or brain metastases.

Laura and her team will also evaluate the combination of Omomyc with other targeted therapies to advance insights into the role of MYC in DNA damage response (DDR) and the molecular mechanisms governing oncogenic crosstalk. Additionally, they seek to characterize subtypes of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) with specific molecular features that could also benefit from treatment with Omomyc.

This ERC funding program is amongst the EU’s most prestigious and competitive, providing leading senior researchers with the opportunity to pursue ambitious, curiosity-driven projects that could lead to major scientific breakthroughs. The new grants, worth in total nearly €652 million, are part of the EU’s Horizon Europe programme. Only about fourteen per cent of ERC applicants are awarded these grants. In 2024, a total of 255 outstanding research leaders in Europe received ERC Advanced Grants.

In November, Clarivate revealed the annual list of Highly Cited Researchers 2024, curated by its experts at the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI). Since 2001, Clarivate has identified the small fraction of international research scientists and social scientists who have demonstrated significant and broad influence in their respective field(s) of research.

Drawing on data from the Web of Science (WoS), together with qualitative analysis performed by experts at the ISI at Clarivate, a new list is determined each year. Each researcher selected has authored multiple Highly Cited Papers which rank in the top 1% by citations for their field(s) and publication year in the WoS over the past decade.

In 2024, 6,886 Highly Cited Researcher designations were awarded to 6,636 individual researchers from institutions in 59 countries and regions, who have made outstanding contributions to extending the frontiers of knowledge and advancing innovations that make the world healthier, more sustainable and drive societal impact.

For the ninth consecutive year, VHIO’s Director Josep Tabernero was selected for pushing the boundaries of cancer research and therapy under the category of Clinical Medicine that included a total of 443 named leaders, including Enriqueta Felip, co-Director of Clinical Research at VHIO and Head of our Thoracic Tumors Group (for the seventh consecutive year), and for the first year, Ana Oaknin, Head of our Gynecological Malignancies Group.

Officially announced in February of this year, Josep Tabernero, VHIO’s Director and Head of the Medical Oncology Department at the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, was awarded as a new Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (FASCO). This recognition is due to his volunteer efforts on behalf of ASCO, his significant contributions to the specialty of oncology and his extraordinary dedication to improving outcomes for cancer patients.

Launched in 2007 and formerly called the ASCO Statesman Award, the FASCO distinction honors ASCO’s most devoted members and volunteers for their outstanding service, engagement, and commitment.

As a new FASCO recipient, Josep was recognized at the Opening Session of the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting (May 31 – June 04, Chicago, Illinois), along with the other individuals to earn the FASCO designation this year.

Officially announced at the General Assembly of the Organisation of European Cancer Institutes (OECI), 14 June 2024, Josep Tabernero, VHIO’s Director and Head of the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital’s Medical Oncology Department, was appointed as a new member of OECI’s Board of Directors.

Since June 2023, the Vall d’Hebron Hospital Campus has been accredited by OECI as a Comprehensive Cancer Center through its Accreditation and Designation (A&D) Programme. This accreditation recognizes multidisciplinary integrated cancer care, translational and clinical cancer research of excellence of the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital (HUVH), VHIO, and the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR).

Honoring the legacy of Heine Hoi Hansen and his global contribution to lung cancer research and education, the Heine H. Hansen Award was established in 2015 by the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) and the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). Presented each year at the joint annual ESMO – IASLC lung cancer congress, the European Lung Cancer Congress (ELCC), this prestigious accolade acknowledges a lung cancer investigator who has made a significant contribution to research and education internationally.

Presented at the ELCC Congress 2024 (March 20-23, Prague, Czech Republic), Enriqueta Felip, co-Director of VHIO’s Clinical Research Program, Head of our Thoracic Tumors Group, and Section Chief at the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, was distinguished with this award for her stellar contributions to cancer science and clinical oncology and to the improved care of lung cancer patients globally.

Presented by Marisol Soengas, President of the Asociación Española de Investigación sobre el Cáncer – ASEICA (Spanish Cancer Research Association) at the 19^th International ASEICA Congress, 13-15 November (Zaragoza, Spain), Josep Tabernero, VHIO’s Director and Head of the Medical Oncology Department at the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, received the Premio ASEICA de Investigación en Cáncer, (ASEICA Cancer Research Award) for his multiple contributions to oncology research with a direct impact on patients globally, leadership of groundbreaking clinical trials, distinguished career in translational cancer research and clinical oncology, and devotion to mentoring and inspiring the future generation of cancer researchers and oncologists.

