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Matilde Lleonart Pajarin

I am group leader of "Biomedical Research in Cancer Stem Cells" at VHIR. I arrived at VHIR 21 years ago after having worked in different prestigious international research centers: World Health Organization (WHO) at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) (Lyon, France), the Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research (WIBR) in London and the Queen´s Mary University of London.

Institutions of which they are part

Head of group
Head and Neck Cancer: Biomedical Research Cancer Stem cells
Vall Hebron Institut de Recerca

Matilde Lleonart Pajarin

Institutions of which they are part

Head of group
Head and Neck Cancer: Biomedical Research Cancer Stem cells
Vall Hebron Institut de Recerca

I am group leader of "Biomedical Research in Cancer Stem Cells" at VHIR. I arrived at VHIR 21 years ago after having worked in different prestigious international research centers: World Health Organization (WHO) at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) (Lyon, France), the Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research (WIBR) in London and the Queen´s Mary University of London.

My Research Group was recognized as an Emerging Research Group in 2009 by the Generalitat de Catalunya and later in 2014 as a Consolidated Research Group.
Throughout my career I have been involved in cancer research from a more molecular point of view correlating key mutations in oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes with anatomical, pathological and clinical features of patients' tumors and also through cell culture studies to determine important key cell signaling pathways in tumorigenesis.
Currently, the main lines of research of my Research Group focus on the identification and characterization of biological mechanisms in resistant cancer cells, including cancer stem cells, to unravel the pathways responsible for their resistance in breast, lung and head and neck cancer models.
In addition, we are particularly focused on identifying molecular targets in resistant cancer cells and cancer stem cells affecting particularly aggressive tumors. The aim is to attack them pharmacologically in order to propose new cancer therapies: new drugs and/or drug combinations to combat resistant tumors in mouse models.

Research lines

Study of new genes involved in proliferation

Searching for new proliferative genes/tumor suppressor genes is being performed at our laboratory by carring out genetic screens. By the use of retroviral vectors as carriers of a cDNA libraries (formed by mRNA from murine embryonic stem cells), primary cells are infected and screening for those clones able to bypass senescence are selected for further characterization. The marked morphological heterogeneity observed in several tumorigenic process, support the hypothesis that several cancers have their origin in a stem cell. It is believed that genes expressed by embryonic stem cells, may play an important role in the tumorigenic mechanism.This project unravels the effect of immortal genes existing in embryonic stem cells, when are forced to be expressed in primary and thereby mortal cells. These immortal genes are future candidate markers in tumors with potential prognosis value. The novel genes discovered, are being analyzed in the biopsies from patients with different kinds of tumors collected at the Pathology Department of the Vall d´Hebrón Hospital.

IP: Matilde Lleonart Pajarin

Identificación y caracterización de genes/microRNAs en tumores humanos asociados a mal pronóstico

En base a arrays de microRNAs y mRNAs efectuados a partir de tumores humanos, identificamos los más desregulados entre tejidos normales y tumorales para caracterizarlos a nivel molecular.

IP: Matilde Lleonart Pajarin

Identificación y caracterización de poblaciones de CSCs ("cancer stem cells") en tumores

A partir de diversos tipos de cánceres que incluyen desde mama, pulmón, cabeza y cuello, en particular los más letales (faringe y laringe), aislamos poblaciones de CSCs para determinar su caracterización completa e implicación en la clínica.

IP: Matilde Lleonart Pajarin

Detección precoz de cáncer mamario antes de que éste se manifieste

A partir de datos preliminares de arrays, hemos caracterizado algunos microRNAs/mRNAs relevantes en tumores. Actualmente los estamos analizando a nivel de pacientes con cáncer en sangre como posible método predictivo antes de la aparición del tumor.

IP: Matilde Lleonart Pajarin

Projects

Degradadores moleculares de SFN para sensibilizar células tumorales de cabeza y cuello (HNSCC) resistentes a terapias convencionales (ANTCANRES)

IP: Matilde Lleonart Pajarin
Collaborators: Yoelsis Garcia Mayea
Funding agency: Fundació Institut Bioenginyeria de Catalunya
Funding: 0.01
Reference: K9086
Duration: 24/07/2023 - 24/07/2024

Beca VHIR PhD

IP: Matilde Lleonart Pajarin
Collaborators: Sira Rodrigo Bosch, Laia Perez Lasarte, Marina Bataller Fernández
Funding agency: Fundació Institut de Recerca HUVH
Funding: 69188.74
Reference: VPHD/MARINA_B
Duration: 01/04/2023 - 31/03/2026

New compounds targeting head and neck cancer as Trojan horses against chemoresistant cells

IP: Matilde Lleonart Pajarin
Collaborators: Yoelsis Garcia Mayea, Marina Bataller Fernández, Gabriela Isabel Fuentes Llopis, Almudena Sanchez Garcia
Funding agency: Agència Gestió Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca
Funding: 20000
Reference: 2023 LLAV 00102
Duration: 01/02/2024 - 31/07/2024

Therapeutical approaches against chemoresistant cancers

IP: Matilde Lleonart Pajarin
Collaborators: Yoelsis Garcia Mayea, Fco. Xavier De la Cruz Montserrat, Juan Lorente Guerrero, Natalia Padilla Sirera, Marina Bataller Fernández, Almudena Sanchez Garcia, Selen Ozkan
Funding agency: Agència Gestió Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca
Funding: 0.01
Reference: 2021 SGR 01205
Duration: 01/01/2022 - 30/06/2025

Related news

On World Cancer Research Day, we highlight research aimed at improving treatments for both pediatric and adult cancers through innovative techniques.

The Biomedical Research in Cancer Stem Cells group at VHIR has identified a new therapeutic target and is working to find new therapies for this type of tumor.

On World Cancer Research Day, we highlight the oncology research model of the Vall d'Hebron Campus that allows laboratory results to be transferred as quickly as possible to clinical practice.

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