Dr Lorena Alba-Castellón, a researcher in the Oncogenesis and Antitumour Drugs research group at the Sant Pau Research Institute (IR Sant Pau) and affiliated with the Centre for Biomedical Research in Network – Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), has been awarded a €172,000 grant from the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC) in Barcelona as part of the 2024 call for applications. This funding will be allocated to the project Targeted and personalised nanomedicine as a therapeutic tool for patients with advanced-stage colorectal cancer, which falls under the Innova category. This category aims to identify projects that focus on the validation and commercial exploitation of research outcomes in the field of cancer.
The project aims to develop a new therapeutic tool based on nanoparticles specifically targeting the tumour microenvironment, a key factor in tumour resistance to conventional treatments. This microenvironment comprises non-tumour cells, such as fibroblasts, immune cells and blood vessels, which protect the tumour and contribute to its aggressiveness. Dr Alba-Castellón’s research has developed a nanoparticle capable of selectively eliminating pro-tumour fibroblasts, thereby reducing tumour size and modifying its environment to enhance an anti-tumour immune response.
“With this AECC grant, we will be able to advance the development of this innovative strategy by studying its effects on human samples from volunteer patients at Sant Pau Hospital. Moreover, we will confirm that, thanks to its specificity, it does not damage healthy tissues or cause systemic toxicity like other available therapies,” explains Dr Alba-Castellón.
The AECC 2025 Grant Award Ceremony took place on 24 February 2025 at the MGS auditorium in Barcelona. During the event, a total of 49 research grants were awarded in the province of Barcelona, with a total investment of €12 million. The aim of these grants is to promote innovative projects that contribute to exceeding a 70% cancer survival rate by 2030.
The event was also attended by prominent figures from the scientific and medical sectors, as well as institutional representatives, who highlighted the importance of research in advancing new treatments and improving the quality of life for cancer patients.
With this new grant, IR Sant Pau strengthens its position as a reference centre in biomedical research and innovation, reaffirming its commitment to translational research to improve the quality of life for cancer patients.
