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 research conducted in our group is geared toward elucidating the cause and molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease (PD), a disabling, currently incurable common neurodegenerative disorder. To this end, we perform clinical and pre-clinical translational research in both PD patients and in human-relevant experimental in vitro and in vivo PD-related models.
Elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration in PD should allow to:
IP: Jordi Bove Badell
Autophagy is the degradation of intracellular components inside the lysosomes and it is essential for the maintenance of cellular homeostasis and neuronal viability. Alterations in the autophagy process have been associated with neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson’s, Huntington’s and Alzheimer’s disease and has been shown to be one of the main causes that contribute to neuronal death in these pathologies.
Our efforts are currently directed to:
- Development of new therapies for Parkinson’s disease based in the restoration of lysosomal glucocerebrosidase (GBA) activity.
- Development of new autophagy pharmacological modulators (mTOR-independent) as a therapeutic strategy in neurodegenerative diseases.
IP: Marta Martínez Vicente, Miquel Vila Bover
Co-PI: Pia Cosma, CRG.
Given the current lack of disease-modifying therapies for Parkinson’s disease (PD), we are exploring whether cell-fusion-mediated regeneration of dopaminergic neurons can be achieved, for therapeutic purposes, in experimental animal models of PD after transplantation of Wnt-activated haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs).
IP: Miquel Vila Bover
The main focus of our research is to study the role of autophagy in neurodegeneration.
Autophagy is the degradation of intracellular components inside the lysosomes and it is essential for the maintenance of cellular homeostasis and neuronal viability. Alterations in the autophagy process have been associated with neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson’s, Huntington’s and Alzheimer’s disease, and has been shown to be one of the main causes that contribute to neuronal death in these pathologies.
- Study the pathogenic role of autophagic/lysosomal dysfunction in Parkinson's disease
- Development of new therapies for Parkinson’s disease based in the restoration of lysosomal glucocerebrosidase (GBA) activity through nanoencapsulation.
- Study selective autophagy in Huntington’s disease: charaterization of mitophagy impairment in Huntington’s disease.
IP: Marta Martínez Vicente
IP: Miquel Vila Bover Collaborators: - Funding agency: Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación-MICINN Funding: 0.01 Reference: RED2022-134786-T Duration: 01/06/2023 - 31/05/2025
IP: Marta Martínez Vicente Collaborators: Pablo Castillo Sánchez, Laia Perez Lasarte Funding agency: Agència Gestió Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca Funding: 73383.97 Reference: AGAUR/FI/2023/CASTILLO Duration: 01/06/2023 - 31/05/2026
IP: Ariadna Laguna Tuset Collaborators: - Funding agency: Parkinson's Foundation Funding: 54466.62 Reference: PARKINSON.F_IMPACT2022 Duration: 01/07/2022 - 31/05/2024
IP: Anna Rosell Novel Collaborators: Mercedes Arrúe Gonzalo, Joan Montaner Villalonga, Marcel Lamana Vallverdu, Anna Penalba Morenilla, Maria Mar Hernandez Guillamon, Olga Maisterra Santos, Maria Pilar Delgado Martínez, Antonio Palasi Franco, Jesús Pizarro Gonzálvez, Paula Garcia Rodriguez, Miguel García Gabilondo, Nicolas Garcia Rodriguez Funding agency: Agència Gestió Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca Funding: 40000 Reference: 2021 SGR 00656 Duration: 01/01/2022 - 30/06/2025
PMID: 37507573 Journal: INTENSIVE CARE MEDICINE Year: 2023 Reference: Intensive Care Med. 2023 Jul 28. doi: 10.1007/s00134-023-07161-1. Impact factor: Publication type: Paper in international publication Authors: Adell-Serrano, Berta; Agrifoglio, Alexander; Aguilar Cabello, Maria; Aguilera, Luciano; Alcaraz-Serrano, Victoria; Aldecoa, Cesar; Alegre, Cynthia; Alvarez Ruiz, Antonjo; Alvarez, Sergio; Amaya-Villar, Rosario et al. DOI: 10.1007/s00134-023-07161-1
PMID: 37509344 Journal: Cancers Year: 2023 Reference: Cancers (Basel). 2023 Jul 19;15(14):3683. doi: 10.3390/cancers15143683. Impact factor: Publication type: Paper in international publication Authors: Carrion, Albert; Dinares, Carme; Hernandez, Javier; Lozano, Fernando; Morote, Juan; Raventos, Carles X; Trilla, Enrique et al. DOI: 10.3390/cancers15143683
PMID: 37661559 Journal: ARCHIVOS DE BRONCONEUMOLOGIA Year: 2023 Reference: Arch Bronconeumol. 2023 Aug 7:S0300-2896(23)00267-3. doi: 10.1016/j.arbres.2023.07.029. Impact factor: Publication type: Letter or abstract Authors: Abril, Elena; Barbe, Ferran; Barbera, Carme; Bustamante-Munguira, Elena; Bustamante-Munguira, Elena; Caballero, Jesus; Caballero, Jesus; Canseco, Joan; Carbonell, Nieves; Ceccato, Adrian et al. DOI: 10.1016/j.arbres.2023.07.029
PMID: 37726343 Journal: npj Parkinsons Disease Year: 2023 Reference: NPJ Parkinsons Dis. 2023 Sep 19;9(1):135. doi: 10.1038/s41531-023-00579-w. Impact factor: Publication type: Paper in international publication Authors: Arotcarena, Marie-Laure; Bezard, Erwan; Bourdenx, Mathieu; Darricau, Morgane; Dehay, Benjamin; Dovero, Sandra; Estrada, Cristina; Garcia-Carrillo, Nuria; Herrero, Maria Trinidad; Obeso, Jose A et al. DOI: 10.1038/s41531-023-00579-w
On World Clinical Trials Day, we highlight some of the studies we have participated in that confirm the efficacy of new drugs, allowing their approval by regulatory agencies.
Vall d'Hebron has participated in a phase III clinical trial which confirmed the efficacy and safety of subcutaneous infusion of levodopa therapy.
This initiative is part of a pioneering study that seeks to assess how the relationship between different age groups can influence the quality of life and mental health of patients.
Vall d'Hebron Iniciativa per al Parkinson (VHIP) is a research project aimed at the development of biochemical markers for the early detection of Parkinson's disease. This study is carried out in people at high risk of having this disease, because they carry genetic mutations that predispose to the development of Parkinson's or because they present non-motor symptoms that manifest themselves years before motor symptoms.
