Programa Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa: strengthening VHIO research programs and teams in advancing cancer discovery and precision medicine in oncology
Programa Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa: strengthening VHIO research programs and teams in advancing cancer discovery and precision medicine in oncology
Since 2022, our institute has been accredited as a Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence, for the period 2022-2026. This prestigious distinction is granted under the Spanish Institutional Strengthening Subprogram 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), affiliated with the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation).
This recognition is awarded to research centers in the Spanish territory that demonstrate sustained scientific leadership, international impact and institutional excellence. The distinction is renewable every four years following a rigorous independent evaluation by an international scientific committee. VHIO is the first research institute integrated within the national healthcare system to receive this distinction.
This accreditation acknowledges VHIO’s sustained international competitiveness in cancer research and precision oncology, as well as its capacity to generate impactful discoveries, and attract and retain outstanding scientific talent.
Through the Severo Ochoa Program, VHIO has further consolidated and strategically expanded its research capabilities, strengthening existing programs and enabling the recruitment of high-profile investigators aligned with institutional priorities.
The Severo Ochoa funding has supported the reinforcement of VHIO’s Biomedical Research Division, through the recruitment of several new group leaders: Marcos Malumbres, an ICREA senior researcher, Cancer Cell Cycle Group Leader who also serves as Systems Oncology Program Director; Mate Maus, Aging and Cancer Group Leader, focusing on the intersection of aging biology and cancer; Francisco Martínez, Computational Immunogenomics Group Leader, applying genomic approaches to study tumor-immune interactions and recently awarded with an ERC Consolidator grant; and Francisco Barriga, Genome Engineering Cancer Group Leader, also recipient of an ERC Starting grant. In addition, VHIO established the Cancer Computational Biology Group, led by José Antonio Seoane, whose research focuses on epigenetic regulation in cancer progression and therapeutic response, further strengthening VHIO’s capacity in data-driven oncology and integrative multi-omics research.
VHIO has substantially expanded its Immunotherapy and Advanced Therapies Program which has been structurally reinforced through the integration of translational and clinical teams. This strategic alignment has facilitated the advancement of Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocyte (TIL) and Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapies into clinical trials. In support of this effort, VHIO has secured around €3.5 million in funding from AECC Excellence program and CERTERA program to establish an accredited Clean Room facility, that started its construction in 2025 and is expected to receive full accreditation in 2027.
At both national and international levels, VHIO leads and contributes to key strategic initiatives, including ATMP Catalonia, TERAV+, CERTERA, EUCCAT, PragmaTIL, and JOIN4ATMP, reinforcing its role as a reference center in the field of advanced immunotherapies.
Within the Clinical Research Division, the Investigator-Initiated Trials (IIT) Program has expanded to encompass 25 active clinical studies, including four trials evaluating VHIO-developed therapies. This growth has been enabled by competitive grant funding, strengthened patient advocacy efforts and a robust infrastructure supported by VHIO’s academic Contract Research Organization (CRO) and Data Science Program units.
The new cross-cutting Severo Ochoa Digitalization Unit (SOUND) is at the nexus of digital health and data science for research, clinical applications and patient-centered medicine. This Unit aims to accelerate the research and implementation of data science models and technology platforms in the healthcare domain for personalization of patient care at VHIO and in the benefit of existing alliances (Cancer Core Europe and others). Since 2022, SOUND has deployed the cVHIOportal to integrate and visualise clinical and multi-omic cancer data for research at VHIO, currently supporting dozens of projects and thousands of patient samples. In parallel, the unit has strengthened the institutional digital ecosystem through the creation of a dedicated IT Unit, including the appointment of a Head of IT, and the expansion of data engineering capacities, enabling the development of a high-performance computational infrastructure and accelerating progress toward robust, secure and FAIR-aligned multi-omic data integration.
As a Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence (2022-2026), VHIO has developed its PAtient and ciTIzen involvemENT Program – PATIENT, to bring research closer to the public and strengthen patient involvement in oncology research. Within the framework of this program, a wide range of scientific outreach activities for patients have been organized throughout the year.
In 2025, a new VHIO Talks series was organized, comprising 10 monthly sessions focused on cancer research. These talks covered a wide range of topics, including cancer prevention, innovative treatment strategies, clinical trials, quality of life after cancer, patient involvement in research, as well as advances in brain tumors, neuroendocrine tumors and rare cancers. The program promoted the exchange of knowledge by encouraging open discussion and debate between patients, participants and VHIO investigators. In total, the 2025 VHIO Talks brought together 8 invited patients and 77 investigators across the discussion panels, with an overall attendance of 888 participants. This series significantly increased public attendance and interest in the research conducted at VHIO, and was made possible with the support of Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera.
The PATIENT Program also hosted the 4th Research Day for Patients’ Associations, this year focused on gastrointestinal cancer, with more than 70 attendees and the participation of 7 VHIO professionals, 3 patients and the Head of I+D of the Mugaritz restaurant. During the day, the importance of prevention in gastrointestinal cancer, latest treatments, nutrition, and clinical trials were discussed. The second edition of the Clinical Trials Workshops for Patients in collaboration with the AECC and with AGAUR’s funding from the IMPACTE call was held during 2025. Six different workshops took place with the participation of 12 invited VHIO researchers and 6 patients, covering topics such as understanding clinical trial protocols, how to interpret life history questionnaires, managing expectations in Phase I clinical trials and novel drug development, and listening to the voice and experience of patients who have participated in a clinical trial, among others.
At the end of 2025, a Patient Participation in Cancer Research Day was conducted, which included several round tables with the participation of VHIO professionals from different disciplines (eg: researchers, clinicians, nurses and management staff), as well as patients and patient associations. Discussions focused on the role of patient participation in research projects, the different models of involvement of patients and associations in cancer research, and topics related to innovative therapies and regulatory frameworks. The session concluded with a collaborative activity bringing together researchers and patients to jointly define the desired patient expert profile, reflecting the perspectives and needs of all stakeholders involved in cancer research.
VHIO Academy, supports scientific career progression and fosters a thriving workplace to drive high-quality biomedical research and innovation. Rooted in VHIO’s commitment to ethics, integrity, transparency, and patient-centricity, VHIO Academy provides a solid foundation for career development at all stages, cultivating a research culture that builds trust and enhances the quality, impact, and reach of our findings.
Since its establishment in 2021, VHIO Academy has championed interdisciplinarity, scientific creativity, collaboration, communication, and mentoring. It has played a key role in the globalization and diversification of VHIO’s workforce, equipping early-career investigators with essential skills, and strengthening interactions between biomedical researchers and the healthcare community. These efforts are critical for fostering sustainable collaborations, ensuring collective responsibility, and driving impactful oncology research.
During 2025 we have successfully submitted the Severo Ochoa accreditation renewal linked to our 2026-2029 strategic plan. The renewal is currently pending resolution at the time of writing this report.
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*Supported by the State Agency for Research - Agencia Estatal de Investigación - AEI (CEX2020-001024-S / AEI / 10.13039 / 501100011033).
