#JoSalvoVides: speeding up research to cure cancer

IDIBELL, which counts on the participation of the UB, launched its annual fundraising campaign #JoSalvoVides, which is dedicated to cancer research this year. The raised money will be assigned to fund Oncobell projects, the IDIBELL research program on experimental therapies and molecular mechanisms in cancer, which counts on the participation of ten researchers from the UB.

“Research on cancer saves lives”, notes Gabriel Capellà, director of IDIBELL and lecturer from the Department of Clinical Sciences of the UB. “We have progressed over the last years but it is necessary to continue doing research to reduce the time to diagnose cases and treat and cure the disease for the highest amount of people”.

The message is clear, says Ramon Salazar, coordinator of the Oncobell program and lecturer at the same Department. “The higher the investment, the faster we progress and the more lives we can save. We are already distinguished regarding minority tumor treatments and we are advancing towards the application of customized therapies, which are not only based on common clinical aspects (biopsy, clinical parameters, etc.= but including data on genetics and the lifestyle of the patient”.

A good example of this approach is the project by the Ramón y Cajal researcher from IDIBELL-UB Ruth Rodríguez Barrueco, recently awarded a L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Award: “We want to design innovating screening methods, using the new technology CRISPR, so we can treat tumors considering the surrounding cells and activating the patient’s immune system to remove them”.

The peak of the campaign will be the fundraising gala for cancer research #JoSalvoVides on March 27, which will count on the attendance of the Rector of the UB, Joan Elias, the Vice-Rector for Research, Domènec Esperoi, and the Delegate of the Rector for Strategic Research Actions, Francisco Ciruela.