About the VHIR
Here at the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) we promote biomedical research, innovation and teaching. Over 1,800 people are seeking to understand diseases today so the treatment can be improved tomorrow.
Research
We are working to understand diseases, to find out how they operate and to create better treatments for patients. Get to know about our groups and their lines of research.
People
People are the centre of the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR). This is why we are bound by the principles of freedom of research, gender equality and professional attitudes that HRS4R promotes.
Clinical trials
Our work is not just basic or translational; we are leaders in clinical research. Enter and find about the clinical trials we are conducting and why we are a world reference in this field.
Progress
Our aim is to make the research carried out at the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) a driving force for transformation. How? By identifying new channels and solutions for the promotion of people's health and well-being.
Core facilities
We offer specialist support for researchers, internal and external alike, ranging from specific services to preparing complete projects. All this, from a perspective of quality and speed of response.
News
We offer you a gateway for staying up to date on everything going on at the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), from the latest news to future solidarity activities and initiatives that we are organising.
The Biomedical Research in Melanoma group is interested in skin cancer. We investigate the molecular causes for these diseases to design effective therapies against them. Our research is done in close proximity to patients, where our goal is to translate our discoveries as fast as possible to the clinic. To that end, we have a multidisciplinary group that associate dermatologists, oncologists, pathologists and basic-scientists that ask relevant clinical questions that need biological answers. Our workflow contemplates information obtained from patients (genetic information, clinical history, functional data…) that is translated into animal models (genetic modified mouse models, PDX…) and in vitro experiments to answer the formulated questions. These results are used to design novel therapeutic approaches, including drug development and preclinical studies that ultimately will be translated to patients.
The main lines of investigation are: • Molecular mechanisms involved in melanoma development and progression, • Targeting metabolism for melanoma treatment, • The mechanisms of resistance to immunotherapy.
Metabolic settings of aggressive tumor cells adapt to their energetic and anabolic demands. While limited success in cancer treatment using targeted therapy has been accomplished, the altered metabolism of tumor cells compared to normal cells, provides a viable novel target for a non-toxic chemotherapeutic approach. Since tumor cells can utilize different metabolic strategies that have only now being elucidated, deciphering which metabolic settings are associated to a particular mutational status would be helpful to both design novel therapeutic strategies and stratify patients for treatment. In melanoma ~50% of tumors present activating mutations in BRAF (BRAFV600E) and another 20% present activating mutations in NRAS (NRASQ61L). While targeted therapy of BRAFV600E mutant tumors has been partially successful there is no therapeutic alternative for patients harboring NRASQ61L mutant tumors. Despite the fact that these molecules affect the same pathway (RAS-ERK1/2), BRAFV600E and NRASQ61L mutant cells behave and respond differently to therapy and to metabolic stress. Understanding the metabolic settings of BRAFV600E and NRASQ61L mutant melanoma tumors would help to sensitize them, overcome resistance mechanisms to therapy and target them according to their genetic alterations. This project is been supported by Marie Curie actions.
Expected results: After execution of this project the main expected results are:
1. To define the different metabolic settings of melanomas harboring diferent oncogenic mutations
2. To identify the biochemical mechanism responsible for the differential metabolic stress response acconding to their genotype
3. To design of novel therapeutic alternatives to treat melanoma tumors.
IP: -
IP: Carla Ferrándiz Pulido Collaborators: - Funding agency: Fundación Academia Española Dermatología (FAEDV) Funding: 5000 Reference: FAEDV/PROYECTO/2025/FERRANDIZ Duration: 01/07/2025 - 31/12/2026
IP: Jordi Bove Badell Collaborators: Oscar Len Abad, Jordi Mollet Sánchez, Xavier Serres Créixams, Oriol de Fabregues-Boixar Nebot, Maria Piñana Moro Funding agency: Instituto de Salud Carlos III Funding: 221250 Reference: PI24/01820 Duration: 01/01/2025 - 31/12/2027
IP: Juan Angel Recio Conde Collaborators: Paula Granado Martinez, Kimberley Anne McGrail Fernández, Vicente García-Patos Briones, Berta Ferrer Fábrega, Eva Muñoz Couselo, Yuxin Ding , Tumor dependent immune evasive mechanisms in melanoma Funding agency: Instituto de Salud Carlos III Funding: 321250 Reference: PI23/00428 Duration: 01/01/2024 - 31/12/2026
IP: Juan Angel Recio Conde Collaborators: - Funding agency: Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación-MICINN Funding: 233708 Reference: CPP2022-009781 Duration: 01/11/2023 - 31/10/2026
PhD student: Paula Granado Martinez, Paula Granado Martinez Director/s: Juan Angel Recio Conde University: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Year: 2024
PhD student: Kimberley Anne McGrail Fernández, Kimberley Anne McGrail Fernández Director/s: Juan Angel Recio Conde University: Universidad Autònoma de Barcelona Year: 2021
PhD student: Elena González Sánchez Director/s: Juan Angel Recio Conde University: Universidad Autònoma de Barcelona Year: 2019
PhD student: Director/s: Juan Angel Recio Conde University: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Year: 2019
PhD student: Maria eugenia Hernandez Ruiz Director/s: Vicente García-Patos Briones University: Universidad Autònoma de Barcelona Year: 2019
PhD student: Patricia Bassas Freixas Director/s: Vicente García-Patos Briones, Aleix Prat Aparicio University: Universidad Autònoma de Barcelona Year: 2018
The study reveals that if the exposure of newborns to solar radiation of sufficient intensity to provoke a skin reaction is simultaneous with the activation of the BRAFv600E gene, it can trigger an uncontrolled proliferation of cancer cells.
The meeting was an opportunity to get to know projects from both institutions and to promote interaction between professionals.
On World Cancer Research Day, we highlight research aimed at improving treatments for both pediatric and adult cancers through innovative techniques.
