This morning, an agreement was signed between the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute and IDIAP Jordi Gol to improve the cooperation between hospital research and primary care research. The session, focused mainly on the interactions in the areas of vascular biology and metabolism, established the start of a strategic alliance between both institutions to improve the capture of data for research and to jointly benefit from the experience and knowledge of all the professionals.

“It is wonderful to hold a session like this to encourage the collaboration between the different entities that carry out the best research”, explained Dr Albert Salazar, the Director of Vall d’Hebron University Hospital today. Dr Joan X. Comella, the director of Vall d’Hebron Research Institute, added that “this agreement promotes cutting-edge scientific research, the result of which will contribute to resolving the population’s health needs”. “The establishment of a framework for permanent relations is key to improving the impact of the scientific, technological and care impact of both Vall d’Hebron and l’IDIAPJGol”, said Dr Josep Basora, Director of IDIAP Jordi Gol.

The aim of the agreement is to make the most of the quality of the human and material resources of Vall d’Hebron, as well as its prestige and experience in managing and developing biomedical and clinical research projects, together with the experience and recognised prestige of IDIAPJGol in the area of primary care, as well as in the management of real-world data. “Through this alliance, each of the institutions will provide the other with its knowledge, experience and specific capabilities to mutually improve both situations and to collaborate towards making an important qualitative leap in the research aimed at improving people’s health”, explained Dr Fátima Núñez, Assistant Director at Vall d’Hebron Research Institute.

The meeting generated a mutual understanding between the professionals of both institutions, necessary in order to move forward with the cross-cutting projects with an enormous impact on the health and quality of life of people. Specifically, it focused on presenting the lines of research where it is possible to find synergies within the field of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, two types of pathologies that require monitoring over many years.

In the case of cardiovascular diseases, patients with acute episodes are treated at hospital but, it is also a chronic pathology where it is necessary for there to be continuity in primary care. “Patients suffering from heart failure require monitoring throughout their life and this generates a huge amount of information for both the hospital and primary care. By working within a network, this will provide a more fluid interaction in terms of care and also result in better quality research”, explains Dr Ignacio Ferreira, Head of the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital Cardiology Department and head of the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute Cardiovascular Diseases group.

In relation to projects concerning diabetes, the collaborative lines of research focus mainly on controlling diabetic retinopathy. Dr Rafael Simó, head of the Vall d’Hebron Endocrinology and Nutrition Department head of the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute Diabetes and Metabolism group, assures that “we will work together to improve the metabolic control and comorbidity associated with diabetes and, in particular, we have highlighted the importance of diabetic retinopathy as a predictor of cardiovascular risk”.

This session can be considered as a starting point for the cooperation between both entities, and also for other diseases. Furthermore, and as part of the agreement signed, nine l’IDIAPJGol research groups have already adhered to the Vall d’Hebron research structure: Cardiovascular Research, Epidemiological Research in Diabetes in Primary Care; Prevention, diagnosis and management of frailty and functional deterioration, both physical and cognitive, in the elderly; Lifestyles; Severe mental disorders; Research into Infectious Diseases in Primary Care; Healthcare; Research into Respiratory Diseases in Primary Care; Research into Prevalent Diseases of the Musculoskeletal System in Primary Care.

The agreement will also provide for joint projects to be carried out and for the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute researchers and those from IDIAP Jordi Gol to be able to reciprocally access the management services for European clinical trials, innovation and project management of both institutions, as well as to participate in the management and research evaluation bodies.