Research lines

• Breast cancer

  Directed by Dr. Aleix Prat

  • To evaluate the impact of the identification of the intrinsic molecular subtypes of breast cancer in the clinical setting.
  • To study the mechanisms of drug resistance and tumor progression across the intrinsic subtypes breast cancer.
  • To identify novel biomarkers predictive of survival and/or treatment response to targeted therapies in breast cancer.

• Cancer immunotherapy

  Directed Dr. Aleix Prat

  • To establish an adoptive T-cell therapy program using Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes (TIL) across cancer types.
  • To identify novel biomarkers of response to immunotherapy across cancer-types.
  • To develop novel immune cell therapy strategies such as novel CAR-T treatments.

• Urologic cancer

  Directed by Dr. Begoña Mellado and Dr. Oscar Reig

  • To study the molecular mechanisms of resistance to taxanes and novel hormone-therapies in preclinical models, circulating tumor cells and patients with castration resistant prostate cancer.
  • To investigate the role of the androgen receptor variants in epithelial to mesenchymal transition and progression and therapy resistance in castration resistant prostate cancer.
  • To investigate mechanisms of resistance to anti-angiogenic therapy and identification of new therapeutic targets in renal cell carcinoma.

• Lung cancer

  Directed by Dr. Noemí Reguart

  • Validate novel molecular technologies to streamline the screening of targetable biomarkers in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
  • Identification of novel fusion gene variants in NSCLC: phenotypic characterization of targeted population and prospective clinical validation of their predictive value to targeted treatments.
  • Characterize the “stroma-tumor cell” crosstalk in NSCLC and the role of tumor fibroblasts in the tumorigenesis of both major NSCLC subtypes: adenocarcinoma (ADC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SQC).

• Thoracic oncology and environmental-related cancer

  Directed by Dr. Laura Mezquita

  • Circulating and tissue biomarkers for immunotherapy in lung cancer
  • Molecular characterization of lung cancer and clinical utility
  • Environmental, occupational cancer, genetics & precision medicine in cancer

• Melanoma

  Directed by Dr. Ana Arance and Dr. Francisco Aya

  • To identify novel biomarkers predictive of survival and/or treatment response to targeted therapies in melanoma.
  • To better understand the mechanisms of sensitivity or resistance to immunotherapy and BRAF/MEK inhibitors in melanoma.

• Upper gastrointestinal tumors

  Directed by Dr. Tamara Saurí

  • To identify novel biomarkers predictive of survival and/or treatment response in pancreatic cancer, cholangiocarcinoma, esophagus cancer and gastric cancer.
  • To study the mechanisms of anti-HER2 therapy sensitivity and resistance in gastric cancer.
  • To better characterize upper GI cancers from a molecular perspective.

• Colorectal cancer

  Directed by Dr. Joan Maurel

  • To evaluate intrinsic and acquired mechanisms of resistance to chemotherapy and targeted agents in metastatic colorectal cancer, in the three genotypes (KRAS/NRAS mutant, BRAF mutant and triple-WT).
  • To characterize epithelial and mesenchymal phenotypes in resectable and metastatic pancreatic carcinoma and its correlation with drug resistance.

• Brain tumors

  Directed by  Dr. Estela Pineda

  • Identification and characterization of new factors involved in NSC maintenance and differentiation, with a special emphasis on factors that mediate the localization of NSC to their niches.
  • Functional characterization of the factors identified above in the initiation, maintenance and invasiveness of gliomas and
  • Design of new, alternative therapies for gliomas.

• Head Neck Tumors

  Directed by Dr. Isabel Vilaseca, Dr. F. Xavier Avilés and Dr. Neus Basté

  • Multiomic characterisation of head and neck cancer and its impact in a clinical setting 
  • Identification of prognostic factors of survival and/or disease control derived from tumour and host metabolism
  • Evaluation and implementation of minimally invasive biopsies 
  • Minimally invasive surgical approaches to head and neck tumours; transoral laser surgery and robotic surgery
  • New bioendoscopic techniques applied to the early diagnosis and treatment of pharyngolaryngeal cancer

• Early drug development (Clinical Trial Unit)

  Directed by Aleix Prat

  • To promote and execute phase 1-3 clinical trials.
  • To determine the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of novel drugs.
  • To establish a molecular screening platform of tumors to guide therapy.
  • To design the next generation of investigator-initiated trials