ASEICA’s awards recognize the work of Spanish cancer researchers, at different career stages, in advancing cancer science and clinical research to improve the survival and quality of life of people with cancer. The Premios ASEICA al Talento Investigador (Young Research Talent Prizes) in molecular oncology were also presented to this year’s two prize winners, Patricial Altea of CABIMER - Centro Andaluz de Biología Molecular y Medicina Regenerativa (Andalusian Molecular Biology and Regenerative Medicine Centre) in Seville, and Ainhoa Madariaga of the 12 de Octubre University Hospital in Madrid, under the categories of basic and clinical science, respectively.

In 2024, the Sociedad Española de Oncología Médica – SEOM (Spanish Society of Medical Oncology) awarded 61 SEOM Fellowships totaling €1,288,000 to medical oncologists and SEOM members, enabling their continued research and training toward improving the survival and quality of life of cancer patients. For the third consecutive year, this is the highest number of fellowships awarded by SEOM to date. Celebrated during SEOM’s Annual Congress, 15-18 October, the Award Ceremony took place on 17 October at the Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid.

This year’s award recipients included five VHIO investigators:

The SEOM-Bristol Myers Squibb Fellowship for translational research projects in immuno-oncology was awarded to Eva Muñoz, Medical Oncologist and Head of VHIO’s Melanoma and Other Cutaneous Tumors Group, for a project entitled: Ultrasensitive liquid biopsy as a biomarker for detecting minimal residual disease and predicting the risk of tumor recurrence in patients with operable melanoma.

The SEOM-AstraZeneca Fellowship for projects focused on new technologies for the study and care of long-term cancer survivors was granted to Claudia Valverde, Medical Oncologist and a Senior Clinical Investigator of VHIO’s Genitourinary (non-prostate), Central Nervous System Tumors (CNS), Sarcomas, and Tumors of Unknown Origin Group, for a project entitled: A prospective single-center study to validate the use of an app as a communication tool to improve adherence to health recommendations among long-term survivors of childhood and adolescent cancer and its impact on quality of life.

Ana Oaknin, Medical Oncologist and Head of our Gynecological Malignancies Group, received the SEOM-GlaxoSmithKline Fellowship for gynecological cancer research projects. This grant will support a project entitled: Cell cycle alteration as a mechanism of resistance to PARP inhibitors in advanced high-grade ovarian cancer with homologous recombination deficiency: A liquid biopsy-based study.

Daniel Alejandro Acosta, Medical Oncologist and a Clinical Investigator of VHIO’s Upper Gastrointestinal and Endocrine TumorsGroup received the SEOM-José Roberto González García Fellowship for gastric cancer research projects (Rober contra el cáncer) to support a project entitled: Validation of the VIGex gene expression signature as a predictive biomarker for immune checkpoint inhibitor response in patients with gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma.

Lastly, a SEOM Foundation Travel Grant for two-month external rotations for medical oncology residents in their fifth year of training was awarded to Clara Salvá de Torres, a resident of the Vall d'Hebron University Hospital’s Medical Oncology Service, for a stay at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, Canada.

Timed to coincide with the International Day of Radiology, the Sociedad Española de Radiología Médica – SERAM (Spanish Society of Medical Radiology) and Fundación Española de Radiología Médica – FERM (Spanish Foundation of Medical Radiology) presented its annual Radiology Prizes for the best articles published in the field, best medical radiology service, teaching career in radiology, and contributions to the specialty of medical radiology.

This year, Raquel Perez-Lopez, Head of our Radiomics Group, received the 2024 Research Prize for her pioneering work in advancing imaging-guided precision medicine in oncology. The prize for the best Radiology Service in Spain was awarded to the Hospital Universitario de la Princesa in Madrid. Among this year’s awardees, Lourdes del Campo at the Hospital Universitario de la Princesa, María José Ereño at the Hospital de Galdakao in Bilbao, and Ramiro Méndez of the Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Madrid, were each recognized for their distinguished careers and contributions to the field.

In 2024 the Fundación AstraZeneca (AstraZeneca Foundation) awarded a total of €1 million for the third year running to support the growth and consolidation of young research talent in Spain. Under the motto of Science that changes lives, the Foundation’s Premios Jóvenes Investigadores (Young Investigator Prizes), now in their 8^th edition, fund collaborative research led by groups from different autonomous communities, structured as network research projects.

Celebrated on 17 October, the Award Ceremony was inaugurated by the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Universities in Spain, Juan Cruz Cigudosa, and Rick R. Suárez, President of the AstraZeneca Foundation and AstraZeneca in Spain. Each of the four prized projects, evaluated and selected by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III – ISCIII (Carlos III Health Institute), received a grant of €225,000 to develop innovative research aimed at improving the quality of life of patients.

