Marina Fortea, Marina Gabriel and Yoelsis García are the three young researchers that obtained the "http://www.yoinvestigo.org/colabora-vhir-amics.php" ‘Amics del VHIR’ grant thanks to the support of Amics del VHIR, who are the people that every month and every year donate for the research at Vall d’Hebron.Among the 23 candidates, VHIR selected these three students that will work and do their PhD at VHIR for the following 3 years:Marina Fortea holds a degree in Biology of the Universitat de Barcelona and a Master’s Degree in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biomedicine of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. She did an internship in the neuro-immuno-gastroenterology laboratory, led by Dr. Javier Santos and Maria Vicario, to carry out her master’s degree study on eosinophilic esophagitis, an inflammatory esophageal disease. Now, thanks to this grant, she will continue the study of this disease that causes stunted growth in children and a reduction of the esophageal caliber in adults, as well as difficulty swallowing.Marina Gabriel is a graduate in Biology, holds a Master’s Degree in Neurosciences by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, and last year she was studying the hematopoietic development in the Edinburg University. On November 2012, she did and internship at VHIR and participated in the research line of neurorepair after stroke, led by Dr. Anna Rosell. In this lab, they study endothelial progenitor cells, which have a neurorepair potential and could be a new therapeutic approach for these patients. Yoelsis Garcia holds a degree in Biology of the Universidad de la Habana (Cuba), where he studied lipoproteins involved in heart diseases. On April, he will join VHIR, under the guidance of Dr. Matilde E. Lleonart, in order to work in a research project related to larynx cancer. The aim of the project is to distinguish the molecular and biological mechanisms that affect the population of cancer stem cells, which are the responsible of the bad prognosis and evolution of this tumor type.Apart from these three researchers, the Amics del VHIR also funded the "http://www.yoinvestigo.org/noticies-vhir2.php?id=49" first edition of the predoctoral grants of Casandra Riera and Luz Jubierre, who are now in their second year of the grant. The aim of the Institute is to repeat this call every year, and for that reason this week has started in the hospital the 3rd campaign to inform about the possibility of being Amic del VHIR.