Ten Projects Selected for Cancer Research

Ten research projects involving scientists from Campus Clínic, within the Clínic Barcelona Comprehensive Cancer Centre (4CB), have been awarded grants from La Marató de 3Cat’s 2026 cancer research call. The funding will support innovative studies into leukaemias, lymphomas, breast, pancreatic and liver cancers. The grants form part of a broader initiative that has allocated over €12 million to 38 research projects selected from 201 proposals through a rigorous evaluation process.

Funding to Advance Precision Medicine and Immunotherapy

The ten projects focus on advancing immunotherapy, CAR-T therapies, precision medicine and the identification of novel biomarkers. These areas aim to improve both cancer diagnosis and the effectiveness of treatments for patients. Dr Susana Puig, Director of IDIBAPS and Director of Research and Innovation at Hospital Clínic and the 4CB, said:

La Marató de 3Cat is an extraordinary example of society’s commitment to biomedical research. This support enables innovative and collaborative projects that will help us better understand cancer and move towards more precise and effective treatments for patients.

Projects Led by 4CB Researchers

Eight of the funded projects are led by research teams based at Campus Clínic. These include:

  • Defining surface proteins in drug-resistant mantle cell lymphoma to identify novel immunotherapeutic strategies (€300,000)
  • Clonal architecture and immune adaptation in acute leukaemia response to CD7 CAR-T therapy (€300,000)
  • DYRK1A-targeted nanomedicine strategies to sensitise metastatic pancreatic cancer to KRAS inhibition (€299,753.84)
  • Epigenetic memory in B-cell cancers to predict treatment response in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and multiple myeloma (€300,000)
  • Evolutionary trajectories driving histological transformation in lymphoma (€400,000)
  • Reprogramming the lymphoma microenvironment with anti-CD19 CAR-T cells (€299,828.75)
  • DYNAMITE: Tumour immune microenvironment dynamics in breast cancer (€393,428.46)
  • Reprogramming tumour cell identity to restore immunity in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (€299,936.71)

Collaborative Projects with External Teams

Two additional projects involve 4CB researchers working alongside teams from other institutions:

  • Mechanisms to overcome immunotherapy resistance in Sézary syndrome (€224,891.25), led by Dr Robert Albero Gallego (UAB) with Dr Pablo Mozas Fernández from Hospital Clínic
  • RNA-protein condensate dynamics in obesity-driven liver cancer (€300,000), led by Dr Raúl Méndez de la Iglesia (IRB Barcelona) with Dr Mercedes Fernández Lobato from IDIBAPS

The research is expected to deepen understanding of tumour biology, treatment resistance mechanisms and patient-tailored therapeutic strategies.

Sources: Hospital Clínic de Barcelona - News, clinicbarcelona.org.