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.
Stroke is a medical emergency and one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. In this context, the Neurovascular Diseases Group was established in 2001, focusing on biomedical research into both ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke from a basic and translational perspective. Our work in this research field has covered the entire disease spectrum, from prevention and treatment to recovery. In 2017, we expanded our research interests to include vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, related to the β-amyloid protein. Our ultimate goal as a research team is to help answer critical questions that will improve the clinical management of stroke and dementia, conditions with significant health impacts due to their high prevalence and associated disability. We are also committed to promoting scientific education among researchers and the society, and to fostering public engagement in these areas.
Since 2001, dozens of researchers have carried out their work in this laboratory, and as a team we have leaded translational and clinical projects through both preclinical studies with experimental models, as well as cohort studies in patients. The laboratory stands out for its extensive national and international collaborations, working closely with other research groups and the biomedical industry.
Our research focuses on identifying new therapeutic targets for cerebroprotection and brain repair, discovering diagnostic, prognostic, and recovery biomarkers in both biological fluids and neuroimaging, and investigating the mechanisms of neuronal and vascular damage. We also work in regenerative medicine and nanomedicine fields, with strong expertise in preclinical models of stroke, cerebral amyloidosis, and Alzheimer’s disease. More specifically, our main research lines are:
The primary objective of this research line is to deepen the understanding of the pathophysiology of cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), a neurovascular disease linked to Alzheimer’s and other cognitive disorders. More specifically, the focus is on identifying diagnostic and clinical progression biomarkers in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage and CAA, as well as investigating new therapeutic strategies in models of cerebral beta-amyloidosis, with the goal of improving the treatments available for these conditions.
IP: Maria Mar Hernandez Guillamon
The main objective of this research line focuses on the development of clinical and translational research in small vessel disease and dementias (including primary degenerative, vascular, and mixed or multiple-cause dementias) through the identification of common risk factors and biomarkers useful for diagnosis and prognosis.
IP: Maria Pilar Delgado Martínez
This research line focuses on developing new therapies for stroke patients centered on acute cerebroprotection and recovery repair. It places particular emphasis on identifying blood biomarkers to monitor recovery, investigating the mechanisms of injury and repair, and exploring novel treatments including nanomedicine and cell-therapy based, in experimental models of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke.
IP: Anna Rosell Novel
IP: Laura Abraira Del Fresno Collaborators: Anna Penalba Morenilla, Manuel Toledo Argany, Olalla Pancorbo Rosal, Estevo Santamarina Pérez, Manuel Quintana Luque Funding agency: Instituto de Salud Carlos III Funding: 102500 Reference: PI24/01233 Duration: 01/01/2025 - 31/12/2027
IP: Jorge Pagola Pérez Blanca Collaborators: José Alvarez Sabin, Noelia Rodríguez Villatoro, Jaume Francisco Pascual, Hug Cuellar Calabria, Ruben Fernández Galera, Federica Rizzo, Claudia Meza Burgos Funding agency: Instituto de Salud Carlos III Funding: 61250 Reference: PI24/00333 Duration: 01/01/2025 - 31/12/2027
IP: Anna Rosell Novel Collaborators: - Funding agency: Fundació Institut de Recerca HUVH Funding: 160000 Reference: ROSELL/BOOST/2024 Duration: 15/11/2024 - 14/11/2028
IP: Belen Perez Dueñas Collaborators: Marta Codina Solà, Maria Mar Hernandez Guillamon, Anna Rosell Novel, David Gómez Andrés Funding agency: Instituto de Salud Carlos III Funding: 185165.07 Reference: PMPER24/00021 Duration: 01/01/2025 - 31/12/2026
