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 work of the Biomedical Research in Cancer Stem Cell group focuses mainly on senescence (replicative or stress-induced oncoge). In our laboratory, we carry out several genetic screens based on the detection of new genes / small interfering RNA (siRNA) / microRNAs related to cell proliferation, which have a role in cancer. Therefore, we use different cell models: murine cells, human primary cells or immortalized cells capable of entering senescence.
The objectives of the group are:
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
Research group in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), using as animal model the brachiocephalic breed, Boxer (English and French) is constituted by Drs. Juan Lorente Guerrero (UAB Lecturer, Hospital de la Vall d’Hebron), Santiago Lavin González (Professor), Rafaela Cuenca Valera (Lecturer), Josep Pastor Milán (Lecturer), Roser Velarde Nieto (Specialized Technician in Research Support) and Marta Planellas Bachs (Associate Professor at the Hospital Clínico Veterinario de la UAB.).
The main objective of this investigation is to define similarities and differences between human patients and animals regarding this particular disease in order to, if that were the case, use brachiocephalic breed as animal models in the options of treatment for the human disease.
The specific objectives of this research line are the following ones:
1. Defining histopathological and immunohistochemical changes regarding myosin fiber distribution of type I and II, that produce soft palate in brachiocephalic dogs affected by upper airway obstruction syndrome, regarding dogs without this pathology which have been euthanize for different reasons.
2. Establishing existing similarities and differences between soft palates in brachiocephalic dogs affected by upper airway obstruction syndrome and uvula of human patients with OSAS.
3. Determining correlation between degree of injuries observed at histopathological and immunohistochemical level and the clinics presented in each patient, firstly in each specie alone and afterwards comparing them.
4. Determining levels of canine acute-phase proteins (C-reactive protein, haptoglobin), as inflation indicators, and levels of cardiac troponin I, as myocardial damage indicator, in animals affected by upper airway obstruction syndrome to compare them afterwards with those that present dogs that are not affected by this pathology.
5. Evaluating surgical treatment efficacy as therapeutic alternative, in dogs affected by upper airway obstruction syndromes, through a clinical monitoring, supported by complementary diagnostic tests.
IP: Juan Lorente Guerrero
IP: Matilde Lleonart Pajarin Collaborators: Irene Braña Garcia, Yoelsis Garcia Mayea, Jordi Temprana Salvador, Angel García Jiménez, Sergio Benavente Norza, Josep Castellví Vives, Laia Josa Culleré, Marina Bataller Fernández Funding agency: Instituto de Salud Carlos III Funding: 183920 Reference: PI20/00556 Duration: 01/01/2021 - 30/06/2025
IP: Matilde Lleonart Pajarin Collaborators: Marina Bataller Fernández, Novel terapéutic approaches against COVID-19, Yoelsis Garcia Mayea Funding agency: Fundació La Marató de TV3 Funding: 161875 Reference: 202116 Duration: 23/09/2021 - 22/09/2024
Experts addressed the main current and future challenges to improve therapeutic options for patients with this type of tumor.
The sessions were aimed at establishing new collaborations to advance the prevention and treatment of this type of tumour.
On World Cancer Research Day, we highlight research aimed at improving treatments for both pediatric and adult cancers through innovative techniques.
