Once again this year, IDIBAPS has joined forces with 3cat’s La Marató to organise open house visits for the public to show how scientific research is progressing thanks to the projects funded by the Fundació de la Marató. The initiative was launched in 2015 and IDIBAPS has participated in it from the first edition.
IDIBAPS has organised three visits for 2024. Two took place on 19 March, when around 20 visitors learned about the TAIFOL project led by researcher Patricia Pérez-Galán, the head of the group Microenvironment in lymphoma pathogenesis and therapy, which received impetus from La Marató 2018. In this project, recurrent genetic alterations have been characterised in patients with follicular lymphoma, a type of haematological cancer. Through their research, they have managed to identify a relapse biomarker that also functions as a therapeutic target at the same time and can improve the survival of patients with the highest risk.
The last visit was paid on 20 March, when 11 visitors got a first-hand look at the research of Iñaki Martin-Subero, the head of the group Biomedical epigenomics, which also received support from La Marató 2018. This researchers involved in this project studied the molecular bases of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and multiple myeloma, two of the most frequent blood neoplasms. Specifically, they worked with molecules that play an essential role in the development and clinical evolution of the two diseases and from which they will be able to create new targeted therapies.
The visitors saw the research laboratories of the groups in question and also learned about the IDIBAPS biobank and the samples stored there.
