Three of the selected projects in the 2026 Health Research and Health Promotion Research calls from the "la Caixa" Foundation are led by researchers from Clínic-IDIBAPS. These initiatives will focus on thrombosis associated with advanced liver disease, recovery after hematopoietic transplantation, and the identification of occupational cancers. Additionally, center professionals will participate in two other projects on healthy aging and the evaluation of colorectal cancer screening impact.
The "la Caixa" Foundation's calls aim to promote biomedical research and innovation projects with potential impact on people's health. This year, the foundation is allocating 32.4 million euros to 80 projects developed by research centers, universities, and hospitals in Spain and Portugal.
One of the projects led by Virginia Hernández-Gea, head of the Hepatology Service at Clínic and the LiVas group at IDIBAPS, focuses on understanding the mechanisms of thrombosis associated with advanced liver disease. With nearly one million euros in funding, the team will study the interaction between blood vessels, blood components, and the immune system to identify the biological mechanisms involved in clot formation, seeking new preventive and therapeutic strategies.
Queralt Salas Gay, a hematologist at Clínic and researcher in the Hematopoietic Progenitor Transplant group at IDIBAPS, leads a project that will evaluate a digital platform to improve the preparation and recovery of patients undergoing hematopoietic transplantation. This initiative, with a budget of 263,395.60 euros, will analyze the impact of physical exercise with digital support before and after transplantation, as well as fragility biomarkers.
A third project led by Laura Mezquita, an oncologist at Clínic and researcher in the Translational Genomics and Targeted Therapies in Solid Tumors group at IDIBAPS, aims to develop a tool to identify cancers related to occupational exposures. With an investment of 299,998.30 euros, the project will combine oncology, occupational health, and data science to improve the registration and surveillance of these cases.
Additionally, researcher Mercedes Fernández-Lobato, head of the Translational Control of Liver Disease and Cancer group at IDIBAPS, is participating in a study coordinated by Raúl Méndez (IRB Barcelona) on how changes in the liver's biological rhythms contribute to healthy aging. Meanwhile, Antoni Castells, head of the Gastrointestinal and Pancreatic Oncology group at IDIBAPS, is involved in research led by Xavier Castells (Hospital del Mar Research Institute) to analyze the impact of colorectal cancer screening.
