The Clínic-IDIBAPS receives the €7,151 for cancer research that was collected at the Charity Concert in honour of Marc Grau. The tribute, an initiative created by Marc Grau’s children, brought together around a thousand people on 3 October 2024, in front of the stage in Hall 1 at Razzmatazz, and featured numerous artists whom Grau influenced, played with, arranged for, or produced.
A day for nostalgia and research
The concert, organized jointly by the Clínic and FatRaudo, promoter, producer and label for Marc Grau’s children, Joan and Marc, began with a performance by the latter: Marc Grau Jr, with his group, featuring ‘Shadows’ and ‘Fills de la Concertada’. Grau Jr’s group supported the artists as the backing band for most of the concert, while the event was hosted by Marc Grau’s niece, journalist and communicator Helena Sardà Grau.
The evening continued with a special performance by Alfred García, who interpreted "Crema la nit" and "Els teus ulls" with guitar and voice. The family theme of the event continued with The Hornets, made up of Marc Grau’s close friend, the keyboard player Pantxulo Jornet, and his children Paula and Adrià.
Joan Masdéu wanted to highlight Marc Grau’s good humour during his collaboration with the Whiskyn's, and he performed songs such as "El carrer dels jocs florals" and "No en tens prou".
One of the most outstanding moments of the night was when members of the group Umpah-Pah gathered on stage. Without their lead singer, they decided to perform "Nina ensucrada", leaving "La catximba i els rostolls d'Angelina" to Gerard Quintana, who was especially brilliant, accompanied by a surprise cameo by Lluís Gavaldà and Pemi Fortuny.
Quimi Portet, performing, "Tinc una bèstia dintre meu", "Flors i violes" and "La rambla" recalled Grau’s human side and the moments they shared, while stressing the importance of raising funds for cancer research.
The night continued with hits by Lax’n’Busto raising the roof off of Razzmatazz, with Pemi Fortuny and Pemi Rovirosa, accompanied by the backing band, leading the crowd in singing along to "La meva terra és el mar" and "Miami Beach". This was followed by an epic performance by Gerard Quintana, who solemnly captivated the audience with "Podré tornar enrere" and the generational anthem,"L'Empordà".
Helena Sardà Grau introduced the grand finale of the event presenting Els Pets, the last group to be produced by Marc Grau. The concert finished with "Una estona de cel" and "S'ha acabat".
The Cancer Centre and immunotherapy and CAR-T research, the beneficiaries
The Clínic Barcelona is a leading public hospital for the treatment of cancer where care, research, teaching and innovation are truly integrated under a single umbrella.
Cellular immunotherapy is one of the main lines of research and medical innovation carried out by the Clínic-IDIBAPS in order to develop new CAR T-cell therapies to treat patients with different types of solid tumours or haematological malignancies. Along these lines, research is also focused on improving the functionality and efficiency of the CAR T-cell therapies once they reach the tumour.
The Clínic-IDIBAPS already has two CAR-T therapies that have been approved by AEMPS for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and multiple myeloma in patients who do not respond to other treatments. In the past year, a ground-breaking new clinical trial has been launched globally with a new CAR-T therapy for lymphoma, ARI-0003.
Dr. Aleix Prat, director of the Institute of Cancer and Blood Disorders and head of the IDIBAPS Translational Genomics and Targeted Therapies in Solid Tumours research group, wanted to thank everyone for their collaboration. “Thanks to everyone’s support, we are able to make progress in research. Together, we are creating a future with more hope and better health for everyone”.
Fundraising, the key to research
At the Clínic-IDIBAPS, research is of key importance for offering innovative treatments and improving patients’ quality of life. Thanks to fundraising, we can continue to make progress with more effective treatments, more precise diagnoses and new, personalized therapies.
Each donation—large or small—counts and helps us to move forward with projects that make a difference and offer hope to patients.
Find out how you can collaborate through the Friends of the Clínic website: https://dona.clinicbarcelona.org/