Awarded under the category of Oncology, Precision Medicine, and Immuno-Oncology, the project entitled: Toward next-generation chimeric antigen receptor therapy (CAR) T-cell therapy for cholangiocarcinoma, is coordinated by Tian Tian, Preclinical and Translational Team Leader of VHIO’s Upper Gastrointestinal and Endocrine Tumors Group, who was recognized under this category for his contributions to the field of gastrointestinal cancer, specifically in cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer), which is a rare, aggressive form of cancer with few therapeutic options available.

This work will be carried out in collaboration with Alena Gros, Head of VHIO’s Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy Group, Víctor Moreno García of the Jiménez Díaz Foundation University Hospital in Madrid, Angela Lamarca at the Health Research Institute and Jiménez Díaz Foundation University Hospital, Mariano Ponz, at the Clínica Universidad de Navarra, and will also count on the support of the Asociación de Tumores de Vías Biliares – ATUVIBI (Spanish Association for Biliary Tract Tumors).

The main objective of this project is to use omics analysis (genomics, proteomics etc.) and genetically modified cells to identify new cancer drug targets and optimize CAR-T therapy to recognize and destroy specific cancer cells.

The evening of recognition and celebration was closed by Marta Moreno, Vice President of the Astra Zeneca Foundation, and Director of Corporate Affairs and Market Access at AstraZeneca.

The PharmaMar Foundation launched its Argonauta Awards in 2023. These awards recognize and reward professionals and projects that have made a significant difference in the field of scientific research and healthcare.

Convening some of the most relevant national and international leaders in science and medicine, the 2^nd Argonauta Awards Ceremony hosted by the PharmaMar Foundation in Madrid recognized science and scientific-medical advances, while highlighting their essential role in societal progress. The ceremony featured awards in four key categories—basic research, clinical research, best clinical case, and best young researcher—each designed to recognize excellence in different areas of research and healthcare.

Ana Oaknin, Head of VHIO’s Gynecological Malignancies Group and Gynecological Oncology Service at the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, was distinguished with the Lifetime Achievement Award in Clinical Research for her career in clinical research and medical oncology. This distinction recognizes her efforts to transform the treatment of gynecological neoplasms and pioneering work in the development of personalized therapies and immunological treatments that have improved the survival outcomes of patients globally.

Additionally, under the same category, Mariano Provencio Pulla, Head of Medical Oncology at the Puerta de Hierro Hospital in Madrid, was honored for his important contributions to the lung cancer field, leadership in prognostic and predictive markers in liquid biopsies, and pioneering the application of big data to analyze clinical and molecular patient data.

The Basic Research Award was presented to Ignacio Melero Bermejo of the Centro de Investigación Médica Aplicada - CIMA (Center for Applied Medical Research), University of Navarra, for his contributions to translational cancer immunotherapy research. The Best Clinical Case Award was granted to Mar Galera López of the Doctor Peset University Hospital in Valencia. The Best Young Researcher Award that was introduced this year to recognize outstanding researchers under 42, went to Biola M. Javierre at the Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute in Barcelona.

The Evaluation Committee of the health research institutes of the Instituto de Salud Carlos III – ISCIII (Carlos III Health Institute) unanimously renewed the accreditation of the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital Research Institute (IR-HUVH).

The audit, which took place in March 2024, granted reaccreditation as a health research institute with a positive renewal report. It highlighted Vall d’Hebron’s solid track record, strengthened capacity to attract and retain research talent, scientific performance, securing of funding for research, promotion of joint actions within the framework of the accredited institute, and the consolidation of governance.

Vall d’Hebron was initially accredited by ISCIII in 2009, which was subsequently renewed in 2014 and 2019. This third reaccreditation is valid for the next five years.

The Vall d’Hebron University Hospital was recognized at this year’s 10^th edition of the Monitor de Reputación Sanitaria – MRS (Monitor of Healthcare Reputation). According to this year’s MRS ranking, produced by Merco (Monitor of Reputable Companies), Vall d’Hebron is among the top five Spanish public hospitals with the best reputation in 2024, and its Medical Oncology Service occupied the number one slot in its specialty.

The services of General Surgery and of the Digestive System, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and Neurology at Vall d’Hebron also led in reputation. Six additional Vall d’Hebron services ranked second in their respective specialties: Anatomic Pathology, Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology, Intensive Medicine, Pediatrics, Radiation Oncology, and Nuclear Medicine.

In this 10^th edition, 8,912 surveys were conducted with specialists, family doctors, pharmaceutical company executives, hospital pharmacists, hospital managers, nursing administrators, health journalists, members of nursing associations, and patient associations. In addition, 4,788 clinical services were evaluated by analyzing objective indicators of quality and clinical management.