PhD student: Daisy Guamán Pilco Director/s: Joan Montaner Villalonga University: Year: 2024
PhD student: Jara Cárcel Marquez Director/s: Israel Fernandez Cadenas University: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Year: 2023
PhD student: Anna Bonaterra Pastra, Anna Bonaterra Pastra Director/s: Maria Mar Hernandez Guillamon University: Year: 2023
PhD student: Elena Pala Vila Director/s: Joan Montaner Villalonga, Alejandro Bustamante Rangel University: Universidad Autònoma de Barcelona Year: 2022
PhD student: Ting Lei (Santiago) Director/s: Anna Rosell Novel University: Universidad Autònoma de Barcelona Year: 2021
PhD student: Julia Faura Llorens Director/s: Alejandro Bustamante Rangel, Joan Montaner Villalonga University: Universidad Autònoma de Barcelona Year: 2021
PhD student: Paula Marazuela Fuentes Director/s: Maria Mar Hernandez Guillamon University: Universidad Autònoma de Barcelona Year: 2021
PhD student: Gloria Monts. González Cuevas Director/s: Estevo Santamarina Pérez University: Universidad Autònoma de Barcelona Year: 2020
PhD student: Joan Jimenez Balado Director/s: Maria Pilar Delgado Martínez University: Universidad Autònoma de Barcelona Year: 2020
PhD student: Yajie Zhang Director/s: Anna Rosell Novel University: Universidad Autònoma de Barcelona Year: 2020
PhD student: Sofia Fernández de Re Alda Director/s: Maria Mar Hernandez Guillamon University: Universidad Autònoma de Barcelona Year: 2018
PhD student: Alba Simats Oriol Director/s: Joan Montaner Villalonga, Teresa Garcia Berrocoso University: Universidad Autònoma de Barcelona Year: 2018
PhD student: Marina Gabriel Salazar Director/s: Anna Rosell Novel University: Universidad Autònoma de Barcelona Year: 2018
PhD student: Nuria Lacuey Lecumberri, Nuria Lacuey Lecumberri, Nuria Lacuey Lecumberri Director/s: José Alvarez Sabin University: Universidad Autònoma de Barcelona Year: 2018
PhD student: Mª Socorro Piñeiro Santos Director/s: José Alvarez Sabin, David Rodriguez Luna, Carlos Molina Cateriano University: Universidad Autònoma de Barcelona Year: 2017
PhD student: Andrea Vilar Bergua Director/s: Maria Pilar Delgado Martínez University: Universidad Autònoma de Barcelona Year: 2016
PhD student: Victor Llombart Sebastià Director/s: Joan Montaner Villalonga, Maria Mar Hernandez Guillamon University: Universitat de Barcelona Year: 2016
PhD student: Alejandro Bustamante Rangel Director/s: Joan Montaner Villalonga, Carlos Molina Cateriano University: Universidad Autònoma de Barcelona Year: 2016
PhD student: Cristina Merino Zamorano Director/s: Joan Montaner Villalonga University: Universidad Autònoma de Barcelona Year: 2016
PhD student: Yolanda Riba Llena Director/s: Joan Montaner Villalonga, Maria Pilar Delgado Martínez University: Universidad Autònoma de Barcelona Year: 2015
PhD student: Feifei Ma Director/s: Joan Montaner Villalonga, Anna Rosell Novel University: Universidad Autònoma de Barcelona Year: 2015
PhD student: Anna Morancho Retana Director/s: Anna Rosell Novel, Joan Montaner Villalonga University: Universidad Autònoma de Barcelona Year: 2014
PhD student: Teresa Garcia Berrocoso Director/s: Joan Montaner Villalonga, Israel Fernandez Cadenas, Maria Pilar Delgado Martínez University: Universidad Autònoma de Barcelona Year: 2014
PhD student: Mireia Campos Martorell Director/s: Joan Montaner Villalonga, Maria Mar Hernandez Guillamon University: Universidad Autònoma de Barcelona Year: 2014
PhD student: Elisa Carenza Director/s: Anna Rosell Novel University: Universidad Autònoma de Barcelona Year: 2014
PhD student: Maria Pilar Delgado Martínez Director/s: University: Universidad Autònoma de Barcelona Year: 2006
PhD student: Israel Fernandez Cadenas Director/s: University: Universidad Autònoma de Barcelona Year: 2006
PhD student: Anna Rosell Novel Director/s: University: Universidad Autònoma de Barcelona Year: 2005
PhD student: Juan Francisco Arenillas Lara Director/s: University: Universidad Autònoma de Barcelona Year: 2003
Funding has been obtained for 43 projects under the calls for Health R&D&I Projects, Health Technology Development, and Independent Clinical Research
The Stroke Research and the Neurovascular Diseases groups lead innovative research projects in both clinical and translational areas.
For three days, the III Stroke Congress of the national RICORS-ICTUS network and a symposium focused on cerebral haemorrhage were held.
