The Hospital del Mar Research Institute to Lead Three Clinical Trials Thanks to Independent Research Project Grants from the Carlos III Health Institute

The latest call for independent research project grants from the Carlos III Health Institute has selected three projects led by researchers from the Hospital del Mar Research Institute. These projects involve three clinical trials in the fields of oncology, nephrology, and neurology. In total, they will receive close to 2.5 million euros.

NK Cells Against Colon and Rectal Cancer

The awarded funding will support a project led by Dr. Clara Montagut, head of the Colorectal Cancer Precision Medicine Research Group and section head of Gastrointestinal Cancer in the Oncology Department at Hospital del Mar, along with Dr. Aura Muntasell, researcher in the Immunity and Infection Research Group and professor at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. With a grant of nearly 1.6 million euros, they aim to conduct a phase I clinical trial -the first of its kind- evaluating the safety and tolerability of TAR-NK cells in combination with re-exposure to cetuximab and irinotecan in patients with refractory colon and rectal cancer.

The project focuses on developing Natural Killer (NK) cells resistant to two types of proteins that inhibit their activity against tumors in patients selected through genomic profiling with liquid biopsy. This approach has shown promising results in preclinical models of colorectal and breast cancer. If successful, it could pave the way for a new type of cellular immunotherapy for a disease currently lacking effective treatment.

Immunosuppression in Kidney Transplantation in Older Adults

Dr. María José Pérez Sáez and Dr. Dolores Redondo from the Nephrology Department at Hospital del Mar and researchers from the Nephropathies Research Group are leading a second study focused on kidney transplantation in patients over 70 years old. With a budget of approximately 400,000 euros, this clinical trial aims to determine the optimal immunosuppression regimen for these patients after undergoing transplantation.

Currently, these patients receive a standard immunosuppressive treatment regimen that is not tailored to their specific characteristics. Existing scientific evidence suggests that this population has a higher mortality rate due to infections related to immunosuppression post-transplant. The clinical trial will compare two groups of patients: one receiving the standard regimen and the other a reduced regimen, in an effort to determine the most appropriate treatment for this growing group of kidney transplant recipients.

Stem Cells for ALS Treatment

The third selected project is led by Dr. Miguel Ángel Rubio, researcher in the Systems Neurology and Neurotherapies Research Group and coordinator of the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Unit at Hospital del Mar. This study will evaluate the development of a personalized therapy for haploinsufficiency of the SQSTM1 gene, which leads to insufficient production of the p62 protein, a deficiency linked to ALS.

Specifically, the researchers have identified a patient with this type of genetic mutation. In this case, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) obtained from the patient will be differentiated into motor neurons to assess the effect of antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) designed to restore p62 expression. This work will be conducted by Professor Anthoni Akkari from Murdoch University in Australia. The project opens the door to using this personalized approach for ALS patients and has a budget of 640,000 euros.

Image: Aura Muntasell and Clara Montagut