30/11/2010

Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) and Vall d’Hebron University Hospital (HUVH) were recognized in the celebration of Diario Médico’s awards to individuals, institutions or companies that have helped to improve medicine, health care and health through its contribution in 2010.In a ceremony held at the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya, Barcelona, 30 November, VHIR received two awards for 'Best Health Ideas of the Year' in the section on research and pharmacology. One was for the idea 'METAHIT Project: first decoded the human metagenome', an investigation led by Dr. Francisco Guarner, member of the group of digestive physiology and pathophysiology at VHIR, directed by Dr. Fernando Azpiroz. Together with the Center for Biomedical Research Network Liver and Digestive Diseases (CIBERehd), VHIR’s researchers participate -as the only representaive of Spain-in the project MetaHIT. The results of the study, published in Nature, describe 3,300,000 genes from intestinal bacteria. This means about 20,000 different functions under all the bacteria that live in our intestines. EU has funded the METAHIT project with 11.4 million euros, and therefore, to research the human metagenome. This VHIR’s research places its researches at the forefront of global biomedicine.The second winning idea has been ‘Intestinal flora transplant’. The research, led by Dr. Chaysavanh Manichanh and coordinated by Dr. Francisco Guarner, both members of digestive physiology and pathophysiology group at VHIR, directed by Dr. Fernando Azpiroz, was a landmark study showing that it is possible modify the composition of the intestinal flora transplanting, and generated changes remain, beyond what was imaginable, until three months after transplantation. The ability to validate treatments that can make changes in the composition of the flora would be a major milestone in those diseases in which there is scientific evidence that the intestinal flora plays an important role. This work, published in Genome Research, makes it possible to introduce new species in the normal intestinal flora simply taking them, and argues that it is not necessary to remove previously part of the existing flora by antibiotics, as previously thought. The study had a major impact on the media.Among the winners of this year there are two important milestones in Vall d'Hebron Hospital. One is the first full face transplant in the world, news that placed Vall d'Hebron in the first line of hospitals and ratified its global leadership in transplantation. Hospital staff participating in this work was led by Dr. Pere Barret. HUVH also received another shared award by the project of the Sleep Unit. Diario Médico also awarded the project of Consortium to Support Biomedical Research Network (Caiber) as a platform for clinical trials. Caiber counts already with forty centers including the most powerful and competitive health of the country, establishing frameworks for cooperation with the autonomous communities, research centers, pharmaceutical industry and European platforms and infrastructure of clinical trials. HIR, which in recent years has participated in 25% of all clinical trials approved in Spain, is one of the centers participating in the project. "http://www.vhir.org/salapremsa/mitjans/mitjans_detall.asp?any=2010&num=151&mv1=5&mv2=1&Idioma=en&titol=Desxifrat+per+primera+vegada+e" More Information MetaHit Project "http://www.vhir.org/salapremsa/mitjans/mitjans_detall.asp?any=2010&num=189&mv1=5&mv2=1&Idioma=en&titol=Noves+expectatives+per+al+trac" More information about intestinal flora transplantion