The predoctoral researcher of the Infection in the immunocompromised pediatric patient group at Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Alba Parra, has been awarded with the Junior Talent Award of the European Society for Immunodeficiency Diseases (ESID). The award distinguishes three young scientists who stand out for the innovation and impact of their research projects, the winners are chosen among all ESID grant awardees of the last three years.

The three selected scientists were able to present their research during the ESID congress. In the case of the VHIR researcher, she presented the projects that she has managed to continue thanks to the ESID Bridge Grant awarded by the society in 2021. All of them related to rare diseases called inborn errors of immunity (IEI). The most outstanding project has been the development of several laboratory tests to analyze in depth the most complex cases of IEI, i.e. patients with inconclusive genetic diagnosis or patients with genetic variants whose role in the pathology is unknown. During the oral presentation of the awards, the researcher also presented all the scientific publications, collaborations with other research groups and presentations at national and international congresses that she has carried out as a result of her research, which has helped her to contribute to the knowledge of these pathologies.

Alba also spoke about the funding she secured from CSL Behring, a pharmaceutical company specializing in biotechnology and focused on developing therapies for the treatment of rare diseases, to pursue her doctoral project. Her thesis will focus on analyzing the recovery of the humoral immune response in pediatric patients with an IEI who have received a stem cell transplant.