Each year in Europe, between 10,000 and 15,000 children under 15 years of age are diagnosed with cancer. Although survival is high, there is a group of patients who do not respond to therapies or suffer relapses. This is mainly due to the formation of metastases, which are responsible for 90% of cancer deaths. In this sense, the group of Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders of the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), investigates to find new treatments based on the inhibition of cancer cell dissemination to improve the evolution of patients and increase survival. To promote this line of research, the association Tot Per Tu has made this month a donation of € 25,000 to VHIR.

The team led by Dr. Josep Roma, principal investigator of the Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders group at VHIR, focuses its efforts on knowing what factors are involved in the process of metastasis, especially in cases of rhabdomyosarcoma. "Biological knowledge of the mechanisms of metastasis is essential to find new drugs to prevent them, or at least reduce their probability", says Dr. Roma.

Specifically, the project studies the role of a protein called integrin-alpha9, the inhibition of which has already been shown in animal models to greatly reduce metastasis. The researchers are studying the role of this protein in the maintenance of cells that remain "dormant" in tissues and are subsequently reactivated to form metastases. "Blocking this mechanism is of great interest for the development of new therapies to improve the survival of sarcoma patients", concludes Dr. Roma.

Tot Per Tu Initiative

Tot Per Tu is a project created by Luisa and Marc, parents of a child diagnosed in 2019 with rhabdomyosarcoma. Through different activities, campaigns and events, since 2022 they raise funds for research in metastasis of childhood sarcomas led by Dr. Josep Roma at VHIR.

"We are very happy to have reached this figure, it has been a year full of effort and dedication. We thank everyone who has collaborated in this project, family, friends, colleagues, companies, schools and, above all, Dr. Roma and his team for their restless work in improving treatments against childhood sarcomas. We are sure that with professionals like you, we will be closer and closer to complete care", say Marc and Luisa.