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 Systemic Diseases group performs translational research based on at least 300 patients with systemic lupus erytomatosus (SLE), antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), systemic sclerosis, vasculitis, dermatomyitis, Sjörgen syndrome or autoinflammatory syndromes in order to better understand their pathogenesis (both at the immunological and genetic regulation level), study their clinical and biological expression (through the detection of new markers that help characterize each of the autoimmune diseases), study morbimortality (through epidemiological studies) and analyse patients' response to medications. With these goals in mind, we seek to improve the diagnosis, clinical monitoring, and prognosis of our patients.
We are currently enrolled in this worldwide study to detect global genetic alterations in patients with myositis. Twenty centres from Europe and United States participate in this study. We contribute to add the genetic information of the patients from our population. Professor Frederick W. Miller (Bethesda, USA) and Dr. Ingrid Lundberg (Stockholm, Sweden) lead the project.
IP: Albert Selva O'Callaghan
Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria is a under diagnosed disease due to its low prevalence and the fact that occasionally debuts as an atypical form. Thrombosis of atypical localization, moreover associated to anemia of unknown origin requires screening for HPN.
IP: José Pardos Gea
The prevalence of failed IVF is high or very high. Besides problems intrinsic to the technique, we know almost nothing about the possible underlying causes. Anti-phospholipid/anti-cofactor (aPL/aCF) antibodies have been associated to several obstetric complications. Nevertheless, the role that these aPL/aCF antibodies may have in failed IVF is not well defined. With this randomized study we want to understand better the use that these antibodies may have on a clinical daily basis. Along with the microparticles analysis, we could end up by finding several elements that might act as risk markers; in turn, it might even help us to fine-tune the currently used therapeutic approaches.
IP: Jaume Alijotas Reig
A high variability in the prevalence of adverse effects with an immunologic basis seems to be related with any implant used in clinical practice. We have managed to find a particular association of HLA haplotypes that increase the risk for developing these effects up to 600 times. We are nowadays working on setting up a safe and reliable biochip or kit which predicts this risk easily in a routine test.
The study describes the first documented case worldwide of hereditary angioedema transmission through assisted reproduction.
15 researchers from the Rheumatology, Systemic Diseases and the Physiology and Pathophysiology of the Digestive Tract groups gave around 25 presentations.
The new technology allows more sensitive detection of scleroderma patients' autoantibodies, which are related to the severity and progression of the disease.
